Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 line graph illustrates given information about number of jobs in four sectors, Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, and Healthcare. contributing in the economy in the US between 160 and 2020.

Overall, Manufacturing is on top create millions of jobs, on the other side Retail starting from the bottom but steadily approach to create million jobs significantly, agriculture saw the steady decline throught the journey.

In 1960, Manufacturing starting 15 million jobs and saw increased in next 20 years about 20 millions jobs, and then saw a significant decline back by 2020, around 12 million. In 1960, Retail start form around 6 million jobs and soar 10 million in 1980, and steadily saw the increase and stand to around 16 million jobs by 2020.

Healthcare start from around 2 million jobs in 1960, and saw significantly increased to 15 million jobs by 2020. which is rapid growth by other three sectors. On the other side, Agriculture start from around 5.5 million jobs in 1960, steady decrease to 3 million in 1980, and saw decline to 2 million by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all four sectors and report the main patterns: manufacturing rises to a peak before declining, retail and healthcare grow, and agriculture falls. The overview identifies manufacturing as initially dominant and agriculture’s decline, while the body gives useful figures such as manufacturing’s rise from 15 to 20 million and retail’s increase to about 16 million. This is a solid account of the key trends. To make the summary more complete and precise, clarify the ending comparison: retail and healthcare both reach approximately 16 million jobs in 2020, making them joint leaders, rather than describing healthcare as reaching 15 million. The overview could also mention healthcare’s particularly strong growth and the changing ranking of the sectors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate body paragraphs that group the sector details. This makes the information generally easy to follow. However, some links between ideas are mechanical or unclear. For example, “On the other side” is used to introduce contrasting sectors more than once, and the overview’s contrast between manufacturing and retail is difficult to interpret because the sentence is incomplete. The healthcare paragraph also ends with a fragment beginning “which is rapid growth,” interrupting the flow. Use clearer comparisons and connect related trends—for instance, explain that healthcare catches up with retail by 2020—to create more continuous progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “increased,” “decline,” “steadily” and “rapid growth,” and the sector names are handled clearly. There is some variety in how changes are described, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “Manufacturing is on top create millions of jobs,” “approach to create million jobs,” and “saw increased” do not express the intended meanings naturally. Some phrases also repeat “saw” and “jobs” without much variation. Choose standard chart language and collocations, such as “was the largest employer,” “rose to,” “fell to,” and “employment in healthcare grew rapidly.” Check spelling as well, including “throughout.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the reader can usually identify the intended trends. However, errors in verb forms, sentence construction and punctuation are frequent enough to make some statements awkward or unclear. Examples include “Manufacturing starting 15 million jobs,” “Retail start form around 6 million,” and the fragment “which is rapid growth by other three sectors.” The opening also has a sentence break after “Healthcare” that leaves the following phrase incomplete. Use consistent past-tense forms for the historical data (“started,” “rose,” “declined”), and check that each sentence has a complete main clause. More accurate sentence boundaries and articles would improve control.

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