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 jobs in Manufacturing,Retail,Agriculture and Healthcare in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it is clear that the figures Retail and Healthcare increased during the years. While other sectors of the economy decreased and recorded the bigest number of jobs in 2020.

Regarding the number of jobs in Manufacturing and Agriculture, its began at 15 mil, round 6 mil respectively. firstly, the trend of Manufacturing reached a peak in 20 mil in 1980 then declined to around 13 mil in 2020. Wheras Agriculture' trend dropped with 4 mil apprixametly and dropped slightly until the end.

Turning to Retail and Healthcare, its started at around of 6 mil, 2 mil respectively.to began with Retail sector it had a significant rose to 15 mil in 2020 then it finished at more than 15 mil. on the other hand, the last sector is that Healthcare it climbed steadly to 5 mil in 1980 and ended with the same amount as Retail in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting data for all four sectors across the timeline and making relevant comparisons. The overview captures the main general trends correctly, noting that Retail and Healthcare increased while Manufacturing and Agriculture decreased. Key data points are generally accurate, such as Manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and Healthcare ending at 16 million in 2020 alongside Retail. However, there are some inaccuracies and confusing statements, such as claiming in the overview that decreasing sectors 'recorded the bigest number of jobs in 2020' (which contradicts the data and text). The information is generally relevant, but development is slightly hindered by imprecise reporting and minor misreadings of the chart. This performance aligns well with Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is arranged into four paragraphs, following a logical structure with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs split by economic sectors. Cohesive devices are attempted, but referencing and linking words are often misused or mechanically applied, such as 'its began', 'firstly', 'Wheras', 'to began with', and 'on the other hand'. Furthermore, pronoun referencing is frequently unclear, as seen in 'its started at around of 6 mil, 2 mil respectively.' Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response, but overall progression and logical relationships between sentences are occasionally faulty due to cohesion errors, placing this firmly at Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to economic sectors, trends, and data (e.g., 'illustrates', 'peaked', 'declined', 'rose', 'climbed steadily'). However, there are numerous word choice, spelling, and collocation errors, such as 'bigest', 'mil' (instead of million), 'round' (around), 'Wheras', 'apprixametly', 'steadly', and awkward phrasing like 'its started at around of 6 mil'. Less common lexical items are attempted with noticeable inaccuracy, and spelling mistakes like 'apprixametly' and 'steadly' occur. This performance matches Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinating clauses with 'while' and 'when'. However, control over grammar and punctuation is weak, with frequent errors in basic sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, and articles. Examples include 'the figures Retail and Healthcare increased', 'its began at 15 mil, round 6 mil respectively', 'Agriculture' trend dropped with 4 mil apprixametly', and missing punctuation marks before starting new clauses. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, their frequency causes difficulty for the reader and prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. This is a clear Band 5.0 performance.

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.