Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

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 information about the number of occupations in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, the retail and healthcare sector showed an upward trend , while the manufacturing and agriculture units showed a downward trend in the US between 1960 and 2020.

In the case of manufacturing sector, the number of jobs was 15 million in 1960. After two decades, it increased by 5 milliont. By 2000, the figure of occupations declined rapidly and in last year reached below 15 million. In terms of Agriculture unit, in 1960 the number of jobs was above 5 millions and it decreased slightly. Towards the end of period it remained constant and it was approximately 3 million.

The number of jobs in retail sector rose as in 1960 the count was almost 6 million. Over the peroid of 40 years, it reached 15 million. In 2020, the number of occupations jumped to almost 16 million. During the first half of the period, the figure of jobs in healthcare was low. After few years, it inclined moderately and in 2020 it rose above 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall contrast: retail and healthcare rise, while manufacturing and agriculture decline overall. You also include relevant figures, such as manufacturing reaching 20 million in 1980 and retail rising to about 15 million by 2000. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: agriculture falls to about 3 million by 1980 and stays there until 2000 before dropping to 2 million, rather than remaining at approximately 3 million at the end. Manufacturing peaks in 1980, then declines to 13 million in 2020; the description of a rapid decline does not specify the intermediate value. The overview is useful, but it could better highlight that retail and healthcare both finish at around 16 million and that healthcare grows particularly strongly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to paragraphs describing the sectors. This makes the information easy to follow, and phrases such as “In the case of manufacturing” and “In terms of Agriculture” signal changes in focus. The organisation is coherent, but the comparisons are mostly presented sector by sector rather than linked across the graph. Some sequencing is also vague: “After few years” does not clearly identify when healthcare began to rise, and “Over the period of 40 years” could be more precisely tied to the 1960–2000 change. To strengthen progression, group related trends and use clearer time references, while avoiding repeated formulaic openings.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “increased,” “declined,” “rose,” and “remained constant,” so the main information is generally understandable. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for this chart: “occupations” is not an accurate substitute for “jobs,” “units” is unsuitable for economic sectors, and “inclined moderately” is not a natural way to describe a rising figure. There are also spelling errors, including “milliont” and “peroid.” Repetition of “the number of jobs” and “the figure” limits flexibility. Use standard chart language consistently, and choose verbs that accurately reflect the size and direction of each change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more developed sentence forms, including time clauses such as “After two decades, it increased by 5 million” and a contrast introduced by “while.” Most sentences communicate the intended trend, and grammatical errors do not generally prevent understanding. Some errors remain in articles, plurals, and sentence construction. For example, “In terms of Agriculture unit” needs an article and a more natural grammatical structure, while “in last year reached below 15 million” lacks a clear subject and article. The phrase “After few years” also needs an article. Review article use and make sure each clause has a clear subject and verb; this will improve accuracy without sacrificing your range of sentence structures.

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