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 line graph compares the number of jobs in manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare of the US economy from 1960 till 2020. Overall, manufacturing started at the highest level while healthcare started at the lowest and by the end of the period their levels were reversed.

Looking into the details, manufacturing jobs started at 15 in 1960 then it surged to 20 which was the highest among the four sectors. After that, it declined gradually reaching just under 15 in 2020. Likewise, retail and agriculture started at the same level of just above 5 at the beginning but retail grew steadily reaching the level of 15 in 2000 and was just above 15 at the end of the period while agriculture declined at a steady pace, reaching below 5 in 1980. Till 2000, it stayed at the same level before decreasing again and reached around 2 in 2020. Healthcare started at somewhere of 2, after that it rose steadily throughout the period reaching the highest level same as retail at the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting on all four sectors and selecting key features such as the start and end points and major trends. An overview is included, noting the reversal of manufacturing and healthcare positions over the period. However, some aspects are slightly under-developed; for instance, the description of figures lacks units in places, such as writing 'started at 15' without explicitly stating 'million', and some trends could be extended with more detailed comparative analysis. The data is accurately reported overall, meeting the requirements of a solid, competent performance in this area while showing some characteristics of higher-level coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the introduction to the overview and body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed body points. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'Looking into the details', and 'After that'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes a bit mechanical, and certain sentences feel slightly dense or run-on, such as the lengthy sentence tracking retail and agriculture simultaneously. These minor limitations prevent the cohesion from being fully seamless, keeping the response firmly in this band while demonstrating clear organization.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

An adequate range of vocabulary is used to convey the information, including appropriate reporting verbs and trend terminology such as 'surged', 'declined gradually', and 'grew steadily'. There are successful attempts at less common vocabulary items like 'reversal' and 'sector'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'somewhere of 2' instead of 'around 2' or 'at approximately 2', and occasional minor awkwardness in collocation. These lexical errors do not impede communication, but they highlight the need for greater precision and a wider, more flexible range of expressions to reach higher standards.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over past tense narrative structures for historical data. Examples like 'manufacturing jobs started at 15 in 1960 then it surged to 20' show good attempts at complex structures, though punctuation is occasionally lacking between clauses. There are some minor errors in grammar, such as pronoun reference issues ('then it surged' referring to plural jobs) and preposition usage ('somewhere of 2'). These errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, reflecting a generally sound grasp of sentence construction with standard control.

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