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 given graph explains the number of jobs in 4 different sectors of the economy in the United States from 1960 till 2020.

Firstly in the year 1960 the number of jobs in the healthcare sector were very less which was around 2.5 million and it started to grow exactly 5 million by 1980 then it increases rapidly more than 10 million later on highest number reached to more than 15 million.

Secondly the Agriculture sector was very high in the year 1960 which was more than 5 million suddenly it staretd to drop and since 1960 there was no progress it kept on decreasing to less than 2.5 million by the year 2020

Thirdly the Retail sector was very low in the year 1960 around 5.2 million and suddenly it started to grow rapidly by the year 2000 it was still gowing but slowly and reached more than 15 million by 2020.

At last the manufacturing sector was exactly 15 million in the year 1960 and it suddenly increases highest in the year 1960 which was exactly 20 million and since 1960 it started to decrease constantly and reached below 12.5 million. The key difference is Healthcase and Retail are still growing and the other one are still decreasing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify all four sectors and describe their broad directions, including the rise in healthcare and retail and the decline in agriculture. However, the response only partly reports the key features accurately. Manufacturing peaks in 1980, not 1960, and then falls; the sentence saying it “increases highest in the year 1960” contradicts the chart. Agriculture does not keep decreasing throughout: it falls to about 3 million by 1980, remains level in 2000, then declines slightly. The overview is also limited: it says two sectors are growing and two decreasing, but does not highlight that retail and healthcare both reach about 16 million by 2020. Select the main comparisons and describe the stages more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a clear sequence, with separate paragraphs for healthcare, agriculture, retail and manufacturing, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly” and “At last” help readers follow the sectors. The final sentence also attempts to draw a comparison across the trends. However, this sector-by-sector structure does not create a strong overall progression from an overview to the most important details, and the repeated ordinal transitions feel mechanical. Some links between time points are unclear, particularly “since 1960 there was no progress” for agriculture and manufacturing, where the intended period is not clear. Begin with a concise overview, then group related trends and use time references to make comparisons explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a basic range of trend vocabulary, including “grow,” “drop,” “decreasing” and “reached,” which communicates the general movement in the graph. However, the vocabulary is limited and several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “Very less” is not a natural way to describe a low figure, while “suddenly” does not accurately describe gradual changes across the chart’s intervals. There are also spelling errors, including “staretd,” “gowing” and “Healthcase,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise reporting verbs and adverbs, such as “rose steadily,” “declined,” “remained stable” and “peaked,” and check spelling carefully. This will make comparisons clearer and more appropriate for an academic summary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction. For example, “the number of jobs … were” should use a singular verb, and “then it increases rapidly” shifts tense within a past-time report. The manufacturing sentence, “it suddenly increases highest in the year 1960,” is difficult to follow because its structure and time reference are faulty. Some sentences also run together without clear punctuation. Use the past simple consistently for the historical data, check subject–verb agreement, and build longer sentences around clear clauses—for example, “Healthcare rose from about 2 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.”

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