Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The given line graph represents the insights about the number of vacancies in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. Here the X-axis shows the number of year and Y-axis shows the number of jobs in millions.

As the first glance we can notice that there are four major sector of US and,

the Agriculture sector is least growing periods throughout years and the Manufacturing field is highest-ranking with slightly decline in the end.

When we saw the graph closely is shows that the Retail and Healthcare is growing steadily each year, where Retail starts with around 5 million in 1960 and reach at 15 million jobs in 2020, at the same time Healthcare grew around 17 million vacancies.

If we see the pattern of Manufacturing, peak was 20 million in 1980 then dropped slightly to 13 milliom in 2020. The agriculture is lowest-ranking sector with less than 5 million jobs over the period of year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four sectors and report several relevant trends, including manufacturing peaking in 1980 before declining and agriculture remaining the smallest sector. However, the overview is unclear: calling manufacturing “highest-ranking” does not capture that retail and healthcare both reach about 16 million by 2020, while manufacturing falls to around 13 million. Some figures are inaccurate: retail rises from about 6 million to 16 million, not 5 to 15, and healthcare reaches about 16 million, not 17. The claim that retail and healthcare grow steadily “each year” is also too broad for data shown only at four points. The response is two words below the 150-word minimum. Add a clearer overview and compare the sectors’ positions at the beginning and end.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, a brief overview, and paragraphs describing trends. This gives the reader some organisation, and the manufacturing and agriculture details are grouped together. However, progression is limited because the overview is vague and the body does not consistently organise comparisons across the four sectors. Phrases such as “As the first glance,” “When we saw the graph closely,” and “If we see the pattern” are repetitive signposts rather than links that clarify relationships between data. The sentence beginning “As the first glance” also ends with an unnecessary “and,” disrupting the flow. Use a concise overview followed by logically grouped comparisons, and connect contrasting trends directly—for example, manufacturing’s decline against retail and healthcare growth.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “peak,” “dropped,” “steadily,” and “throughout,” and the reader can generally understand which sectors you mean. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph. “Vacancies” is not equivalent to the number of jobs, while “highest-ranking” and “least growing periods” do not clearly describe the data. “Insights about” and “the number of year” are also awkward expressions. There are noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “milliom,” and repeated use of “sector” and “jobs” limits range. Aim for precise trend language and natural collocations, such as “employment,” “the largest sector,” “declined,” and “remained the smallest.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the main subject using both simple and attempted complex sentences, but control is inconsistent, which sometimes makes relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Examples include “As the first glance we can notice that there are four major sector of US and,” where the opening phrase, plural agreement, and punctuation are faulty, and “When we saw the graph closely is shows,” which has an incorrect clause structure and verb form. Subject–verb agreement is also problematic in “Retail and Healthcare is growing,” and “Retail starts … and reach.” Articles and prepositions are often missing or awkward, as in “in the end” and “throughout years.” Practise accurate sentence patterns for describing trends, and check agreement, tense, articles, and punctuation before submitting.

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