Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-10

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 provided line graph illustrates the count of jobs in millions in four different sectors of the the economy in the US between the years 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it is evident that the highest number of jobs were counted in manufacturing sector in begun year and the lowest count of jobs were in healthcare in same year.

According to the chart, in 1960 the jobs were in manufacturing sector which was 15 million. Then it was increasing over 20 million within 20 years. After that it was followed decreasing trend and accounted fewer than 15 million in last year. Moving further, in 1960 in healthcare less than 5 million jobs were counted, then it was increase rapidly and contradict two other sectors at a point 4 million and 14 million. during the last year it was over 15 million.

Moreover, both remaning sectors Agriculture and Retail was same in begun year, over 5 million. After that the Retail jobs go up, but the othe Agriculture sector was followed downward trend. In 1980 the Retail and Agriculture jobs were accounted for 10 million and less than 5 million, respectively. Addationally, the Retail jobs number were increased 5 million and the Agriculture jobs count was approximately 2 million in later year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main starting-point pattern: manufacturing was highest in 1960, while healthcare was lowest, and you describe manufacturing’s rise and later decline. You also compare retail and agriculture at the beginning and note their opposing directions. However, the overview is incomplete: it does not state the major end-point feature that retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million, becoming the joint highest sectors, while agriculture remained lowest. Some figures are vague or inaccurate: manufacturing ended at about 13 million, not merely “fewer than 15,” and healthcare rose from 2 to 16 million; the stated “4 million and 14 million” comparison is unclear and does not match the chart’s key values. Select and report the main changes more precisely, especially the final rankings.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. Its broad grouping of manufacturing and healthcare before retail and agriculture helps the reader follow the account, and transitions such as “After that” and “Moreover” signal movement between points. However, progression is sometimes difficult to track because several sentences combine unclear comparisons with time references, particularly the healthcare sentence about “contradict two other sectors at a point 4 million and 14 million.” “In later year” also does not identify whether you mean 2000 or 2020. Use clearer chronological signposting and refer explicitly to the year and sector in each comparison. This would make the organisation more consistently clear and reduce the mechanical feel of repeated transition phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “line graph,” “accounted,” “rapidly,” and “downward trend,” and the reader can generally understand the intended trends. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “count of jobs,” “in begun year,” “followed decreasing trend,” and “contradict two other sectors.” These choices sometimes obscure the meaning, especially when describing how healthcare compares with other sectors. There are also spelling errors, including “remaning,” “othe,” and “Addationally.” Aim for precise, conventional chart language and check spelling: for example, describe figures as “the number of jobs,” and say a sector “rose to” or “overtook” another when that is what the data shows.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the response is divided into complete paragraphs. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. Examples include “the highest number of jobs were counted,” “it was increasing,” “it was increase rapidly,” and “the Retail jobs number were increased.” The sentence beginning “Moving further, in 1960 in healthcare…” is also difficult to parse because its clauses are not clearly connected. Use accurate past-tense forms for the historical data, check singular and plural agreement, and build comparisons in straightforward clauses before attempting longer structures. These corrections would make the trends easier to understand.

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