Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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 time graph ilustrates data about the number of employments in four different sectors Retail, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Healthcare in the us from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it is clearly shown that Retail and Healthcare sectors experienced a significant growth throughout the period ,whereas, manufacturing and Agriculture sectors declined.

in 1960, the Manufacturing sector stood at 15 millions before increasing to 20 in 1980. After that it decline slightly at 17 millions in 2000.Following that it fell down to a low of 13 minion in 2020. Similarly, the Agriculture sector stood at the same as Retail before declining to a low of 3 millions in 2020.

In contrasts, the Retail sector was at just above 5 millions in 1900. After that it rose sharply and reached at the peaked of 16 millions in 2020. Healthcare sector increased throughout the period in 1960 it was the least se ctor. It rose sharply from 3 millions to 15 millions in 1980. Following that it increased to almost 15 millions in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student has adequately addressed the main parts of the task by reporting on all four sectors and selecting key features and trends, such as the growth in Retail and Healthcare alongside the decline in Agriculture and Manufacturing. An overview is present at the beginning, highlighting the main overall trends. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the student states that the Retail sector reached a peak of 16 millions in 2020 (which is correct), but incorrectly refers to the year 1900 instead of 1960 when describing its starting point ('at just above 5 millions in 1900'). Additionally, some data points are slightly imprecise, such as describing Healthcare in 1980 as rising to 15 millions (the chart shows around 5 millions). These data errors prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed with clear main features reported, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the different sectors, creating a coherent overall arrangement. Logical progression is attempted, and cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'whereas', 'After that', and 'Similarly' are used to connect ideas. However, paragraphing and referencing can be faulty at times. For instance, starting a new paragraph with 'In contrasts' contains a grammatical error ('contrasts'), and the transition between sentences can feel a bit mechanical. Furthermore, the grouping of sectors in the body paragraphs is slightly disjointed, with Manufacturing and Agriculture mixed together, and Retail and Healthcare in the final paragraph. Cohesive devices are occasionally inaccurate or overused. This fits the Band 6 descriptor for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common economic and descriptive terms such as 'employments', 'significant growth', and 'rose sharply'. However, there are several spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text. Examples include 'ilustrates' instead of 'illustrates', 'us' instead of 'US', 'minion' instead of 'million', and 'peaked' instead of 'peak'. The use of 'employments' is also unnatural in this context, as 'employment' is generally uncountable here. While these lexical errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the response from reaching Band 7. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the main trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as subordinate clauses ('while manufacturing and Agriculture sectors declined' and 'before increasing to 20 in 1980'). However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the response. Examples include missing capitalization ('in 1960' starting a sentence with a lowercase letter), awkward phrasing ('stood at the same as Retail'), incorrect prepositions or articles ('the least se ctor' with an extra space), and tense inconsistencies. Punctuation around transitional phrases is also occasionally flawed. Despite these frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, they rarely impede communication entirely, allowing the response to secure a solid Band 5.5 to 6.0, landing securely at 6.0 for a mix of structures and intelligible meaning.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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