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 chart illustrates the number of employments in different sectors of the US economy over the period of 60 years.

Overall, the number of jobs in retail and healthcare has a considerable increase throughout the period. However, manufacturing jobs decrease dramatically in the next 40 years, despite the most popular in initial years. In contrast, the jobs in agriculture sector remained the least popular.

In 1960, 15 millions jobs in manufacturing sector significantly increased to 20 millions, by 1980. The noticeable change was seen between 1980 and 2020, where the number of jobs decreased subsequently, reaching approximately to 14 millions. In contrast, agriculture sector initially had around 6 millions jobs, which decreased slightly in later year, reaching almost 2 millions.

Furthermore, job in retail and healthcare sector experienced significant changes throughout the period. In 1960, healthcare jobs were around 3 millions which climbed to 5 millions in 1980 and increased further to over 15 millions in 2020. similarly, changes were seen in retai

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad pattern that retail and healthcare grew while agriculture remained the smallest sector, and you include several relevant figures, such as manufacturing rising from 15 million to 20 million before declining. However, the overview is not fully accurate: manufacturing did not decrease “dramatically” across the whole period, and healthcare and retail both ended at about 16 million, a key comparison that is not reported. The response also stops while introducing the retail figures (“similarly, changes were seen in retai…”), leaving one series largely undescribed. To strengthen the report, complete the comparison of all four sectors and make the overview more precise about the leading sectors and their changing positions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing the data. Grouping manufacturing with agriculture, then healthcare with retail, is a sensible way to organise the information. However, the final paragraph is incomplete, so the discussion does not reach a clear conclusion or finish its comparison. Some linking is also repetitive or awkward: “In contrast” appears for relationships that are not always direct contrasts, while “Furthermore” adds little to the progression. Use clearer links to show sequence and comparison, and ensure each paragraph develops its point fully. A complete final sentence comparing retail and healthcare would make the progression more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of topic vocabulary, including “illustrates,” “considerable increase,” “decreased,” and “climbed,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural choices: “number of employments” is not the usual expression for this chart, “most popular” does not describe the number of jobs, and “decreased subsequently” is an awkward collocation. “Retai” is also misspelled or unfinished. Aim for precise chart language and natural collocations, such as “employment/jobs,” “largest sector,” and “fell steadily.” The vocabulary is adequate for describing the main trends, but more accurate word choice and careful proofreading would make the report clearer and more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “which” and “despite,” and the main trends can usually be understood. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, plurals and agreement. For example, “15 millions jobs” should be “15 million jobs,” and “the number of jobs … has” should be “the number … had” when describing the completed period. “In 1960, healthcare jobs were around 3 millions which climbed” also needs a clearer structure, such as “There were around 2 million healthcare jobs in 1960, and this figure climbed…”. Check tense consistency, singular/plural forms and sentence boundaries; these corrections would improve accuracy while preserving your attempts at complex structures.

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