Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The graph presents line charts that show the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. The four sectors are Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, and Healthcare. Starting from 1960, the graph shows that manufacturing sector was the most dominant with around 15 million jobs. Retail and agriculture both started around 6 million, and at the last place we have healthcare with around 2 million. In 1980, manufacturing continued its dominance after increasing to 20 million jobs. Retail and Healthcare also increased respectively to 10 and 5 million, but on the other hand agriculture started to decrease reaching around 3 million. In 2000, Manufacturing started decreasing after reaching its peak in 1980 and it reached around 17 million. On the contrary, retail increased significantly reaching 15 million. Healthcare increased at an even faster pace reaching around 11 million. Although agriculture didn't decrease this time, it didn't increase either staying stable at 3 million. In 2020, manufacturing decreased to approximately 13 million losing its first position to both Retail and Healthcare that have both reached around 16 million. Although they both share the same number of jobs, we can notice that the rate of increase of retail jobs is less than the rate of healthcare having that the first increased only 1 million and the latter 5 million. Which can be a sign that Healthcare will take the first position in the next years. Finally, agriculture started to decrease again reaching approximately 2 million jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by selecting and reporting the main features of the four economic sectors over the 60-year period, supported by appropriate data. It provides a clear overview of the trends and makes relevant comparisons. However, certain aspects are more fully developed than others; for instance, the commentary on the final data point for retail and healthcare shifts slightly into speculation and predictive reasoning ('Which can be a sign that Healthcare will take the first position'), which is unnecessary and slightly detracts from a purely objective report. Nonetheless, the core information is presented accurately in line with the visual data, satisfying the requirements for this level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression through time, moving sequentially from 1960 to 2020. Paragraphing is utilised, and referencing between sentences generally maintains clarity. However, cohesion relies on somewhat mechanical transitions and repetitive structural patterns, such as starting multiple sentences with 'In 1980...', 'In 2000...', and 'In 2020...'. While these chronological markers keep the report structured, a wider variety of cohesive devices and more sophisticated linking would be required to elevate the organizational flow to a higher standard. Referencing is mostly clear, though some transitional phrasing feels slightly formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, accurately employing terms such as 'dominant', 'stable', 'decrease', and 'peak'. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'rate of increase' and 'respectively', showing an awareness of stylistic demands. There are occasional slight inaccuracies in word choice and collocation—for instance, writing 'having that the first increased only 1 million' rather than a standard concessive or causal structure—but these minor errors do not impede communication. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the response, and vocabulary choices effectively convey the trends shown in the graph.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and subordinate structures like 'Although agriculture didn't decrease this time...'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as sentence fragments or awkward relative clauses (e.g., beginning a sentence with 'Which can be a sign...'), and occasional preposition or article slips (e.g., 'at the last place', 'in the next years' instead of 'in future years'). However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to easily follow the intended meaning. Control over verb tenses (past simple for historical data) is generally well maintained.

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