Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line graph illustrates the employment levels in four sectors, namely (manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare) in the United State from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the retail and healthcare followed the upward trends, while others showed the downward throughout the period. However, the highest number of jobs recorded in manufacturing in 1980.

In 1960, manufacturing stood at 15 million, then it rose moderately to 20 million in 1980, thereafter there was a gradual decrease to a lmost 14 million by 2020. However, agriculture started at roughly 6 million in 1960, it drop slightly to almost 4 million and remain the same from 1980 to 2000, it then decline slowly to almost 3 million by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response makes a clear attempt to summarise the main features of the line graph, identifying the upward trends in retail and healthcare and downward trends in manufacturing and agriculture. However, the task is incomplete in terms of coverage (omitting details about the end of the period for several sectors, such as retail and healthcare reaching 16 million in 2020) and fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, stopping at only 115 words. Because of the under-length penalty and incomplete development of trends, the response falls into Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, beginning with an introductory sentence and an overview. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'then', 'thereafter', and 'however' are attempted, but paragraphing is underdeveloped (the essay is cramped into only two short paragraphs), and referencing is occasionally clunky (e.g., 'while others showed the downward'). There is a discernible organizational structure, but logical progression is hindered by the lack of full development and abrupt transitions. This corresponds to Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with terms like 'employment levels', 'upward trends', and 'gradual decrease'. However, there are lexical slips and awkward phrasing, such as 'United State' (missing 's'), 'drop' instead of 'dropped', 'remain' instead of 'remained', and 'decline' instead of 'declined'. The range of vocabulary is limited and mechanical, though it remains sufficient to communicate the basic trends. This fits Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'while others showed the downward throughout the period.' However, there are persistent grammatical errors, including tense consistency issues ('drop' instead of 'dropped', 'remain' instead of 'remained', 'decline' instead of 'declined') and punctuation/spacing errors ('a lmost'). While communication is not severely impeded, these frequent mechanical and grammatical errors pull the score to Band 5.5.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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