Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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 6.5)

The given line graph illustrates information about the amount of jobs in four sectors: manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare in the United States between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, in 2020 healthcare and retail sector gradually became the largest job sector by having the same number of jobs which is around 16 millions even though in the year 1960 manufacturing was offering the highest employment which was 15 millions in number. However, over years, the number of jobs fluctuated in manufacturing sector and eventually dropped to almost 13 millions whereas the agriculture sector consistently remained one of the smaller job sector.

In 1960, healthcare had the lowest employment which was only around 2 millions while both agriculture and retail sectors had 6 millions of job. On the other hand manufacturing was the highest contributing sector among the four which had 15 millions employment. After the next 20 years, in 1980, manufacturing jobs increased to 20 milions. Simillarly, the healthcare sector also had a moderate growth and reached to 5 millions. However, even though the retail and agriculture sector was in same position in 1960, by 1980 only retail sector grew to 10 millions.

From the year 1980 to 2020, both agriculture and manufacturing jobs were consistently decreasing and on the other hand, healthcare and retail jobs were gradually increasing. As a result, in year 2020 both retail and healthcare sectors became the largest job sector whereas manufacturing was the smaller and agricuture sector was the smallest one.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response selects the main trends and gives a clear overview: manufacturing starts highest, while healthcare and retail finish jointly highest, and agriculture remains the smallest overall. Most figures and comparisons are accurate, including manufacturing’s peak at about 20 million in 1980 and the initial figures for all four sectors. The account also covers the full period and compares the sectors rather than listing data in isolation. However, the overview says manufacturing “fluctuated,” which is imprecise: it rises to 1980 and then declines. The final paragraph also overgeneralises that manufacturing decreased continuously from 1980 to 2020, although its decline is accurately described overall. More precise descriptions of the stages would strengthen an otherwise well-supported summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a clear four-paragraph structure: introduction, overview, early-period details and later trends. The sequence from 1960 through 2020 is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “On the other hand,” “After the next 20 years” and “As a result” help signal comparisons and changes. This gives the report a coherent overall progression. Some connections are nevertheless mechanical or not fully precise: “Similarly” introduces healthcare’s rise, although the preceding manufacturing increase is much larger, and “From the year 1980 to 2020” groups several changes without distinguishing the 2000 figures. A more flexible use of transitions and clearer links between each date and its figures would make the progression smoother and more exact.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the graph, with useful terms such as “employment,” “increased,” “decreasing” and “largest.” The writer also attempts more formal phrasing, for example “the highest contributing sector,” and the meaning remains clear throughout. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “amount of jobs” is better expressed as “number of jobs,” and “offering the highest employment” is awkward. Repetition of “sector,” “jobs” and “largest” also limits flexibility. There are spelling errors, including “milions,” “Simillarly” and “agricuture,” which do not prevent understanding but reduce accuracy. Aim for precise chart language and check spelling, while varying terms such as “employment,” “workforce” and “job numbers” appropriately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “even though,” “whereas” and “while.” Most relationships between ideas are understandable, and errors rarely obscure the intended meaning. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, particularly with articles, agreement and plural forms. For example, “the healthcare and retail sector” should use a plural noun, and “one of the smaller job sector” needs a plural form. The phrase “both agriculture and retail sectors had 6 millions of job” also contains errors in number and countability. There are occasional awkward sentence constructions, such as “in year 2020.” Greater control of articles, singular/plural agreement and countable expressions would improve accuracy while preserving the range of sentence forms already attempted.

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