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 depicts the information about the number of jobs in millions in four different sectors from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, The number of jobs in agricultural sector decreased in the given time period among all the other and the healthcare sector increased their vacancies significantly during the given time.
In 1960 the manfacturing sector had highest number of jobs which was 15 million and retail sector had almost 7 million which contained almost half number of opportunities that manfacturing. In next 20 years these numbers increased by 5 million more and reached to 20 million in manufacturing, whereas retail sector also followed increasing trend and the vacancies went by 5 miilion more rather than previous. The growth of
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to report the main features of the graph, outlining trends in manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare from 1960 to 2020. However, the response is incomplete due to stopping mid-sentence, which significantly impacts task completion. Furthermore, the length requirement of 150 words was not met, as the response contains only 120 words. While an overview is attempted, it is awkwardly phrased ('The number of jobs in agricultural sector decreased in the given time period among all the other'). Key data points are cited (e.g., manufacturing at 15 million in 1960 and 20 million in 1980), but the abrupt truncation prevents a full discussion of the visual data. As a result of the incomplete nature and under-length issue, the task achievement is constrained to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text is organized into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph that begins discussing the initial years. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped because the essay cuts off prematurely in the middle of a sentence ('The growth of'). Cohesive devices are minimal ('Overall', 'whereas', 'In 1960'), and the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'among all the other' in the overview. The logical progression is interrupted by the sudden end of the text. Although there is an attempt to structure a standard Task 1 response, the lack of a proper conclusion or full body makes the overall arrangement overly basic, aligning with a Band 5.5 score.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for discussing economic sectors and statistical trends, utilizing terms such as 'sector', 'vacancies', 'opportunities', and 'trend'. There are several spelling and word-choice errors, notably 'manfacturing' (spelled incorrectly multiple times) and awkward phrasing such as 'reached to 20 million' (instead of 'reached 20 million') and 'went by 5 miilion more rather than previous'. Less common lexical items are attempted, but inaccuracies in collocation and spelling prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey basic data, supporting a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using subordinate clauses with 'whereas' and relative clauses ('which was 15 million'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are missing articles ('in agricultural sector' instead of 'in the agricultural sector'), preposition errors ('reached to'), and spelling mistakes ('miilion'). Because the text cuts off abruptly at the end ('The growth of'), it demonstrates limited control over extended complex sentence construction. Nevertheless, the basic meaning remains mostly clear despite the errors, justifying a Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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