Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 above illustrates four different sectors of the economy and the number of jobs in each sector in the U.S. between the time period of 1960 to 2020. The sectors include manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare

Overall, manufacturing and agriculture saw a decline in the number of jobs over the years whereas jobs in retail and healthcare increased. The manufacturing sector was the most dominant job sector in 1980, whilst agriculture remained the least popular job sector along the years. Jobs in retail and healthcare remained dominant throughout the years.

Manufacturing sector started off pretty strongly, with 15 million jobs in 1960 and the number spiked to 20 million in 1980, before gradually decreasing in 2000 and 2020, with 16 million and 13 million respectively. Similarly, the trend was seen in agriculture jobs, starting with a little over 5 milllion jobs in 1960, before it decreased to 3 million in 1980 and 2000, and further declining to 1 million in 2020. Retail sector began with little number of jobs in 1960, but it gradually gained popularity and more jobs emerged in retail sectors over the next 60 years, where it remained as the sector with most number of jobs in 2020. Healthcare sector started off with only 3 million jobs in 1960. The trend quickly grew upwards for this sector over the next years, reaching the same level of number of jobs with retail sector , at 15 million jobs in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by providing an overview and reporting the main trends and features of the four economic sectors. The overview correctly identifies the divergence between the declining sectors (manufacturing and agriculture) and the growing ones (retail and healthcare). However, some parts are addressed more fully than others. For instance, the discussion of the manufacturing and retail sectors is quite detailed, whereas the description of agricultural and healthcare trends contains some minor inaccuracies in data reporting compared to the actual chart, such as stating that manufacturing in 2000 was 16 million (it was around 17 million) and describing agriculture as reaching 1 million in 2020 (it was closer to 2 million). To move to a higher band, all reported figures should closely align with the visual data, and every sector should be supported by equally precise and thorough details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical arrangement, moving appropriately from an introductory paragraph to an overview, followed by specific body details. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct aspects of the graph. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Overall,' 'Similarly,' and 'before gradually decreasing,' which helps the reader follow the progression of time and trends. However, cohesion occasionally feels somewhat mechanical or formulaic, and referencing can be tightened to avoid slight abruptness between sentences. To reach the next level, the integration of cohesive devices needs to appear more natural and fluid, establishing seamless logical bridges throughout the entire response.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

An adequate range of vocabulary is deployed for the task, allowing the writer to describe upward and downward trends effectively using terms such as 'spike,' 'gradually decreasing,' 'declining,' and 'gained popularity.' There are also commendable attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'dominant' and 'least popular.' Nevertheless, some word choice and collocation inaccuracies occur, such as writing 'little number of jobs' instead of 'a small number of jobs' or 'reached the same level of number of jobs with retail sector' instead of 'matched the number of jobs in the retail sector.' These minor lexical slips do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at this level. Enhancing precision and natural collocation would elevate the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over chronological time clauses and multi-clause sentences, such as 'Manufacturing sector started off pretty strongly, with 15 million jobs in 1960 and the number spiked to 20 million in 1980, before gradually decreasing in 2000 and 2020.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, notably missing articles ('The Manufacturing sector,' 'the retail sector') and occasional preposition use, but these errors rarely impede communication. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to produce a greater frequency of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over article usage and punctuation across the entire text.

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