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 graph illustrate the information about various sectors in USA, it shows the number of jobs in 60years span of time and also the impact in the economy of US.

In the early stage from 1960 to 1980 the jobs are between the 15 to 20 millions in the Manufacturing industries and the least jobs are in Agriculture field which would be arround 6 millions in 1960 and reduced to just 3 millions in just 20 years span. Jobs were increased in manufacturing industries in 1980 higher about 20 millions jobs in that year and till now they manufacturing industries drops the jobs and now only arround 13 millions as of the 2020 graph shows. Also the agriculture filed remain same jobs arround 2 to 3 millions between the 1980 to 2020s and gradully droped.

The other two sectors were lesser in jobs in 1960 but as of time now in 2020 the numbers of jobs in Retail and Healthcare were surprizingly increased. Healthcare sector which have lesser jobs in the 1960 arround 2 millions now increased to 16 millions , aslo the retails sector which have only 6millions jobs in 1960 now similar to the healthcare sector.

Overall the graph show the numbers of jobs in 60 years were increased and decreased in various sectors. its halps to find millons of jobs

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four sectors and report several important movements, including manufacturing’s rise to about 20 million jobs in 1980 followed by a decline, and agriculture’s fall from around 6 million to a low level. You also note the strong growth in healthcare and retail. However, the overview is vague: “jobs ... were increased and decreased” does not clearly summarise the main contrast that manufacturing and agriculture declined overall while retail and healthcare rose. Some comparisons are incomplete or imprecise; for example, retail reached about 16 million by 2020, matching healthcare, but this endpoint is not clearly stated for retail. The claim that agriculture remained the same from 1980 to 2020 also overlooks its further fall to about 2 million.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from manufacturing and agriculture to retail and healthcare, and then to a concluding statement. This gives the reader some organisation. However, progression is not consistently clear: the first paragraph shifts between early figures and the 2020 manufacturing result, while the final paragraph repeats the general idea of increases and decreases without adding a useful summary. Linking phrases such as “Also,” “The other two sectors,” and “Overall” are used, but connections between comparisons are sometimes mechanical or unclear. For example, “the other two sectors were lesser in jobs in 1960” does not specify clearly how they compare with the first pair. Grouping the trends more deliberately and using clearer references would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “sectors,” “Manufacturing,” “Agriculture,” and “increased,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “the impact in the economy,” “the least jobs,” and “the retails sector.” Repetition of “jobs,” “increased,” and “arround” also makes the description less precise. Spelling errors such as “surprizingly,” “gradully,” and “millons” are noticeable and can distract the reader. Aim for accurate chart language such as “employment,” “number of jobs,” “rose,” “fell,” and “remained relatively stable,” while checking spelling and using sector names consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts longer sentences and some time clauses, but grammatical control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. For example, “The graph illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the graph show” and “which have lesser jobs” also use incorrect verb forms. Several sentences join independent ideas with commas, as in the opening sentence, and the final sentence fragment-like construction, “its halps to find millons of jobs,” does not communicate a clear grammatical point. Articles, plurals, and tense choices also need attention: “in the 1960” should be “in 1960,” and “they manufacturing industries drops” is not a workable clause. Practise accurate simple sentences before adding complex clauses.

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