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 provides information regarding the total number of employees in the four sectors of the economy in the us from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, number of jobs in the retail and healthcare sector experienced a significant increase while the manufacturing and agriculture jobs declined gradually from 1960 to 2020.
Jobs in the healthcare sector increased gradually from around 2.5 million to 5 million until 1980 and experienced a significant increase of approximately 10 million later from 1980 to 2020. Similarly, retail jobs started at around 5 million jobs in 1960 and surged to 15 million in just forty years and remained steady until 2020.
Jobs in the manufacturing and agriculture sector experienced fall in the given period. Manufacturing jobs soared between 1960 and 1980 increasing from 15 to 20 million jobs. Later on from 1980 towards 2020 this sector showed gradual decrease. Agricultural jobs experienced a marginal decrease in the given period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview and selecting the main features and trends from the graph. The response covers all four sectors (retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture) accurately. For example, the student correctly notes that healthcare and retail experienced significant increases, while manufacturing and agriculture declined or fluctuated. However, there is a minor contradiction in the text regarding manufacturing: the student states that manufacturing jobs 'declined gradually from 1960 to 2020' in the overview, but later mentions that manufacturing jobs 'soared between 1960 and 1980' before showing a decrease. Overall, the information is well-reported and makes appropriate comparisons, meeting the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, comfortably fitting Band 6 for covering all parts with some minor inconsistencies in trend description.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph, followed by a general overview, and then moves into specific body paragraphs detailing the upward and downward trends respectively. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall,' 'Similarly,' and 'Later on.' However, paragraphing could be slightly more balanced, and referencing is occasionally mechanical. For instance, the transition between discussing retail and manufacturing lacks a strong contrast marker. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response, fulfilling the criteria for Band 6.5, rounded to 6.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'significant increase,' 'gradually,' 'surged,' and 'marginal decrease.' There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, though a few word choices are slightly inaccurate or unnatural, such as writing 'the us' instead of 'the US' and the phrasing 'experienced fall' instead of 'experienced a fall.' However, these lexical errors do not impede communication, and the overall vocabulary is sufficient to convey the trends clearly, aligning with Band 6.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The line graph provides information regarding...' and 'Jobs in the healthcare sector increased gradually from around 2.5 million to 5 million until 1980 and experienced a significant increase...' There are some grammatical errors and missing articles, such as omitting the article before 'number of jobs in the retail and healthcare sector' in the overview and 'Manufacturing jobs experienced fall' instead of 'a fall'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the sentence structures show adequate control for a Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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