Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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 compares the job opportunities in the four economics departments in the US such as Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it is immediately apparent that manufacturing accounted for the most adopted upward trend in 1980, whereas agriculture remained the least prevalent in 2020, falling steadily over the period.

To begin with, manufacturing began at 15M in 1960 and experienced a sharp increase peaking at 20M in 1980. Following this, it dropped steadily to 17M by 2000 and then levelled off to finish at13M by 2020. In contrast, Healthcare followed different pattern, rose steadily over the next decade to reach 5M in 1980 from 2M in 1960. This growth soared to 11M by 2000, before the growth plateaued slightly, finishing at a peak of 16M by 2020.

Turning to the remaining, Retail and Agriculture starting from 5M in1960 respectively.The Retail sector saw rapid acceleration after 1980, surging from10M overtook 15M and 16M by 2000 and 2020 respectively. Meanwhile, Agriculture dropped dramatically to reach 2M in 2020 after being moderate at 3M in 1980 and 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by identifying key sectors and overall trends, yet some information is inaccurate or confusingly expressed. For instance, the overview claims manufacturing accounted for the 'most adopted upward trend' in 1980, which is vague phrasing, and later states that retail 'overtook 15M and 16M' instead of surpassing numerical milestones. While the key features of the four sectors are touched upon, certain ideas remain under-developed or imprecise. To reach a higher level, the student needs to select and report the main features more clearly and accurately without awkward phrasing that obscures the data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The report displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to grouping the sectors logically. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the data, such as 'In contrast,' 'Following this,' and 'Turning to the remaining.' However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or faulty, as seen in the phrase 'starting from 5M in 1960 respectively,' which lacks a complete predicate, and awkward transitional phrasing between sentences. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and detailed body sections, providing a clear structure overall.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate the main points of the chart, utilizing terms like 'experienced a sharp increase,' 'levelled off,' and 'surging.' However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'economies departments' instead of 'economic sectors' or 'sectors of the economy,' and the expression 'most adopted upward trend.' Spelling and word-form errors, such as 'finished at13M' (spacing error) and minor collocation slips, occur throughout the text. To improve, the student should focus on precise terminology suited to academic visual reports and ensure correct word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response shows a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, with attempts at subordinate clauses and comparative structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in sentence structures and punctuation, such as sentence fragments and missing verbs ('Retail and Agriculture starting from 5M in 1960 respectively'), run-on phrasing ('Healthcare followed different pattern, rose steadily'), and missing articles ('followed different pattern'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur regularly. A higher band would require a broader range of error-free complex structures and better control over basic grammatical boundaries.

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

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