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 given line graph illustrates availability of jobs in several sectors (manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare) in the United States of America from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that healthcare and retail sectors showed an upward trend whereas agriculture and manufacturing sectors experienced downfall trend. Notably, manufacturing sector had a gradual rise in job availability in the initial year.

In 1960, jobs in manufacturing sector were 15 millions which rose gradually to more 5 millions and ended up with 20 millions jobs in 1980. After having a gradual rise in 1980, it sharply declined to around 13 millions jobs availability in 2020. Jobs in agricultural sector was approximately 6 millions in 1960 which then dramatically decreased to around 3 millions before being relatively stable in the next two years (200 and 2020) and stood up in between 3 millions to 4 millions approximately.

Retail sector had better opportunity in jobs which started with around 6 millions jobs and then increased significantly till the year 2000 (15 millions) before showing a marginal rise till 2020 (around 16 millions jobs). On the other hand, jobs in the healthcare sector was the least position in the graph which was around 2 millions jobs in 1060. Although the healthcare sector had a gradual rise in 1980, it significantly surpassed manufacturing sector and matched with retail sector in 2020 with 16 millions jobs (approximately).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors over the 60-year period. An appropriate overview is provided, highlighting the divergent trends (upward for healthcare and retail, downward for agriculture and manufacturing). Key data points, such as the peak in manufacturing in 1980 at 20 million and the convergence of healthcare and retail at 16 million in 2020, are accurately cited and compared. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in data interpretation, such as stating agriculture 'was relatively stable in the next two years (200 and 2020)', which contains a typo and slightly misreads the 2000-2020 trend where agriculture dropped from 3 million to 2 million. Overall, the response meets all core requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 6.5 level, tending towards Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression. The essay is divided into logical paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific sectors. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'In 1960', 'After having a gradual rise', and 'On the other hand'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information. However, some referencing and cohesive links are slightly mechanical or repetitive, and there are minor instances where cohesion could be smoother, such as the transitional phrase 'stood up in between 3 millions to 4 millions approximately'. Overall logical organisation is clear throughout, supporting a solid Band 6.5 or Band 7 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'availability', 'upward trend', 'downfall trend', and 'significantly surpassed'. While many word choices are effective, there are some awkward collocations and vocabulary errors, such as 'downfall trend' instead of 'downward trend', 'jobs in manufacturing sector were 15 millions' (using 'millions' as a plural noun with a specific number), and typos like '1060' instead of '1960' and '200' instead of '2000'. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score. The vocabulary is adequate to convey the trends, landing comfortably at a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses such as 'After having a gradual rise in 1980, it sharply declined...' and 'Although the healthcare sector had a gradual rise...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including missing articles ('in manufacturing sector', 'in agricultural sector', 'in healthcare sector'), pluralisation issues ('15 millions'), and tense/preposition glitches ('was the least position in the graph'). Despite these frequent minor errors, they rarely impede communication, and the complex structures show an attempt at grammatical variety, justifying a Band 6.

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