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 illustrates the amount of jobs in distinct sectors in millions in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, at the beginning, manufacturing sector had the largest number of jobs whereas healthcare had the lowest number of jobs. Over the period of 60 years, healthcare showed a gradual increase in the number of jobs. Also, agriculture had seen a steady rise. On the contrary both retail and manufacturing showed decline.

In 1960, 15 million jobs were available in manufacturing sector which increased by 5 million in 1980. After 1980, It showed decline and eventually reached at around 13 million in 2020. On the other hand, healthcare showed opposite trend compared with manufacturing sector. In 1960, the number of jobs were nearly 2 million in healthcare sector and in upcoming years such as 1980, 2000 and 2020 it followed a stable uptrends and by the end of 2020 it was close to 16 million.

Moreover, the number of jobs in both agriculture and retail sector was nearly 6 million in 1960. In 1980, even though agriculture sector showed fall in the number of jobs, retail sector peaked at 10 million. In 2020, Similar trend was seen as 1980 for these two sector. Jobs in agriculture sector again slightly decreased whereas retail did better than 1980 and reached at 15 million. By the end of 2020, retail sector was at peak with nearly 16 million jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main starting points and several important changes, including manufacturing’s rise to 20 million in 1980 and subsequent fall, and healthcare’s strong growth to about 16 million. However, the overview contains a significant trend error: agriculture did not rise steadily; it fell from about 6 million to 3 million by 1980, remained level in 2000, then declined to 2 million. The overview also says both retail and manufacturing declined, although retail increased throughout and finished near 16 million. Some details later are more accurate, but the account of retail’s 1980 value is incorrect: it was about 10 million, not a peak, and the 2020 comparison with 2000 is not fully reported. Make the overview more precise and check each comparison against the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the figures. Grouping manufacturing with healthcare, then agriculture with retail, gives the reader a workable route through the data. However, the overview’s inaccurate summary of agriculture and retail makes the progression less clear, and some linking phrases do not express the relationship accurately. For example, “On the contrary” introduces healthcare’s opposite movement to manufacturing, while “Similar trend was seen as 1980” is unclear and does not describe the later figures precisely. Use comparisons that explicitly state what changed between dates, and ensure each paragraph develops the overview rather than contradicting it.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “increased,” “decline,” “opposite trend,” and “reached,” so the main movements are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “eventually reached” and “by the end of 2020.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “amount of jobs” is less suitable than “number of jobs,” “stable uptrends” is awkward, and “retail did better” is imprecise for describing a figure. Repeated use of “number of jobs” and “sector” also limits flexibility. Choose precise trend language such as “rose steadily,” “remained stable,” and “declined gradually,” while checking that the wording matches the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including comparisons introduced by “whereas” and “even though,” and the overall meaning is usually clear. Some grammatical errors remain. Articles are missing in phrases such as “manufacturing sector” and “healthcare sector”; agreement is incorrect in “the number of jobs were”; and the tense in “agriculture had seen a steady rise” does not fit the chart’s past period or its downward trend. There are also punctuation and capitalisation slips, such as “After 1980, It” and “In 2020, Similar.” Aim for consistent past-tense reporting, use singular agreement with “the number,” and check articles and sentence boundaries during revision.

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