Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph shows the number of jobs in four sectors of the United states economy between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, Manufacturing was the largest jobsin 1960 but declined after1980 ,while healthcare shows a drammatic rise and became the largest sector in 2020.Retail also grew ,whereas agriculture declined steadily.

In 1960,manufacturing had 15 million jobs,rising to the peak of 20 millions in 1980.After that, it fell gradually to about16million in 2020. Agriculture started at around 6 million in 1960 but dropped to 3 million in 1980 and futher to about 2 million in 2020.

In contrast, healthcare and retail increases. Retail grew from 6 million to 10 millionin 1980 and peaked at 15 million in2000 and ending at 14 million in2020.Healthcare was smallest in 1960 with only 2 million jobs but rise sharply to 5 million in 1980 ,11million in 2000 and 16 million in 2020 overtaking all the other sectors of the United States economy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main patterns: manufacturing peaks in 1980 and then declines, healthcare rises sharply, retail grows, and agriculture falls. The overview also correctly notes healthcare’s position as the largest sector by 2020. Most figures are relevant, but manufacturing is reported at about 16 million in 2020 rather than 13 million, and retail is given as 14 million rather than approximately 16 million. The account of retail and healthcare could compare their final figures more accurately. The response is also 3 words below the 150-word minimum; the 9 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Add a little more accurate comparison and detail to cover the data more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the declining sectors and the growing sectors. This makes the main trends easy to follow, and transitions such as “After that” and “In contrast” help signal changes and comparisons. The organisation is coherent, though some links are a little mechanical, and the final sentence runs on without a full stop. The grouping could also support more direct comparisons—for example, explaining how healthcare catches up with retail by 2020. To strengthen progression further, use complete, clearly punctuated sentences and connect the figures within each paragraph rather than listing them in sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “peak,” “declined,” “grew,” and “overtaking,” and these choices help describe the graph’s main movements. However, several spelling and word-form errors reduce precision, such as “drammatic,” “futher,” and “increases” where the past-tense form is needed. Some phrases are also unnatural or unclear, notably “the largest jobs” and “peaked … and ending.” Spacing problems such as “jobsin” and “millionin” further affect presentation. The range is adequate for describing trends, but more accurate collocations and careful proofreading would make the account clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including the contrast in “Overall, Manufacturing was … while healthcare shows …” and the time sequence beginning “After that.” The main meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Tense is inconsistent: the report shifts from “was” and “declined” to “shows,” “increases,” and “rise.” There are also errors in number and sentence construction, such as “20 millions” and the final sentence, which lacks a full stop. Commas are sometimes missing after introductory time phrases. Keep the whole report in the past tense, check singular and plural forms, and punctuate each complete sentence carefully.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.