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 line graphs illustrate information about the numbers of jobs in four main sectors of the ecenomy in the US, the data is taked from 1960 to 2020.

Begining with the Manufacturing, which was at the highest in the 1960 and recorded increase till 1980, but after that it gradually falls onwards in every decade.

after that, we observe Agriculture and Retail was at the same in 1960s, but both have seperate stories to tell. if we take retail, it increase in the next severaldecades, that is till 2000 but onwards, it got slow. while on the other hand, agriculture falls every decade.

lastly, we have the healthcare in which we notice continously growth every year, and its stil increasing. the most noticeable increase in this sector was recorded between 1980 to 2000. that is when people realise the importance of healthcare sector.

in the end, healthcare is the only growing job sector so far without any downfall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main patterns: manufacturing rises to a peak before declining, agriculture falls, and retail and healthcare grow. The comparison that agriculture and retail begin at similar levels is also relevant. However, some key details are unclear or inaccurate. Manufacturing is described as falling “in every decade,” although the graph only gives four points, and healthcare does not grow “every year”; it rises at the plotted dates. The claim that healthcare is the only growing sector overlooks retail, which also increases overall. Your overview would be stronger if it stated that manufacturing starts as the largest sector, while retail and healthcare reach about 16 million jobs by 2020, and agriculture becomes the smallest. Some trends are reported more fully than others, so the account is relevant but not consistently precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence, moving from manufacturing to agriculture and retail, then healthcare, with a concluding statement. This gives the reader an overall route through the information. Paragraphing also separates the main sectors. However, links such as “Begining with,” “after that,” “lastly,” and “in the end” are somewhat mechanical, and the final sentence repeats a claim from the healthcare paragraph rather than providing a concise overall summary. The comparison between retail and healthcare could be grouped more clearly, especially because both rise and finish at similar levels. Use a brief overview near the beginning, then organise the details into clear comparisons; this would make progression more purposeful and references between ideas easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “recorded increase,” “gradually falls,” “growth,” and “downfall,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the highest,” “got slow,” and “seperate stories to tell.” Spelling errors including “ecenomy,” “Begining,” “continously,” and “stil” are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the report’s vocabulary. Some expressions are also imprecise: “every year” suggests annual data, whereas the graph shows four selected years. Aim for standard chart language and accurate spelling, using terms such as “peaked,” “declined,” “levelled off,” and “rose steadily” where they match the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use both simple and more complex forms, for example, “while on the other hand” introduces a contrast and “which was at the highest…” begins a relative clause. However, some sentence structures are faulty or incomplete. The opening joins two independent clauses with only a comma: “The line graphs illustrate…, the data is…”. In “Agriculture and Retail was at the same,” the plural subject does not agree with “was,” and “it increase” lacks the correct verb form. Capitalisation at the start of sentences is inconsistent, and several clauses begin with lowercase letters. These errors do not prevent the reader from following the main trends, but they make the report less controlled. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and sentence boundaries, while retaining a mix of simple and complex sentences.

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