Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The line graph illustrates information about four different types of jobs in the US economy from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, healthcare and retail witnessed a constant increase in jobs from 1960 to 2020. Whereas, agriculture and manufacturing fluctuated and decreased throughout the years from 1960 to 2020.

On one hand, jobs in the retail sector were about 5 million in 1960, which accelerated up to 15 million in the year 2020, a smooth increase. Similar to the case of healthcare, which started with 2.5 million jobs, then there was a bit of fluctuation, but then a constant increase to 15 million jobs in 2020.

On the other hand, the agriculture sector included up to 5 million jobs in 1960, then there was a downfall of jobs and it remained approximately 2.5 million jobs in 2020. Upon looking at manufacturing, first there was an increase of jobs from 15 million to 20 million from 1960 to 1980, and then there was a reduction in the number of jobs from 2000 to 2020 up to an estimated 13 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main trends and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors in the US between 1960 and 2020. An overall trend is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the main divergences between healthcare/retail and agriculture/manufacturing. Specific data points are generally accurate, such as noting retail moving from about 5 million to 15 million, and manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 before declining. While there are some minor inaccuracies with initial starting figures (e.g., retail and agriculture starting slightly differently on the chart), the key features are well-selected and clearly reported, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement, provides an overview paragraph, and then separates the body paragraphs logically by grouping sectors with similar trends (retail and healthcare together, agriculture and manufacturing together). Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall', 'On one hand', and 'On the other hand', although some transitions like 'Upon looking at manufacturing' are slightly repetitive or mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately throughout, placing each set of ideas into distinct blocks. This level of organization and logical sequencing warrants a Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to data trends such as 'accelerated', 'fluctuation', 'constant increase', 'downfall', and 'reduction'. While the vocabulary is mostly functional, there are occasional awkward collocations or phrasing, such as 'witnessed a constant increase in jobs' (retail actually showed sharp growth rather than constant throughout, but the lexical item itself works) and 'remained approximately 2.5 million jobs'. The vocabulary is sufficient to allow precision and flexibility, but it lacks the more sophisticated, uncommon lexical items found in higher bands. Therefore, a Band 6.5 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and transitional prepositional phrases. There are several instances of error-free sentences, demonstrating good control over basic structures. However, a few grammatical lapses occur, such as sentence fragments and awkward clause integration (e.g., 'Similar to the case of healthcare, which started with 2.5 million jobs, then there was a bit of fluctuation...'), which lacks a main verb for the first clause. Punctuation is generally fine, but sentence boundaries occasionally blur with too many clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions or commas. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at Band 6.5.

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