Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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 compares the number of jobs in four sectors contributing to the economy of US from 1960 to 2020

Overall, the manufacturing sector contributing most to the economy of US, with retail and healthcare also rising steadily over the given time period and agriculture sector contributing least to the economy.

The manufacting sector rose from 15 million in 1960 to 20 million jobs in 1960 before falling to approximately 8 million in 2020. And Agriculture sector dropping from around 6 million in 1960 to around 2 million at the end of 2020

Retail sector continues to surge steadily from the around 6 million in 1960 to 15 million in 2000 and reached to a peak of approximately 16 million in 2020. Healthcare sector grew drastically from around 2.5 million jobs in 1960 to continuously growing in 1980 and 2000 reaching to its maximum jobs of 16 million at the end of 2020

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four sectors and describe several important trends, including manufacturing’s early rise and later decline, agriculture’s fall, and growth in retail and healthcare. However, a key figure is misreported: manufacturing falls to about 13 million in 2020, not 8 million. The overview also says manufacturing contributed the most throughout, although by 2020 retail and healthcare had both reached about 16 million, above manufacturing. The response gives some relevant comparisons, but the overview is therefore not fully accurate, and the account of healthcare’s intermediate values is vague. To strengthen the report, check the final rankings and include the main crossover or convergence in the later years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, an overview, and then details about manufacturing and agriculture followed by retail and healthcare. This gives the reader a basic structure, and the sector-by-sector grouping is sensible. However, progression within the report is uneven: the manufacturing sentence repeats “in 1960” for both the starting and peak values, and the abrupt “And Agriculture sector” makes the transition feel disconnected. Some links, such as “before,” “from,” and “reaching,” help show change, but the final sentence becomes a long chain of events rather than clearly separated comparisons. Use complete, clearly punctuated sentences and group the declining sectors separately from the rising ones to make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of trend vocabulary, including “rose,” “falling,” “surge steadily,” “grew drastically,” and “peak,” so the main movements are generally understandable. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “Sectors contributing to the economy” and “contributing most to the economy” do not precisely describe the number of jobs; “employed the most people” or “had the highest number of jobs” would be clearer. “Reached to a peak” is not idiomatic, and “maximum jobs” is awkward. There are also spelling errors such as “manufacting.” Aim for precise, natural expressions for employment figures and vary repeated descriptions of increases and decreases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can usually understand the intended trends. However, several sentences contain grammatical problems that make the report less controlled. The opening overview begins “Overall, the manufacturing sector contributing…” without a finite verb; use “the manufacturing sector had the most jobs” instead. In “rose from 15 million in 1960 to 20 million jobs in 1960,” the repeated year creates an inaccurate time reference, and “Agriculture sector dropping” is a fragment rather than a complete clause. The final sentence also strings together several clauses without clear punctuation. Practise complete subject–verb clauses, consistent past-tense reporting, and sentence boundaries; these changes would make your varied structures more accurate.

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