Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The Line Graph here shows us how Number of jobs variate among four different sectors impact US Economy in 6 decades comprising from [redacted phone].

Starting from 1960 till 1980 Jobs in Manufacturing and Retail Sector, was rapidly growing while HealthCare jobs also rose up but Agriculture Jobs dropped significantly.Then from 1980 to 2000 Retail and Healthcare jobs sharply increased while Manufacturing jobs gradullay decrease but Agriculture jobs remain steady in that period.In the last 20 years from 2000 to 2020 similar sort of patterns were visible like Manufacturing jobs gradually decreased and Agriculture jobs also slightly decreased but like previous 2 decades Retail and Healthcare jobs rose slightly but at the same time Healthcare jobs and Retail jobs were at the same point showing how Healthcare jobs have significantly impacted US Economy, Decrease in Manufacturing and Agriculture jobs show that people are more inclined towards retail and healthcare jobs.

At the end less Manufacturing jobs may also cause less retail options but its opposite was seen there while Healthcare increase and Agriculture jobs decrease may state that people are less inclined towards better food.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad movements across the four sectors, including manufacturing’s rise and later decline, agriculture’s overall fall, and growth in retail and healthcare. However, the account is only partly accurate and does not clearly select the most important comparisons. For example, retail did not rise sharply from 1980 to 2000 alone: it increased from about 6 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020. Healthcare also did not reach the same level as retail until 2020; at that point both were around 16 million. The final claims about people’s job preferences, retail options and food are speculation rather than information shown by the graph. Give a concise overview of the main ranking and long-term trends, then support it with accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a broadly chronological order, using the periods 1960–1980, 1980–2000 and 2000–2020, so the reader can follow the timeline. However, the whole answer is presented as one paragraph, and the repeated sequence of sector changes makes the progression feel list-like. Linking words such as “Then,” “In the last 20 years” and “At the end” help, but some connections are unclear: the sentence beginning “At the end less Manufacturing jobs” shifts from describing the graph to unsupported consequences without a clear transition. Organise the response into an introduction, an overview and one or two detail paragraphs. Group related trends together and use comparisons to connect the figures rather than relying mainly on time markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “rapidly growing,” “gradually decreased,” “slightly decreased” and “rose slightly.” This gives you a basic range for reporting movement. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “jobs variate,” “sectors impact US Economy” and “at the same point,” which make parts of the meaning less clear. There are also noticeable spelling and form errors, including “gradullay” and “HealthCare.” The speculative phrases “less inclined towards better food” and “more inclined towards retail and healthcare jobs” are not suitable descriptions of the data. Aim for precise chart language such as “employment,” “stood at,” “increased to” and “fell to,” and check spelling and natural word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine several trends in longer sentences, and the time clauses beginning “Starting from 1960 till 1980” and “Then from 1980 to 2000” show some effort to vary sentence structure. However, complex sentences are often difficult to control, with frequent errors in agreement, articles, verb forms and punctuation. For example, “Jobs in Manufacturing and Retail Sector, was rapidly growing” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an unnecessary comma, while “Manufacturing jobs gradullay decrease” uses an incorrect verb form. The long sentence beginning “In the last 20 years” also joins several ideas without clear punctuation. Use shorter, complete sentences and check that subjects agree with verbs and that past-tense forms remain consistent when describing the historical data.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.