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 CHART ILLUSTRATES THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER OF JOBS IN FOUR DIFFERENT SECTORS - MANUFACTURING, RETAIL, AGRICULTURE AND HEALTHCARE IN THE USA BETWEEN 1960 AND 2010.

OVERALL, IT IS QUITE EVIENT THAT JOBS IN HEALTHCARE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, WHILST MANUFACTURING ROSE STEADLY, THUS DECLINED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. NOTABLY, AGRICULTURE SHOWED RELATIVELY STABLE FIGURE DESPITE SOME FLCTUALTIONS.

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TIMEFRAME, MANUFACTURING, RETAIL, AGRICULTURE AND HEALTHCARE RECORDED APPROXIMATELY 15, 6, 6 AND 2 MILLION JOBS, RESPECTIVELY. AMONG THESE, MANUFACTURING HAD TH HIGHEST FIGURE, FOLLOWED BY RETAIL AND AGRICULTURE, WHILE HEALTHCARE HAD THE LOWEST VALUE.

THEREAFTER, MANUFACTURING ROSE STEADILY FROM 15 TO REACHING A PEAK OF 20 IN 1980. IN CONTRAST, AGRICULTURE DECLINED GRADUALLY FROM NEARLY 6 TO 3 AND REMAIN STABLE TILL 2000, ALTHOUGH MINOR FLUCTUATIONS WERE OBESERVED FROM 2000 TO 2020. BY 2020, HEALTHCARE HAD OVERTAKEN RETAIL AND MANUFACTURING AND BECOME LEADING CATEGORY. AT THE END OF THE PERIOD, MANUFACTURING, RETAIL, AGRICULTURE AND HEALTHCARE ACCOUNTED FOR ROUGHLY 13, 16, 2 AND 16 MIILIONS JOBS, RESPECTIVELY.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all four sectors and provides an overview of the main trends, successfully identifying key data points such as initial and final figures. However, there is a minor error in the overview description regarding manufacturing, stating that it rose steadily 'thus declined' when it actually rose to 1980 before declining. Furthermore, the timeframe in the introduction is written as 2010 instead of 2020. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the response effectively reports the main features and makes relevant comparisons, satisfying the core requirements of Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged logically into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific data points. Cohesive devices and referencing are used adequately to guide the reader through the data (e.g., 'At the beginning of the timeframe', 'Among these', 'Thereafter'). However, paragraphing could be slightly more refined, and some transitional links feel a bit mechanical. Overall arrangement is coherent and progression is clear throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for a task 1 response, including terms like 'substantially', 'fluctuations', 'respectively', and 'accounted for'. There are several spelling and typographical errors, such as 'EVIENT' (evident), 'STEADLY' (steadily), 'FLCTUALTIONS' (fluctuations), 'OBESERVED' (observed), and 'MIILIONS' (millions), along with minor lexical inaccuracies like 'stable figure' instead of 'stable figures'. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is adequate to convey the data effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing introductory prepositional phrases and comparative structures. There are several grammatical and mechanical errors, notably the use of all-caps throughout the text, missing prepositions ('reach a peak of' instead of 'to reaching a peak of'), and verb tense inconsistencies ('remain stable' instead of 'remained stable'). However, these errors do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout.

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