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 line chart graph illustrates information related to the number of jobs in four economical sectors of United States from year 1960 to 2020.

Overall, The jobs in retail and healthcare sectors leading the chart with both having same numbers in 2020 and manufacturing on the 2nd place, while agriculture have least vacancies among all.

Manufacturing in 1960 had 15 millions jobs moved upward to 20 million in 1980,declined within next 4 decades to 17 millions in 2000 , then ending 2020 with 13 millions jobs only despite becoming the largest sector among all. Retail and Agriculture sectors has 6 millions jobs back in 1960 then retail gained huge hike with 6 to 10 millions in 1980, got more 5 millions took that number to 15 million in 2000 and leading in 2020 with 16 million.

Agriculture on the other hand faced goes down to 3 million in 1980, followed same number in 2000 and 2 millions job in 2020. Healthcare sector was the at the lowest 2 millions jobs in 1960 then sky rocket to 16 millions in 2020 with numbers of 5 million in 1980 and 11 million in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: retail and healthcare rise, agriculture declines, and manufacturing peaks before falling. You also include relevant figures for all four sectors, such as manufacturing’s rise from 15 million to 20 million and agriculture’s fall to 2 million. However, the overview is not fully accurate: manufacturing was not in second place in 2020, as retail and healthcare both reached 16 million while manufacturing stood at 13 million. The claim that manufacturing became “the largest sector among all” at the end also conflicts with the figures. Some comparisons are less clearly developed, particularly the relative positions of the sectors at the start and end. A more precise overview and careful checking of rankings would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the sector trends. This makes the information generally easy to follow. You use transitions such as “Overall,” “then,” and “on the other hand” to signal relationships between ideas. However, some links are mechanical or unclear, especially in the long sentence beginning “Retail and Agriculture sectors has 6 millions jobs…” where several changes are compressed together. The comparison between retail and agriculture also shifts abruptly into healthcare. Use shorter sentences to separate the series, and make comparisons explicit—for example, contrast the two sectors that both finish at 16 million. This would make progression smoother and references clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of trend vocabulary, including “moved upward,” “declined,” “gained,” and “faced goes down,” and the reader can generally understand the intended changes. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal for an academic chart report. “Economical sectors” should be “economic sectors,” “huge hike” is too conversational, and “sky rocket” is not an appropriate form here. Phrases such as “leading the chart” and “same numbers” are also imprecise. There are word-form and spelling issues, including “vacancies” for jobs and “sky rocket.” Aim for standard reporting language such as “increased steadily,” “fell,” “recorded,” and “the highest figure”; this would improve precision and consistency.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main trends are usually understandable. However, some errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, plurals, and punctuation reduce accuracy. For example, “Retail and Agriculture sectors has” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “the healthcare sector was the at the lowest” contains a faulty construction. In “Manufacturing in 1960 had 15 millions jobs moved upward,” clauses are joined without a clear grammatical link, and several sentences have missing spaces after commas or inconsistent capitalisation. Use complete clauses with clear subjects and verbs, and check singular/plural forms and articles. Breaking the longest sentences into two would help you retain complex ideas while improving control.

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