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 chart illustrates the data about the four sectors of the US economy which provides the job opportunities between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, the highest level of job opportunities captured related to manufacturing at the start while the lowest level of job opportunities related to agriculture sector recorded at the end.

Firstly, in 1960 healthcare jobs had the lowest amount of jobs almost 2M but with time the trend continously increased and in 2020 it stopped almost 16M job, Moreover, the retail sector jobs raised continously. In 1960, the retail sector had almost 6M jobs and in 2000 it had been reached almost 15M jobs and in 2020 its value had been increased with almost 16M vacancies.

However, the agriculture sector jobs decreased with time. In 1960, it had almost 6M job opportunities but in 1980 and 2000 its value had been decreased till 3M jobs. In 2020, the agriculture sector had only almost 2M job vacancies left. Furthermore, the manufacturing sector had 15M job offers in 1960 but in 1980 its value had been increased till 20M jobs but in 2000 its value had been dropped till almost 16M. At the end its value dropped till almost 13M.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all four sectors and identify the main broad patterns: manufacturing is highest initially, agriculture declines to the lowest level, and healthcare and retail rise. Most figures are consistent with the chart, including healthcare reaching about 16 million and manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980. However, the overview is limited: it does not highlight that retail and healthcare both finish at around 16 million, jointly the highest figures, or clearly summarise the contrasting long-term trends. Some details are also less precise, such as saying manufacturing fell to “almost 16M” in 2000 rather than about 17 million. A stronger overview and more accurate selection of key comparisons would make the report more complete and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the rising sectors separately from the declining or fluctuating ones. This makes the information generally easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “However,” and “Furthermore” help signal movement between points, although some are mechanical or do not express a meaningful contrast. The first body paragraph also combines healthcare and retail without clearly comparing their shared endpoint, while the final paragraph moves from agriculture to manufacturing rather abruptly. Use more precise links and organise details around clear comparisons—for example, grouping the two sectors that end at the same level—to create smoother progression and clearer referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to describe the graph, including “sector,” “trend,” “increased,” and “decreased,” and the meaning is generally clear. However, several expressions are repetitive or imprecise for a data report. “Job opportunities,” “job offers,” and “job vacancies” are used as alternatives for the number of jobs, although “employment” or “jobs” would be more accurate and consistent. Phrases such as “stopped almost 16M” and “its value had been increased with almost 16M” are unnatural collocations. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “continously.” Aim for a more precise range of trend language and use standard collocations such as “stood at,” “rose to,” and “declined to.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses linked with “while,” “but,” and “although,” and the overall meaning remains understandable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless recur. For example, “the trend continously increased” needs a correctly formed adverb and a more suitable verb construction, while “it had been reached almost 15M” uses an incorrect passive form. In “the agriculture sector jobs decreased,” the noun phrase also needs clearer grammatical structure. Tense and article use are not always controlled, and several long sentences are joined with commas where a full stop or semicolon would be clearer. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build complex sentences with carefully controlled clauses and punctuation.

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