Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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 illustrates the information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, employment rate was quite higher in manufacturing field with no massive change over the period. Moreover, healthcare and retailing show a dramatic change and agriculture remains almost constant.

In 1960, manufacturing offered 15 million jobs and went to 20 million which was the highest employment rate and then dropped to 12 million in 2020. Retailing started at 6 million in 1960, then showed a progress and reached to 15 million jobs in 2000 and almost same in 2020.

In 1960, healthcare field was the lowest sector in respect to jobs at 3 million and had incredible change during the whole period and reached to 10 million in 1980 and 15 million in 2000 and 2020. Agricultural sector started at 5 million jobs but all of a sudden it decreased and provide just 3 million jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially and falls short of the minimum 150-word requirement, clocking in at 141 words excluding copied rubric phrases. While you attempted to cover the main trends, some data points are inaccurate or poorly supported. For instance, you stated that manufacturing dropped to 12 million in 2020 (the graph shows roughly 13 million) and that healthcare started at 3 million in 1960 and reached 10 million in 1980, whereas the chart shows healthcare starting closer to 2 million and reaching 5 million in 1980. The overview highlights some main features, but the limited development and data inaccuracies prevent a higher score. To improve, ensure you carefully verify figures against the visual data and fully develop your response past the word count threshold.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organization present, with an introductory paragraph, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the different sectors. However, the progression of information lacks clear overall direction, and cohesive devices are somewhat mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'and then' and 'in 1960'. Paragraphing is attempted, but grouping could be managed more logically—for example, contrasting sectors that grew against those that declined would create better flow. Referencing is occasionally unclear, leaving the reader to piece together the timeline of movements. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider and more natural variety of transitional phrases and ensure your ideas are organized into a cohesive, easily navigable structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to communicate basic trends, utilizing words such as 'highest', 'dropped', and 'constant'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'employment rate was quite higher in manufacturing field' (instead of sector) and 'showed a progress' (instead of 'made progress' or simply 'increased'). Additionally, phrasing like 'all of a sudden' is overly informal for an academic task. Spelling is generally acceptable, but precision in collocation and word choice is lacking. To improve, incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and varied reporting verbs, such as 'experienced a significant surge' or 'fluctuated marginally'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempted a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the range remains quite limited, and frequent grammatical errors cause some difficulty for the reader. There are issues with prepositions and articles, such as 'in manufacturing field' missing an article, and awkward verb phrases like 'and reached to 15 million jobs' (where 'reach' does not take 'to'). Tense consistency is occasionally shaky when shifting between past years and general trends. Complex sentences frequently contain errors in clause construction. To achieve a higher band, work on eliminating basic grammatical slips, ensuring correct prepositions follow verbs, and demonstrating a wider range of error-free complex sentence patterns.

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