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 given line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors, that are Manufactoring, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

overall, The manufactoring jobs were the highest among others in 1980 but then these jobs drops till 2020. However, retail and healthcare jobs has seen a rise in the given period among all , while agriculture had seen a drop.

In 1960, manufacturing jobs were at the top and the values were 15 million, while healthcare had the lowest jobs which are below 5 millions. After 20 years, both these jobs seen a significant growth with manufactoring jobs reaching upto 20 million and Healthcare to 5 million.But, after 1980, manufactoring jobs starting to loose its growth and decline to almost 15 millions, while healthcare continued its growth and reaching above 15 million in 2020.

On the other hand, retail and agriculture were the same in 1960 and these were almost above 5 millions, however as the time passed agricultre jobs seen a decline and in 2020 there were below 2.5 millions jobs, while retails continued its growth and meet with healthcare in 2020 with above 15 million jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall patterns: manufacturing peaks in 1980 and then declines, retail and healthcare rise, and agriculture falls. The comparisons are generally grounded in the graph, including the convergence of retail and healthcare by 2020. Several figures are also reported accurately, such as manufacturing at 15 million in 1960 and 20 million in 1980. This meets the task well, with some features more fully covered than others. However, the overview could be more precise: manufacturing remains the largest sector in 1980, but by 2020 retail and healthcare are jointly highest. Also, manufacturing falls to about 13 million, not almost 15 million, and agriculture ends at about 2 million. More exact comparisons across all four sectors would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the trends. Phrases such as “However” and “On the other hand” help signal contrasts, and the reader can follow the broad movement from 1960 to 2020. Cohesion is not always smooth, though. The second body paragraph begins “In 1960” and then moves through later years, while the final paragraph returns to the starting point, making the progression slightly repetitive. Some linking phrases are also used mechanically, and references such as “both these jobs” are not fully clear. Grouping the rising sectors together and the declining sectors together, with consistent time comparisons, would create a more controlled progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “significant growth,” “decline,” and “continued its growth,” so the main information is understandable. There is some range in how you describe increases and decreases, but several word-choice and collocation problems reduce precision: “jobs were at the top” is less natural than saying a sector had the most jobs, and “meet with healthcare” is not the usual way to describe equal figures. Spelling errors such as “Manufactoring” and “agricultre” are noticeable, while “loose” is confused with “lose.” Aim for accurate, conventional chart language and check spelling carefully; this would make your vocabulary more reliable and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “while” and “however,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors occur in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. For example, “these jobs drops” should use a past-tense verb, and “retail and healthcare jobs has seen” needs plural agreement. “Both these jobs seen” is missing an auxiliary, while “manufactoring jobs starting to” also needs a finite verb form. There are punctuation problems where sentences run together, as in “5 million.But,” and capitalization is inconsistent at the start of the overview. Review past-tense reporting and subject–verb agreement, then proofread sentence boundaries.

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