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 displays information about number of jobs in the sectors of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall the number of manufacturing and agriculture decreases significantly,whereas the number of retail and healthcare increases throughout the period of given time.

The figure of manufacturing in US started at 15 in 1960 and went upto 20 in 1980 and than gradually decreaes to 13 in 2020.whereas the number of retail started at just 6 in 1960 and dramatically increases to 15 in 2020.

The number of healthcare started at just 3 in 1960 and than significantly increases to 15 in 2020 whereas the figure for agriculture started at the same number of retail but graducally started to decrease to 3 throughout the mention of given time period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by outlining key trends and figures across the four economic sectors, and provides a clear overview in the second paragraph. However, the length requirement is not met, as the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 130 words. Furthermore, some data points are inaccurate or poorly expressed; for instance, stating that retail started at just 6 in 1960 and dramatically increased to 15 in 2020 is mostly accurate, but healthcare started at 2 rather than 3, and agriculture did not start at the same number as retail. Ideas are presented but remain somewhat limited and under-developed due to the missing word count and slight data misinterpretations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The report has a recognizable structure with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to contrasting sectors. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas' and 'then' are employed to connect ideas and make comparisons, though referencing is occasionally basic and mechanical. Paragraphing is attempted, but the text is broken into very short, isolated paragraphs rather than a fully cohesive, well-flowing report. Overall arrangement provides a logical progression of information, but the lack of seamless transitions keeps the response at this level.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate topic-specific terms such as 'manufacturing', 'retail', 'agriculture', and 'healthcare'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary and comparative language like 'significantly', 'dramatically', and 'gradually', but there are noticeable errors in word form, spelling, and word choice, such as 'decreaes', 'graducally', and 'mention of given time period'. These lexical slips do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the precision and flexibility needed for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing coordinating and subordinating conjunctions to link clauses. However, there is a limited range of grammatical structures overall, and attempts at complex sentences often feature errors. Frequent minor errors in grammar, articles, and punctuation are present, such as missing articles ('number of manufacturing'), incorrect verb forms ('decreaes', 'increases' inconsistent with past tense timeline), and punctuation omissions. These errors occasionally cause minor friction for the reader but rarely impede overall comprehension.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.