Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below gives information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 5.5)

the line graph provides data about number of jobs available in 4 different proffessions in the US over 60 years period.

Overall, manufucturing was the leading sector for jobs in 1960 while retail and healthcare showed an increase overtime, Meanwhile agriculture which started the same as retail in 1960 showed a gradual decline in 2020.

Retail sector had a smooth surge in vaccancies of 15 million till 2000 which further rose to over 15 million by 2020. While the healthcare department rose to a peak of over 15 million in 2020.

Manufacturing had a peak rise of 20 million jobs being the leading sector in 1980. It started having a gradual down fall of about 7 million by 2020.On contrast, agriculture sector showed a major decline by reaching a number of less than 5 million jobs which further reduced by 2020

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying key trends across the four sectors such as the rise in retail and healthcare, the decline in agriculture, and the peak and subsequent fall in manufacturing. An overall trend is provided in the second sentence. However, there are some data inaccuracies; for instance, the writer states that retail reached 15 million 'till 2000 which further rose to over 15 million', which is imprecise, and manufacturing's peak was actually 20 million in 1980, not 2020. Furthermore, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement at 141 words, which incurs a penalty on Task Achievement. Band 5.5 is appropriate as the task is addressed, but with noticeable inaccuracies and under-length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text is generally coherent and follows a logical structure with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to different economic sectors. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', and 'On contrast' (though the latter contains a minor preposition error). Paragraphing is attempted, though the division could be better managed. Referencing is mostly clear, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The overall arrangement allows the reader to follow the main points, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'leading sector', 'gradual decline', and 'surge'. However, there are several spelling errors ('proffessions', 'manufucturing', 'overtime' instead of 'over time', 'down fall', 'vaccancies') and word choice inaccuracies ('peak rise', 'On contrast'). These errors occasionally distract the reader, but communication is not severely impeded. This places the lexical performance firmly at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures (e.g., 'while retail and healthcare showed an increase...'). However, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors, such as missing articles ('the line graph', 'number of jobs'), lowercase beginnings to sentences, and awkward phrasing like 'It started having a gradual down fall of about 7 million by 2020'. Punctuation is inconsistent with missing terminal periods in some instances. These errors reflect a Band 5.5 level of grammatical control.

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