Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The given line chart depicts the information about the number of jobs in the top four sectors of the US economy from the year 1960 to 2020.

The overall picture shows the stature of jobs in top sectors like manifacturing, retails, agriculture and healthcare of the US economy. The jobs in manufacturing industry shows a gradual dip from the year 1980 from 20million to 13 millions by the year 2020. Retail and healthcare sectors shows promising changes with increasing in number of jobs to more than 15 million by the year 2020. Agriculture gradually faces downfall for every 20 years.

Retail and healthcare industries showed a massive rise in job oppurtunities. from 2 million in 1960 healthcare industry have created job oppurtunities to almost 15 m illion by the year 2020, whereas, Retail industry started with 5 million and reached the same by the same year. Agriculture industry doesnt show a drastic downfall, yet the job oppurtunities created seems to be low.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main directions of change: manufacturing peaks in 1980 and then declines, while retail and healthcare rise, and agriculture falls. These are relevant features, and the overview gives the reader a broad picture. However, some comparisons and figures are inaccurate or unclear. For example, retail begins at about 6 million, not 5 million, and reaches about 16 million; healthcare rises from about 2 million to 16 million, rather than “almost 15 million.” The claim that retail and healthcare reached “the same” level is not clearly supported, although both are around 16 million in 2020. Agriculture’s decline is also described generally, without noting its low, nearly stable level between 1980 and 2000. More precise comparisons and a clearer overview would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, understandable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph with further details. Grouping the rising sectors together is a sensible organising choice. However, progression is uneven because the final paragraph repeats the rise of retail and healthcare already mentioned in the overview, while manufacturing receives little further detail. Some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “whereas, Retail industry started with 5 million and reached the same by the same year.” The sentence beginning “from 2 million” is also separated from the preceding sentence by an unnecessary full stop and lowercase opening. Organise the details into clearer comparisons and use linking expressions only where they show a precise relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “line chart,” “sectors,” “gradual dip,” and “job opportunities,” so the subject is generally clear. There are also attempts at more descriptive wording, such as “massive rise” and “downfall,” but these are not always precise or suitably neutral for an academic chart report. Several word-choice and spelling problems reduce accuracy: “stature of jobs” does not express the number or level of employment, “retails” should be “retail,” and “manifacturing” and “oppurtunities” are misspelled. “Promising changes” is evaluative rather than factual. Aim for standard chart language such as “employment,” “increased,” and “declined,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with contrast, as in “whereas, Retail industry started with 5 million…”. The main trends remain understandable, but some errors in agreement, articles, tense, and sentence boundaries are noticeable. For example, “The jobs … shows” should use a plural verb, and “Retail and healthcare sectors shows” also needs plural agreement. The phrase “from 2 million in 1960 healthcare industry have created” lacks clear sentence punctuation and has an incorrect verb form; describing chart data in the present simple would be more consistent. There are also missing articles in phrases such as “Retail industry.” Use shorter, controlled sentences first, then add complex comparisons while checking subject–verb agreement and punctuation.

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