Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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 information about four different sectors manufacturing, retail, agriculture,and healthcare in US between the period of [redacted phone].

Overall, it can be clearly seen that, healthcare and retail was steadily reaching highest level over the period whereas, manufacturing reaches at the peak of all four and then decline started till the end of the period.Agriculture is the only field which started at the same with retail but keep decline during the whole time period and remained lowest.

From 1960- 1980, the most demanding field for economy is manufactured reaches at the peak with 20 Million jobs followed by cnstant decline with nearly 5 million jobs in 20000 and 10 million jobs in 2020, which is major fall as a whole. Retail accounted for more than 5 million jobs at the start with constant increase at 15 million in 2000 with competant field of healthcare surpassed and touches the retail at the end. Agriculture is the only department which took good start with 5 million jobs but went to fall and remained the least.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response attempts to address all parts of the task by reporting on the four sectors shown in the line graph, providing an overview and making some comparisons. However, the content is partially limited and contains several factual inaccuracies when reporting specific data points. For instance, the student states that manufacturing reached a peak of 20 million jobs and then declined to 5 million in 2000 and 10 million in 2020, which misinterprets the graph where figures were roughly 17 million in 2000 and 13 million in 2020. Additionally, the overview identifies general trends but misses some key overarching movements, such as the dramatic rise of healthcare. These limitations place the response at this level, as the information is not always accurately selected or reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a basic organizational structure with an introduction and body paragraphs, providing a coherent overall arrangement. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by mechanical or faulty cohesive devices and referencing issues. For example, transitions like 'From 1960- 1980' are used to introduce paragraphs, but the subsequent internal linking is weak, and phrases like 'with competant field of healthcare surpassed' create confusion in logical sequencing. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of information lacks seamless flow and clarity. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to ensure that cohesive devices are used more accurately to guide the reader smoothly through comparisons and timeframes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic trends and sectors. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'demanding', 'constant decline', and 'major fall', but these are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form (e.g., 'manufactured' instead of 'manufacturing', 'competant' instead of 'competing' or 'rival', and 'department' instead of 'sector'). Spelling errors, such as 'cnstant', also occur. These lexical inaccuracies and limitations mean that while communication is generally maintained, the range remains restricted and requires more precision and appropriate word formation to elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences alongside some faulty attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text, including missing articles ('in US', 'at start'), incorrect verb forms ('keep decline' instead of 'kept declining', 'went to fall'), and punctuation issues such as comma splices or missing spaces. For example, 'agriculture,and' lacks proper spacing, and 'manufacturing reaches at the peak of all four and then decline started' exhibits inconsistent tense usage and missing subjects. These frequent errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and reflect a need for better control over basic and complex sentence patterns.

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