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 graph represents data of jobs in four sectors of the economy between 1960 to 2020 in the US

Overall , the trend over the years shows highest number of job in were present in Manufacutring and lowest jobs were in Agriculture sector

On the Y axis of the graph, there are jobs present in millions, where as on the X axis the trend over the years is shown from 1960 to 2020, the four sectors of the economy that are Manufacturing , Retail , Agriculture , Healthcare are represented using different lines which can be infered by the ledger provided

Manufacuturing jobs shows sight decline overthe decades starting from 15 million to somewhere between 10 to 15 million, on the other hand, retail job market seems to be going through a period of bloom where it started from around 5 million jobs in 1960 and has now come up to over 15 million jobs in 2020. Healthcare jobs also seems promising as it shows growth from around 2 million jobs in 1960 to over 15 million jobs in 2020. Agricultural job market shows decline in growth rate from over 5 million jobs in 1960 to around 2 million jobs in 2020

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four sectors and describe the broad direction of change, including the fall in agriculture and growth in retail and healthcare. However, the overview is not fully accurate: manufacturing was the largest sector in 1960 and 1980, but by 2020 retail and healthcare had both reached about 16 million, above manufacturing at about 13 million. The claim that manufacturing remained the highest therefore misses an important change in ranking. Some figures are also imprecise: manufacturing peaked at 20 million in 1980 before declining, while retail rose from about 6 to 16 million. To strengthen the response, select the key turning points and end-point comparisons, rather than describing trends only generally.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the axes and categories, and a final paragraph comparing sector trends. Linking phrases such as “on the other hand” and “also” help connect the information. However, the progression is not consistently effective. The paragraph explaining the axes and legend takes space without advancing the comparison, and the final paragraph groups all four sectors into one long sequence. Some links are mechanical, and the overview’s claim about the highest sector conflicts with the later details. Organise the body into clearer comparisons—for example, manufacturing and agriculture together, then retail and healthcare—and use references that make the relationships between figures easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “sector,” “decline,” “growth,” and “million,” so the main trends are generally understandable. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, such as “period of bloom” and “job market,” but these are not natural choices for describing a line graph; “rose steadily” or “employment in retail” would be more precise. Spelling errors such as “Manufacutring,” “infered,” and “ledger” (for “legend”) are noticeable, and phrases like “highest number of job” show limited control of word forms. Aim for accurate, neutral reporting language and check spelling and collocations carefully, especially for key sector names and chart terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “on the other hand” and a clause beginning “where it started.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors recur in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “between 1960 to 2020” uses an incorrect preposition pattern, while “Manufacturing jobs shows” has subject–verb disagreement. The overview phrase “highest number of job in were present” is structurally unclear, and several sentences lack full stops or have awkward comma spacing. Practise building clear comparison sentences with accurate subjects and verbs, such as “Manufacturing employment rose to 20 million in 1980, then fell.” Proofread each sentence for agreement and punctuation.

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