Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The graph illustrates the job opprtunities in manufacturing, retail, agrculture, and healthcare sectors of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, manufacturing remained on top until after 2000 and was outnumbered by the two setores which are continously rising, which are retail and healthcare while agriculture aslo kept declined slightly over the years.

Retail sector started with arond 6 million jobs in 1960, on the other hand, healthcare provieded around 2.5 million job opportunities in 1960 and kept growing gradually and surpassed manufactiuring after 2000 and in 2020, it matched the level of retail in 2020.

Manufacturing and agriculture commenced with 15 and 6 million jobs respectively. manufacturing exhibited a significant rise in 1980, however, it no longer kept the rising pace and declined in a constant pace. Agriculture aslo started and has been in a sharp decrease in 1980. It maintaned its level for 20 years but again went falling in figures.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers all four economic sectors shown in the graph and successfully identifies the main trends, such as the dominance and subsequent decline of manufacturing, the steady growth of retail and healthcare, and the downward trend in agriculture. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the overall shifts effectively. Key comparisons are made, such as healthcare surpassing manufacturing after 2000 and matching retail in 2020. However, there are minor numerical inaccuracies, such as stating healthcare started at around 2.5 million in 1960 when the graph indicates 2 million, though this does not detract from the overall clarity of the task reporting. The response satisfies the requirements well, aligning with the Band 7 descriptor for addressing all parts with clear main features.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The report is logically organised into four distinct paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs grouping the sectors logically. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'on the other hand', and 'respectively'. However, paragraphing and referencing can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or abrupt, as seen in the transition into the final paragraph ('Manufacturing and agriculture commenced...'). Furthermore, some sentences are slightly run-on or lack smooth transitions between clauses. Progression is generally clear throughout, placing this response solidly in the Band 6 to 7 range, achieving a clear logical organisation overall.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 report, using terms like 'job opportunities', 'surpassed', 'exhibited a significant rise', and 'sharp decrease'. However, there are several spelling errors throughout the text, including 'opprtunities', 'agrculture', 'setores', 'continously', 'aslo', 'arond', 'provieded', 'manufactiuring', 'maintaned', and 'went falling'. These spelling mistakes and occasional word-choice issues ('at a constant pace' rather than 'in a constant pace') prevent the vocabulary score from reaching a higher band, keeping it at Band 6 due to noticeable errors that mildly detract from precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting relative clauses ('two setores which are continously rising') and transitional phrases. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'kept declined slightly', 'healthcare provieded around 2.5 million job opportunities', and 'went falling in figures'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, though comma splices and run-on sentences appear in places. While these errors do not impede overall communication, their frequency places the grammar performance firmly within Band 6.

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