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)

T he multiline graph tracks number of jobs available in four different economical sector in the US between 1960 to 2020.

Overall, there are four sectors contributing to US economy among those manufacturing sector emerges as field offering highest job opportunities. Whereas, agriculture sector contributes least in driving US economy by providing fewer work opportunities. One striking feature about healthcare sector is the dramatic surge in employment.

Looking at remaining features, Manufacturing sector provided highest number jobs around 15 million in 1960 which then surge to 20 million in 1980 how it plunged to approximately 13 million jobs. Although, healthcare sector initially had fewer jobs around 6 million, it followed steady upward trend to reach 15 million positions in 2000 further rising to 16 million. In contrast agriculture sector declined from 6 million in 1960 to 3 million in 1980 and further steadily decrease to 2 million jobs in 2020. Healthcare sector in 1960 offered least number of jobs however, numbers rose to 5 million in 1980. In addition, it witnessed dramatic rise to 16 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making comparisons across the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overview is provided, noting the dominance of manufacturing and the lower contribution of agriculture, alongside the significant growth in healthcare. Key data points are selected and reported, such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and healthcare rising to 16 million. However, there are some minor data inaccuracies and confusion in the body paragraphs (for instance, stating that healthcare initially had 6 million and later mentioning it offered the least number of jobs in 1960 when the chart shows it at 2 million, and repeating healthcare details in separate sections). Nevertheless, the main trends are adequately captured, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is arranged into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. There is a clear overall progression, and logical connectors such as 'Overall', 'Whereas', and 'In contrast' are employed to link ideas. However, paragraphing is somewhat flawed due to the repetition and fragmentation of the healthcare sector data across both body paragraphs. Additionally, cohesive devices are occasionally mechanical or slightly repetitive, and referencing is sometimes imprecise, affecting the overall flow and logical structure. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to trends and data analysis such as 'multiline graph', 'surge', 'plunged', and 'upward trend'. There are, however, several lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'economical sector' instead of 'economic sector', 'highest number jobs' omitting 'of', and 'steadily decrease' instead of 'steady decrease'. While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect a limited precision in word choice, restricting the lexical score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases ('Looking at remaining features...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and missing articles or prepositions throughout the text, such as 'tracks number of jobs', 'how it plunged' instead of 'before plunging', and tense inconsistencies ('surge' instead of 'surged'). Punctuation is also occasionally problematic. Because errors are noticeable and occur regularly without severely impeding comprehension, the grammar performance sits firmly at Band 5.5.

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