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 illustrates information about the job's figures in four sectors of the US economy during 1960 to 2020.

Overall, jobs in retail and healthcare sectors increased significantally between those years. However, Maanufacturing sector increased first then figures decreased dramatically and went lower than retail and healthcare at the end.

Agriculture sector first declined sharply but after that it remain consistant for two decades then reached at lowest point.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response only partially addresses the task due to severe under-length, reaching a mere 70 words against the minimum requirement of 150 words. While the candidate manages to identify some main features—such as the upward trends in retail and healthcare and the downward trends in manufacturing and agriculture—the information is presented in a very limited and undeveloped manner. Key comparative data and precise timeline descriptions are missing, leading to an incomplete summary of the visual data. To reach a higher band, the writer must expand the analysis significantly, ensuring all trends are fully articulated with accurate supporting details across a complete essay structure.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organisation in the response, beginning with an introductory sentence followed by body details divided into general trends, but there is no clear overall progression due to the extremely brief nature of the text. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate, such as using 'Maanufacturing sector increased first then figures decreased dramatically' without proper transition markers or conjunctions. Furthermore, the response fails to use paragraphing effectively. To improve coherence and cohesion, the writer needs to group ideas logically into distinct paragraphs, use a wider range of cohesive devices accurately, and ensure a clear, seamless progression of ideas from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic trends, featuring words like 'increased', 'decreased', and 'declined'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors such as 'significantally' instead of 'significantly' and 'Maanufacturing' instead of 'Manufacturing', alongside awkward phrasing like 'job's figures'. These lexical errors and the restricted range of vocabulary occasionally cause strain for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the candidate should incorporate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary, including less common lexical items related to data trends and economic sectors, while eliminating spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying on simple sentences and basic past tense forms. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the retail and healthcare sectors'), incorrect prepositions ('reached at lowest point' instead of 'reached its lowest point'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('it remain' instead of 'it remained'). These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve grammatical performance, the candidate needs to use a greater variety of complex sentence structures, maintain accurate verb tense consistency, and pay closer attention to prepositions and articles.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.