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 tracks the trends of the number of jobs provided through four distinct sectors of the US economy, between the time period from1960 to 2020. The data has been expressed in millions.

Overall, manufacturing provided the largest workforce in three distinct years. The number of jobs in retail and healthcare showed drastic increase while the job market in agriculture witnessed a gradual decrease.

At the end of the time period both retail and healthcare reached the identical numbers of jobs. The numbers in retail went from a little above 5 million in 1960 to 10 million in 1980, from there it showed a raise of 5 million and finally in 2020 it reached a little over 15 millions. Similarly healthcare's workforce grew approximately 5 millions after 20 consecutive years, from being between zero and 5 million in 1960.

Manufacture was the sector which providing the largest job opportunities for three different years. In 1960 it gave 15 million jobs which further increased to 20 million in 1980, afterwards the trend fell to below 15 million in 2020. Whereas, agriculture had the least number of jobs, initially it was little above 5 million which fell dramatically to between 5 and 0 million in 1980 and gradually to near 0 million 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall patterns: manufacturing is initially the largest sector, retail and healthcare grow, and agriculture declines. You also note that retail and healthcare finish at similar levels. However, some key details are incomplete or imprecise. Manufacturing is largest in 1960, 1980 and 2000, but not in 2020, when retail and healthcare are both about 16 million; the overview’s “three distinct years” is therefore accurate but the final comparison could be clearer. Healthcare’s rise is not described across the full period, and its 2020 figure is omitted. Agriculture is about 2 million in 2020, rather than “near 0.” More precise reporting of these endpoint values and a fuller account of healthcare would make the summary more complete and clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs grouped by trends. This makes the information easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Similarly,” and “Whereas” help signal relationships. Some connections are less effective, however. The retail account moves through the years clearly, but the healthcare sentence gives only a vague early-to-later change, so the comparison is not fully developed. “At the end of the time period” also introduces a point that is not immediately supported with exact figures. In the final paragraph, the contrast between manufacturing and agriculture is useful, though the sequence could be smoother. Use clearer year-by-year comparisons and more precise referencing to strengthen progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “workforce,” “gradual decrease,” “increased,” and “fell,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “distinct sectors” and “witnessed.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a graph: “a raise of 5 million” is better expressed as “an increase of 5 million,” while “Manufacture” should be “manufacturing.” “Drastic increase” overstates the steady rises, and “jobs provided through” is less natural than “jobs in.” There are also awkward plural forms in “15 millions” and “5 millions.” Aim for precise, conventional trend language and check word forms and collocations so that vocabulary supports accurate comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while,” “which,” and “whereas.” Most sentences communicate the intended trends, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “between the time period from1960 to 2020” has an awkward prepositional construction and missing space; “the sector which providing” needs a finite verb, such as “the sector that provided”; and “agriculture had the least number” would be more accurately formed as “agriculture had the fewest jobs.” The sentence beginning “Similarly healthcare's workforce grew” is also incomplete in its comparison across the period. Review verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries, and make sure each comparison has a clear grammatical structure. Greater accuracy in these areas would make the report more fluent.

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