Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30
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 graph compares the number of employments generated by four sectors of the economy in the United States from 1960 to 2020, measuring in millions.
Overall, the figures for both retail and healthcare showed an upward trend, whereas agriculture declined steadily thoughout the period. In contrast, manufacturing rose before experiencing continuous decrease over the period.
Ragarding manufacturing, the figure stood at 15 millions in 1960 before climed to 20 millions in 1980. Thereafter it decreased to approximately 17 millions in 2000 and by 2020 it declined further to around 14 millions. By contrast, agriculture stood at around 6 millions in 1960. In 1980, it declined slightly to about 3 millions and levelled off until 2000 and fall further to just 2 millions in 2020.
Turning to remaining sectors, in 1960, both retail and healthcare accounted for 6 millions and 2 millions, respectively. Thereafter, healthcare increased from 5 millions in 1980 to reached a peak at around 16 millions by 2020. Likewise, retail surged to 10 millions in 1980 and peaked at around 16 millions 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 successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and key comparisons across the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overview is present, accurately capturing the upward trend in retail and healthcare, the steady decline in agriculture, and the rise followed by a decrease in manufacturing. Key data points are cited correctly, such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and healthcare reaching 16 million by 2020. The response satisfies all requirements of Task 1 for the Academic module, demonstrating a clear understanding of the visual data provided.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response is logically organised, with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to contrasting groups of sectors. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'Ragarding [Regarding] manufacturing', and 'Turning to remaining sectors'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information. However, some mechanical or slightly awkward transitions occur, and referencing can occasionally feel repetitive, placing this performance solidly at Band 7.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'upward trend', 'declined steadily', 'levelled off', and 'surged'. However, there are notable lexical and grammatical-morphological errors involving word forms and plurals, such as writing 'employments generated' instead of 'employment' or 'jobs', '15 millions' instead of '15 million', and typographical/spelling errors like 'Ragarding' and 'climed'. These errors prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using time clauses and contrastive markers effectively (e.g., 'before climed [climbing] to 20 millions'). However, the text contains several grammatical and morphological errors, including tense and participle inconsistencies (e.g., 'before climed', 'and fall further'), missing prepositions, and incorrect pluralisation of units of measurement ('millions'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 7.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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