Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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 graph illustrates the information about the number of jobs (in millions) in four sectors of the economy in the US about four decades.

Overall, it is evident that healthcare experienced significant growth, manufacturing witnessed a market decline. Meanwhile, agriculture remained relatively stable for three decades.

Rising trends in healthcare began with 2 millions jobs to approximately 6 millions jobs by 2020. Over the following 40 years, this number rose sharply to reach a peak of jobs in healthcare domain. In stark contrast, manufacturing sector plunged from 1980 to 2020, it dropped by 20 millions jobs to 13 millions 2020.

In retail domain jobs increased by 5 millions to 16 millions over the years, but marginal rise is seen from 2000. Conversely, agriculture sector of the economy of US of period of four decades have exhibited declined from 1980 from 5 millions jobs to 2 millions in a downward trajectory.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant trends, including healthcare’s rise, manufacturing’s decline after 1980, and agriculture’s overall fall. However, the overview is incomplete: it does not mention retail’s steady growth or that healthcare and retail both reached about 16 million jobs by 2020. Some figures and descriptions are inaccurate or unclear. Healthcare rose from 2 million to about 16 million, not 6 million; manufacturing fell from 20 million to 13 million, a decrease of 7 million rather than 20 million; and agriculture was about 6 million in 1960, not 5 million in 1980. The response also omits the 150-word minimum by eight words. Include the main comparisons and check figures before summarising them.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing sector trends. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In stark contrast,” and “Conversely” help signal comparisons. However, progression is weakened by unclear or contradictory sequencing. For example, the healthcare paragraph says the figure rose “to approximately 6 millions jobs by 2020” and then says it rose over the following 40 years, making the timeline difficult to follow. The final paragraph also combines retail and agriculture without a clear separation of their details. Organise the body by grouping related trends, and use one sentence per sector or comparison so that each figure has an unmistakable reference.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of trend vocabulary, including “significant growth,” “plunged,” “marginal rise,” and “downward trajectory,” showing an attempt to describe change rather than simply list figures. However, some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this chart. “Manufacturing witnessed a market decline” is an awkward collocation, while “peak of jobs in healthcare domain” is incomplete and does not state the peak figure. Repeated use of “domain” and “sector of the economy of US” also makes the wording cumbersome. Choose precise, natural terms such as “employment,” “number of jobs,” “rose steadily,” and “fell gradually,” and ensure that strong verbs like “plunged” match the scale and speed of the change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including contrast structures such as “In stark contrast” and “Conversely.” However, errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and plurals are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. For example, “manufacturing witnessed a market decline” is followed by a comma splice before “it dropped,” and “this number rose sharply to reach a peak of jobs” is incomplete because the peak value is missing. Other examples include “2 millions jobs,” “agriculture sector … have exhibited,” and “from 1980 from 5 millions jobs.” Practise forming complete clauses, using singular “million” after numbers, and checking subject–verb agreement and prepositions. Clearer sentence boundaries will make your comparisons easier to understand.

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