Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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 6.0)

The graph depicts the number of employment figures in four distinct economic sectors in the US over the period of six decades starting from 1960.

Overall, it is clear that both retail and healthcare experienced a gradual rise.Conversely, agriculture sector displayed a downfall in its figure. However, manufacturing was in demand at the start but with time it displayed a gradual decline.

Healthcare sector, starting from about 2 million jobs, observed a gradual rise and had reached 16 million job by the end of 2020. Likewise, retail experienced an increase in its employment figures and stood at 16 million jobs by 2020.

Consequently, 15 million job figures in manufacturing sector in 1960, displayed a rise in it number in 1980. However, with time it happen to fall and by 2020 it was near 13 million jobs. Whereas, Agriculture sector did not experienced any rise during the whole time period and fall at about 3 million job in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main broad patterns: retail and healthcare rise, agriculture declines, and manufacturing peaks before falling. The figures for healthcare and retail at 2020, and manufacturing at 1960 and 2020, are broadly consistent with the graph. However, some key details are incomplete or inaccurate. Manufacturing reaches about 20 million in 1980 and then falls to 17 million in 2000, but these stages are not reported. Agriculture falls from 6 million to 3 million by 1980, remains level in 2000, and ends at about 2 million; saying it “fall at about 3 million” in 2020 misstates the endpoint. The overview is relevant, but more precise comparisons and a fuller account of the trends would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the sectors. This makes the information easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Conversely,” and “However” help signal contrasts. Some connections are less effective or mechanical, though. “Consequently” does not express the relationship between the preceding healthcare and retail details and the manufacturing figures, while “Whereas” begins a fragment-like final clause rather than a balanced comparison. The overview also repeats the general rise and fall patterns that are then described below without adding much comparison. Grouping manufacturing and agriculture together more explicitly, and using transitions that accurately show contrast or sequence, would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “employment figures,” “gradual rise,” “decline,” and “displayed,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts to vary wording rather than repeat “jobs” throughout. However, some choices are awkward or imprecise: “number of employment figures” is redundant, “was in demand” suggests demand rather than the number of jobs, and “fall at about 3 million job” does not clearly describe the final value. “Observed a gradual rise” is also less natural for a sector’s employment trend. Aim for precise chart language and natural collocations, such as “the number of jobs,” “employment rose,” and “fell to approximately two million.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including contrast clauses with “However” and “Whereas,” and the main trends can usually be understood. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. For example, “it happen to fall” should use a past-tense form, and “Agriculture sector did not experienced” combines an incorrect auxiliary pattern with the wrong verb form. In “retail experienced an increase … and stood,” the subject shifts awkwardly from the sector to its employment figure. There are also missing spaces after full stops, as in “rise.Conversely.” Review past-tense reporting and ensure each clause has a clear subject and correctly formed verb; this would make the varied structures more controlled.

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