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 the number of jobs in four diffrent sectors of the US economy, namely manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare, between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, manufacturing had the highest number of jobs at the beginning of the period, but it expreinced a considerable decline towards the end. In contrast, employment in healthcare and retail increased steadily, while agriculture witnessed a continous downward trend.

In 1960, manufacturing accounted for approximately 15 million jobs, compared with around 5 million in both retail and agriculture. Healthcare had the lowest figure, at about 2 million. The number of manufacturing jobs then rose to nearly 20 million in 1980 before decling to approximately 11 million in 2000.

Meanwhile, retail employment increased gradually from around 5 million in 1960 to approximately 16 million by 2020. Healthcare also experienced significant growth, rising from 2 million to about 14 million over the same period. By contrast, agriculture declined considerably, falling from approximately 5 million jobs in 1960 to almost zero in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by providing a comprehensive summary of the four sectors across the given timeframe. Key features, such as the initial dominance of manufacturing and the significant growth in retail and healthcare, are clearly identified and contrasted. The overview effectively captures the overall trends. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, manufacturing in 2000 is reported as approximately 11 million whereas the graph shows 17 million, and healthcare in 2020 is stated as 14 million instead of 16 million. Despite these minor data discrepancies, the main trends and comparisons are well articulated, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear overarching progression. It begins with an introduction, followed by a well-crafted overview paragraph, and then detailed body paragraphs that break down the data chronologically and categorically. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate general trends from specific figures. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'By contrast' are employed effectively to guide the reader through the comparisons, though referencing could occasionally be smoother. Overall, the writing demonstrates clear logical organisation and coherent arrangement throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'manufacturing', 'retail', 'agriculture', and 'healthcare', along with useful trend vocabulary like 'considerable decline', 'increase steadily', and 'downward trend'. There are a few spelling and typographical errors, such as 'diffrent' instead of 'different', 'expreinced' instead of 'experienced', 'continous' instead of 'continuous', and 'decling' instead of 'declining'. While these errors occur, they do not impede communication, and the lexical resource is adequate for a Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures effectively (e.g., 'manufacturing accounted for approximately 15 million jobs, compared with around 5 million in both retail and agriculture'). There is good control over tense usage when describing past trends (e.g., 'rose', 'increased', 'declined'). Grammatical accuracy is generally high with only minor spelling slips noted in the lexical section rather than fundamental structural errors. Complex structures are attempted with good success, and punctuation is handled correctly, warranting a solid Band 7.0.

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