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 chart provides information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, this graph show the Manufacturing jobs recorded highest figure but over the period the demands of these jobs decreased. Furthermore, Agriculture jobs had lowered numbers of jobs, the jobs declined over the whole period.

In 1960, the manufacturing jobs had recorded highest numbers of jobs in millions after the period the grew up reached on 20 millions jobs but at the end of the period had less than 15 millions. Moreover, Agriculture jobs always had lowest between 1960 and 2020 these jobs accounted nearly 3 millions during whole period.

In contrast, the retail had recorded approximately 6 millions jobs in 1960 but in 2000 these jobs demad increased and recorded 15 millions jobs at the end of the period they stand on 16 millions employments. Furthermore, the healthcare had recoded the lowest figure in jobs in starting of the period but the dramtically increased and reached on 16 millions jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give an overview of the main patterns: manufacturing rises before falling, while agriculture declines, and retail and healthcare grow. You also include relevant figures, such as manufacturing reaching 20 million in 1980 and retail reaching 15 million in 2000. However, some features are less fully or clearly reported. The overview omits the important comparison that retail and healthcare both finish at about 16 million, jointly the highest figures, and “Agriculture…accounted nearly 3 millions during whole period” is imprecise because it falls from about 6 million to 2 million. Develop the overview around the contrasting trends and final rankings, and report the agriculture figures more accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the sectors. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and phrases such as “In contrast” help signal a shift from declining to rising sectors. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several ideas are joined mechanically with “Furthermore” and “Moreover.” The manufacturing paragraph, for example, moves from its 1960 position to its 1980 peak and then its final value in a sentence that is difficult to follow. Grouping the two declining sectors together and the two rising sectors together, with clear time comparisons, would make the organisation more logical and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “recorded,” “declined,” “increased,” and “reached,” so the main trends are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “The demands of these jobs decreased” does not clearly describe the number of jobs, while “16 millions employments” is not a natural way to express the figure. There are also spelling errors such as “demad,” “recoded,” and “dramtically,” which reduce precision. Aim to use accurate terms for quantities and trends, and vary them selectively rather than repeating “jobs” and “recorded.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the overall meaning can usually be followed. However, control is uneven, particularly in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “this graph show” needs subject–verb agreement, while “the period the grew up reached on 20 millions” has a faulty structure that obscures the intended sequence. “Agriculture jobs always had lowest” also needs an article and a more complete grammatical construction. Practise writing clear comparisons with accurate past-tense verbs, such as “Manufacturing employment rose to 20 million in 1980 before falling.” More reliable sentence patterns would make your data easier to understand.

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