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 line graph illustrates the number of employees in four different sectors of the economy in the United States between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, the number of jobs of retail and healtcare increased, while the number of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture decreased over the period.
In the begin, the number of jobs for retail increased steadily over the six decades about six million jobs in 1960 from approximately sixteen million in 2020. Similarly, the number of jobs for healtcare increased dramatically over two decades from about two million in 1960 to sixteen million in 2020.
In contrast, the number of jobs for manufacturing increased steadily over two decades from fifteen million in 1960 and twenty million in 1980, after it decreased dramatically over four decades from twenty million in 1980 and approximately thirteen million in 2020, while, the number of jobs for agriculture decreased dramatically from about six million in 1960 and three million in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an adequate overview and reporting the main trends and data points for all four economic sectors. The overall trends are correctly identified, such as the growth in retail and healthcare alongside the decline in agriculture and manufacturing. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing when describing specific data points, such as stating 'about six million jobs in 1960 from approximately sixteen million in 2020' for retail, which reverses the direction or creates confusion in prepositional use. Despite these minor data-reporting flaws, the key features are sufficiently highlighted, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into a clear introductory paragraph, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs that separate the rising and falling trends. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'In the begin', 'Similarly', and 'In contrast'. However, there are mechanical errors in cohesion and referencing, such as 'In the begin' instead of 'At the beginning', and some run-on sentence structures that lack smooth progression. Paragraphing is present and appropriate, but the logical flow within sentences could be tighter. This corresponds to Band 6.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'illustrates', 'employees', 'sectors', and 'dramatically'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors, such as 'healtcare' instead of 'healthcare', and awkward lexical choices or collocations, such as 'number of jobs of retail'. There are also repetitive patterns in sentence openings and vocabulary choices. While less common vocabulary is attempted, the inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching Band 7.0, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative or coordinate clauses to connect ideas. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward prepositions throughout the text, including 'number of jobs of retail', 'In the begin', and faulty transitions such as 'from fifteen million in 1960 and twenty million in 1980, after it decreased dramatically... from twenty million in 1980 and approximately thirteen million in 2020'. Punctuation is also slightly flawed with unnecessary commas breaking clause structures. These errors rarely impede overall communication, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.