Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 6.5)

The given line graph ilustrates the numer of jobs, measured in millions , in four sector of the US economy-manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare-between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, manufacturing had the heighest number of jobs in 1960 and remained the largest employer untill 2000. However, its employment figure declined considreably after 1980. In contrast, retail and healthcare experinced substantial growth over the period, while agriculture saw a marked decline.

In 1960, manufacturing employed approximately 15 million people, compared with around 6 million in retail and agriculture and only 2 million in healthcare. Manufacturing employment then rose to a peak of 20 million in 2000 and 12 million in 2020.

Retail followed a different pattern, increasing steadily from roughly 6 million jobs in 1960 to 10 million in 2000. By 2020, it had reached about 15 million, making it one of the two largest sector.

Healthcare also experinced strong growth, rising from just 2 million jobs in 1960 to around 5 million in 1980 and 10 million in 2000. It then increased further to approximately 15 million in 2020. By contrast, agriculture fell sharply from about 6 million jobs in 1960 to only 1-2 million by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and comparisons of the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An effective overview is provided, highlighting the dominant sectors and the contrasting growth trajectories of retail and healthcare versus agriculture. Key data points, such as manufacturing reaching its peak in 2000 and the dramatic rise in healthcare and retail, are accurately reported. However, some minor data slips occur, such as stating manufacturing employment was '12 million in 2020' rather than around 13 million as per the graph, and a slight confusion in paragraph three regarding the timeline. These minor omissions and inaccuracies keep the response at this level rather than achieving a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The text maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information about the different sectors is introduced logically, beginning with an overview and followed by detailed body paragraphs that break down the individual trends. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the overview, the initial comparison, and the specific sector details. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well to link ideas, such as using 'Overall', 'However', 'In contrast', and 'By contrast' to signal transitions and comparisons between the data sets. While referencing and sequencing are generally clear, some minor mechanical transitions prevent the flow from being entirely seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to data analysis, such as 'substantal growth', 'marked decline', and 'peak'. However, there are a number of noticeable spelling and word-form errors throughout the text, including 'ilustrates', 'numer', 'sector' (plural missing), 'heighest', 'untill', 'considreably', and 'experinced'. These lexical and spelling inaccuracies do not impede communication, but they restrict the score to this band because control over less common vocabulary and spelling is not yet fully consistent or precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

A mix of simple and complex sentence forms is utilised effectively to present the data comparisons, showing good control over structures such as relative clauses and prepositional phrases. There are frequent error-free sentences, particularly when handling past and present tense descriptions of the graph trends. However, a few minor grammatical and punctuation slips persist, such as spacing around commas and hyphens (e.g., 'millions , in four sector'). The grammar is generally accurate enough that communication is rarely impeded, but the presence of these recurring minor errors prevents the writing from reaching the higher band threshold.

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