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 multiline graph tracks number of jobs available in four different economical sector in the US between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, there are four sectors contributing to the US economy among those the manufacturing sector emerges as field offering highest job opportunities. Whereas the agriculture sector contributes least in driving US economy by providing fewer work opportunities. One striking feature about the healthcare sector is the dramatic surge in employment.
Looking at remaining features, the Manufacturing sector provided highest number of jobs around 15 million in 1960 which then surged to 20 million in 1980 how it plunged to approximately 13 million jobs. Although, the retail sector initially had fewer jobs around 6 million, it followed a steady upward trend to reach 15 million positions in 2000 further rising to 16 million. In contrast, the agriculture sector declined from 6 million in 1960 to 3 million in 1980 and further steadily decreased to 2 million jobs in 2020. The healthcare sector in 1960 offered the least number of jobs; however, numbers rose to 5 million in 1980. In addition, it witnessed dramatic rise to 16 million in 2020
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The student covers all key features of the graph well, providing a clear overview and reporting the main trends and data points across the four economic sectors. The overview successfully highlights the dominance of manufacturing and the growth of healthcare and retail, alongside the decline in agriculture. Data points are accurately cited, such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and healthcare surging to 16 million in 2020. However, there is a minor grammatical glitch in the body paragraph ("how it plunged"), and some descriptions could be extended slightly to reach a higher band. Nevertheless, all parts of the prompt are addressed fully, meeting the Band 7 requirements comfortably.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response exhibits a clear overall progression and logical organisation. It begins with an introductory statement, followed by a well-defined overview paragraph, and then specific body details. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as "Overall", "Whereas", "Although", and "In contrast". Paragraphing is appropriate, separating the overview from the detailed breakdown. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and referencing could be smoother in places (e.g., the abrupt shift in sentence structure regarding manufacturing). Overall, the cohesion supports clear communication, aligning with the Band 7 descriptor.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as "multiline graph", "dramatic surge", "plunged", and "upward trend". There are attempts at less common lexical items related to data reporting. However, there are a few word choice and article errors, such as "tracks number of jobs" (missing article), "economical sector" (should be economic sector), and "field offering highest job opportunities". These minor inaccuracies prevent the response from reaching Band 7, but the vocabulary remains adequate and generally appropriate for a Band 6 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and transitional subordinate clauses ("Although, the retail sector initially had fewer jobs..."). There are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as missing articles ("tracks number of jobs", "highest number"), a sentence fragment or punctuation error ("1980 how it plunged"), and slight awkwardness in phrasing. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to keep the grammatical accuracy at a Band 6 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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