Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The give graph provides a comparison of the number of jobs in four different sectors of the economy in the United States of America.

There is a significant growth in healthcare and retail sectors in the country. The major growth happend in the healthcare sector with growth of more than 500% followed by the retail sector with growth of 200%. According to the data of year 2020, both sectors are leading in the number of jobs producing more than 15 million jobs by each sector.

A continuous decline in the number of jobs has been observed in the agriculture sector. From 1960 to 2020, the number of jobs have been reduced by the half of original jobs. According to 2020, the agriculture sector is offering lowest number of jobs among the four sectors the US.

The number of jobs in the manufacturing sector increased in the first two decades from 1960 to 1980 but then a consistent downward trend has been observed. Even after continuous decline, it is offering about 12.5 millions jobs

AI examiner evaluation

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 present, highlighting the general growth in healthcare and retail alongside the decline in agriculture and manufacturing. However, some areas are slightly under-developed or contain minor inaccuracies, such as the statement regarding the manufacturing sector where the end figure is described as 12.5 million rather than approximately 13 million, and the overall growth percentage for healthcare is slightly exaggerated based on visual estimation. Nevertheless, the key features are clearly identified, satisfying the requirements for a solid performance at this level while showing some elements of more fully developed responses.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. Information is structured reasonably well into distinct paragraphs, starting with an introductory sentence, followed by growing sectors, declining sectors, and finally the manufacturing sector. Cohesive devices such as 'followed by', 'According to the data', and 'Even after continuous decline' are used to connect ideas, although referencing and transitions can occasionally feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('the number of jobs in...'). Paragraphing is appropriately utilised to separate distinct economic sectors, which helps the reader navigate the data smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts to incorporate less common economic terms and phrases such as 'significant growth', 'downward trend', and 'economic sectors'. There are, however, a few lexical and spelling inaccuracies that prevent a higher score, such as 'give' instead of 'given' in the opening sentence and 'happend' instead of 'happened'. Word choice is generally functional, allowing the message to be communicated clearly without causing strain for the reader, and successfully demonstrates the flexibility expected at this level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over basic structures and attempting more intricate constructions such as participle clauses ('followed by the retail sector with growth of 200%'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text, including article omissions ('in healthcare and retail sectors', 'offering lowest number'), preposition choices ('growth of more than 500%' instead of 'an increase of over 500%'), and pluralization errors ('millions jobs'). However, these grammatical lapses rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the numerical data without difficulty.

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