Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 line graph represents the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, all the jobs showed different trend over all the years. The count for jobs in healthcare and retail sector, continuously increased within the given 60 years while agricultural field reprsented a decrease in this number. While, Manufacturing sector remained totally different with an initial increase in number of jobs but then continuous decrease after 1980.

In 1960, the count for healthcare and retail area was about 2 million and 6 million, respectively, and this number gain a slight increase and reached upto 5 million 10 million, almost double, in the year 1980. After 1980, the line represents a very continous and stable increase in healthcare factor, reaching upto 16 million jobs available since the end of 2020 which was about 8 times than its initial state in 1960. The retail sector rose continuously since 2000 but after that it lesssen its pace and ended at equall number of vacancies available as healthcare sector, 16 million.

The agriculture initiated from same point as retail, with 6 million jobs availablity in 1960, but number decreased at moderate pace and became almost 2 million in 2020. Manufacturing sector started from 15 million, was peaked in 1980 at 20 million job vacancy but then this sector continuously decrease reaching, about 13 millions, lower as compared to healthcare and retail sector in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all four economic sectors shown in the line graph, providing an accurate summary of the main trends and making clear comparisons throughout the response. The overview effectively captures the general trajectory of the data, noting that healthcare and retail increased while agriculture decreased, and that manufacturing followed a distinct pattern of rising then falling. Data points are appropriately cited to support descriptions, such as mentioning the starting and ending figures for healthcare and retail reaching 16 million. While there are a few minor approximations in reading the graph data, these do not detract from the overall accuracy of the reporting. The task is fully and adequately addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into a logical structure with a clear introduction, overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs that group information effectively by sector. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'In 1960', and 'After 1980'. However, paragraphing could be slightly more refined, and some transitional phrases feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, and progression is maintained throughout the text, allowing the reader to follow the trends smoothly from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a Task 1 response, employing terms like 'sector', 'continuously increased', 'moderate pace', and 'vacancies available'. However, there are some noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'trend over all the years', 'reprsented' (spelling error), 'lesssen' (spelling and usage), and 'equall number'. While attempts are made to use less common vocabulary like 'availability' and 'trajectory' equivalents, inaccuracies in word formation and collocation prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer utilizes a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating clauses with 'while', 'as', and 'after'. There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward structures present, such as 'all the jobs showed different trend', 'this number gain a slight increase', and 'manufacturing sector started from 15 million, was peaked in 1980'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but prepositional errors and tense inconsistencies occur. Although these errors do not impede overall communication, they are frequent enough to restrict the score to a solid band 6.0.

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