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 line graph illustrates the nuber of jobs in four major sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, employment in three sectors increased the economy in the US. Retail and healthcare showed an upward trend all over the period, while agriculture remained the lowest.

Starting at approximately 6 million jobs in 1960, retail industry in employment experienced steady growth, surging significantly to reach 10 million by 1980, and is projected to climb over 15 million in 2020. In healthcare sector the employmennt oppurtinities are high in 2020 when compared to 1960, around 3 million jobs are secured in 1960, slowly it reached to 5 million by 1980, and a steady increase in nuber of jobs reached to 12 million by 2000, by the end of the period approximately 15 million jobs are recorded.

Starting at approximately 15 million jobs in 1960, manufacturingl industry in employment experienced steady growth, surging significantly to reach 20 million by 1980, and is projected to climb down to 13 million in 2020. In angriculture sector the employmennt oppurtinities are less in both the times , around 5 million jobs are secured in 1960, slowly it reached to 3 million by 1980, and a constantly decreased in nuber of jobs reached to 2 million by 2000, by the end of the period approximately 1.5 million jobs are recorded.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all four sectors and identify several important patterns: retail and healthcare rise, manufacturing peaks in 1980 before declining, and agriculture remains the smallest sector. The overview is relevant, but “employment in three sectors increased” is unclear because manufacturing did not rise overall across the full period. Some figures and dates are also inaccurate: healthcare starts at about 2 million, not 3 million; retail reaches about 16 million in 2020, rather than merely “over 15”; and agriculture is about 3 million in 2000 and 2 million in 2020, not 2 and 1.5 million respectively. The phrase “is projected” also misrepresents a historical chart. More precise reporting and a clearer overview would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs grouping the rising sectors and the declining sectors. This makes the main comparisons reasonably easy to follow. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is sometimes weakened by long, repetitive sentence patterns: both sections begin “Starting at approximately…” and then list figures in a similar sequence. The overview’s statement that three sectors increased also conflicts with the later account of manufacturing’s decline, disrupting the overall logic. Some links between clauses are awkward, particularly in the healthcare and agriculture descriptions. Use shorter, clearly connected sentences and organise each sector’s figures in chronological order, while ensuring the overview accurately previews the details.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “upward trend,” “steady growth,” “surging,” and “approximately,” and the reader can generally understand the intended trends. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a completed chart. “Is projected to climb” suggests a forecast, while “employment opportunities are high” and “jobs are secured” do not naturally describe the number of jobs shown. There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “nuber,” “employmennt,” “oppurtinities,” “manufacturingl,” and “angriculture.” Repeated use of “reached” and “jobs” also limits flexibility. Choose precise trend verbs and standard sector terms, and proofread spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the opening sentence and overview communicate their basic meaning clearly. Some errors in sentence construction and verb forms, however, make parts of the report awkward or unclear. For example, “Starting at approximately 6 million jobs in 1960, retail industry in employment experienced…” has an unclear grammatical relationship between the opening phrase and the subject. The long healthcare sentence shifts between “are high,” “are secured,” and “reached,” mixing present and past forms when describing historical data. The agriculture sentence also contains a faulty construction in “a constantly decreased in number of jobs reached.” Use consistent past tense for the historical figures, add articles where needed, and divide long sequences into complete, controlled sentences.

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