Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The provided graph showcases a a remarkable growth over the 6 decades between 1960 and 2020 in the number of retail and healthcare jobs with an average increase of 12 million in number, whereas the manufacturing sector displays a rise in the number of jobs from 1960 to 1980 by 5 million then a progressive decrease of 7 million jobs from 1980 to 2020, overall only decreasing by 2 million jobs from 1960 to 2020. Meanwhile the agriculture sector witnessed a continuous depletion of the number of jobs by around 3 million mostly happening around the first 2 decades from 6 million to 4. Although the agriculture sector and retail sector started off with the same number of jobs the former ended up with only 4 million by 2020 while the latter rose to 15 million in jobs same as the healthcare sector which also underwent a sharp increase from 2.5 million jobs to 15. Compared to the rest, the manufacturing sector managed to keep a high number in jobs of around 16 million throughout the entire timeline while reaching a peak of 20 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student attempts to cover all four sectors across the 1960-2020 timeframe, successfully highlighting the growth in retail and healthcare, the fluctuating manufacturing sector, and the decline in agriculture. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in specific data reporting when compared to the visual data. For instance, the text mentions that agriculture dropped from 6 million to 4 million, whereas the graph indicates a drop from 6 million down to 2 or 3 million by 2020. Additionally, the overview lacks a distinct, separate opening summary statement, resulting in a score of 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is written as a single, dense block of text without paragraph breaks, which severely limits its coherence and visual organisation. While there are cohesive devices used to link ideas, such as 'whereas', 'meanwhile', and 'although', the absence of paragraphs makes the essay difficult to read and follow logically. A clear division between an introduction/overview and body paragraphs detailing specific trends is missing. Therefore, it meets the criteria for Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for the task, successfully using terms like 'remarkable growth', 'progressive decrease', and 'continuous depletion'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, though occasional inaccuracies in word choice or phrasing appear, such as 'depletion of the number of jobs by around 3 million mostly happening around the first 2 decades'. The range is sufficient to convey the main trends, placing it comfortably at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and subordinating conjunctions ('Although the agriculture sector and retail sector started off...'). However, there are punctuation errors, notably the run-on nature of long sentences, and a minor typo ('a a remarkable growth'). Errors do not impede overall communication, but grammatical control is inconsistent, which aligns with the Band 6 descriptor.

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.