Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The graph below gives us information about the four sectors of job economy in the US from 1960 to 2020. Overall, manufacturing has the highest job opportunities. In comparison, lowest jobs where available in the field of agriculture between 1960 and 2020.

In 1960 manufacturing jobs where 15 million, which shows rose upto 20 million highest job ranges in the US and ends up on 2020 on around 13 million jobs. Moreover, retail jobs where almost 6 million in starting and climbed sharply on 16 million in 2020.

Furthermore, in 1960 health care jobs where under 5 million and after coming years it shows sharp change to around 16 million jobs in 2020. Besides this, agriculture jobs where 6 million in 1960 but by the passage of years jobs in this field shows decrease around 2 million jobs in US.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main trends across all four sectors between 1960 and 2020, correctly noting the figures for manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and agriculture. An overview is attempted in the introduction, identifying manufacturing as having the highest jobs and agriculture the lowest. However, the overview lacks sufficient clarity regarding the overarching changes over the 60-year period. Furthermore, the response is under the 190-character/word minimum requirement, containing only 140 words, which places an upper limit on the task achievement score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into a brief introduction and two body paragraphs, providing a logical framework. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Besides this' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of information could be more cohesive, particularly by separating the growing sectors from the declining sectors more clearly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with terms like 'manufacturing', 'retail', 'agriculture', and 'healthcare' correctly employed. However, there is a reliance on basic vocabulary and repetitive phrasing ('jobs where', 'jobs in this field'). The student attempts some less common vocabulary ('climbed sharply', 'sharp change'), but word choices occasionally lack precision or contain lexical errors, such as 'job economy' instead of 'labor market' or 'economy'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which shows rose upto 20 million'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'jobs where' instead of 'jobs were', 'shows rose' instead of 'rose', and 'ends up on 2020'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but errors in grammar and prepositions detract from the overall accuracy of the writing.

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