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 gragh tracks the number of jobs in four sectors contributing in the economy of the country between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, manufacturing was the highest factor in the economy with the most number of jobs at the start but it eventually dropped after reaching a top among all other sectors. Healthcare despite being the lowest sector at the begining amazed with its steady growth throughout the time period.
In 1960, manufacturing sector had 15 million jobs, but it reached at the peak in 1980, having 20 million jobs, the most by any sector, however its downfall started after reaching a top and it showed gradual decline untill 2020. Agriculture sector also droped from 6 million to nearly 3 million from 1960 to 1980. After that it tried to settle down but showed no progress and resultantly droped to 2 million at the end of 2020.
Retail and healthcare are the only two sectors that showed positive growth from strat to end. Both showed consistent and steady growth and produced 16 million jobs at the the end of 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0
The student successfully covers all parts of the prompt by reporting the main features, trends, and comparisons across the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. The overview effectively captures the primary trends, noting that manufacturing started highest before dropping, while healthcare showed significant steady growth. Specific figures from the graph are accurately cited, such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and agriculture dropping to 2 million by 2020. Key comparisons between retail and healthcare both reaching 16 million are also well-reported. The task is fully addressed without any major omissions or misinterpretations of the visual data, satisfying the requirements for a high band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific trends. Progression is clear throughout, moving smoothly from general introductory remarks to specific temporal data. Cohesive devices are used adequately to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In 1960', and 'After that'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information, though some transitional phrasing between sentences could be slightly more sophisticated to reach higher band levels. Referencing is generally clear and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range appropriate for Task 1, successfully employing terms related to trends such as 'steady growth', 'gradual decline', 'positive growth', and 'peak'. However, there are some spelling errors ('gragh', 'begining', 'untill', 'droped', 'resultantly', 'strat') and awkward word choices ('amazed with its steady growth', 'highest factor'). While less common lexical items are attempted, inaccuracies in spelling and word collocation prevent the response from achieving a higher lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses ('Healthcare despite being the lowest sector at the begining amazed with its steady growth...'). There are several grammatical and punctuation errors present, such as missing commas around inserted clauses ('Healthcare, despite being...', 'reaching at the peak' instead of 'reaching a peak'), and general prepositional slips. However, these errors rarely impede communication, and the overall meaning remains clear throughout the response.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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