Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05
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 illustrates the number of jobs in Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare sectors in the US from 1960 to 2020.
Overall there was gradual increase in employment status in healthcare and retail sectors. While the number of jobs in manufacturing sector increased in 1980 and then decreased there was also decrease an employment status in agriculture sector.
In 1960, the number of jobs in healthcare sector were lowest about 3 millions, while the number of jobs were same in retail and agriculture sector i.e. 6 million and the number of jobs in manufacturing sector was 15 million which was the highest at that time.
There was substantial growth in employment status in healthcare sector reaching its number of jobs up to 15 millions same as in retail sector. There was sharp increase a number of jobs manufacturing sector and then it’s employment fell to 13 millions in 2020. The employment in agriculture sector also declined and remained stable till 2020 reaching 2 million.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main trends and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors. An overview is provided, noting the upward trajectory in healthcare and retail alongside the fluctuations in manufacturing and agriculture. However, some features are under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies in data interpretation—for instance, stating that healthcare jobs were 'lowest about 3 millions' in 1960 when the chart shows approximately 2 million, and describing the 1980 manufacturing peak rather loosely. To reach the next level, the reporting of data points could be slightly more precise and the overview more fully integrated into the summary.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The writing has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure, moving from an introduction to an overview, followed by specific data points for the initial year and subsequent changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related information. However, cohesion at times feels a bit mechanical or lacks smooth transitional links between sentences, such as the abrupt shift in the final paragraph ('There was substantial growth... There was sharp increase...'). Referencing and referencing devices are occasionally basic, meaning the progression of ideas is sometimes less fluid than required for a higher band.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'sector', 'employment', 'substantial growth', and 'declined'. There are, however, noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'employment status' instead of simply 'employment' or 'number of jobs', and minor phrasing errors like 'increase a number of jobs manufacturing sector'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the limited control over precise collocations and occasional word-formation slips prevent the vocabulary score from rising into the higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as 'While the number of jobs in manufacturing sector increased... there was also decrease...'. There are several grammatical errors, particularly missing articles ('in healthcare sector', 'in retail and agriculture sector', 'in manufacturing sector'), incorrect prepositions, and minor subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'the number of jobs in healthcare sector were lowest'). These errors do not impede overall communication, but their presence throughout the text keeps the grammar at this level.
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