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 graph provides information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the United States between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, manufacturing provided the highest number of jobs, whereas agriculture provided the smallest number of jobs. Retail and healthcare showed a great increase in providing jobs.

On the one hand, the two sectors, which are healthcare and retail, had a gradual increase, above 15 million job offers, whereas manufacturing showed a significant steady fall after 1980. Agriculture seemed steady, but it showed a substantial decrease until 1980 and then remained steady before starting to decrease slightly.

Manufacturing showed a great start in 1960 and had a peak of 20 million jobs; however, it fell to about 12.5 million jobs. The least-populated job sector, which is agriculture is recorded about 2 million jobs. It is considered the least compared to other job sectors. Both retail and healthcare seem to have ended up at the same level, which is slightly above 15 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad trends and include relevant comparisons, especially the rise in retail and healthcare and the decline in agriculture. However, the overview is not fully accurate: manufacturing was the largest sector only until 2000, while by 2020 retail and healthcare were joint highest, so the claim that it provided the most jobs overall is too broad. Some figures and stages are also unclear or inaccurate: manufacturing peaked at 20 million in 1980, not in 1960, and fell to about 13 million by 2020; retail and healthcare rose at different rates, rather than both simply increasing gradually. To strengthen the report, give a more precise overview and select key figures across the four dates.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to trend details, and the final comparison of retail and healthcare is relevant. However, progression is weakened by the division into “On the one hand” without a corresponding “on the other hand,” and by repeating the point that agriculture was the smallest sector. The manufacturing details are also separated from the earlier trend summary, making the sequence less clear. Some references, such as “the two sectors,” require the reader to infer which sectors are meant. Organise the body by contrasting the rising sectors with the declining ones, and use linking phrases only where they clarify the relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “peak,” “substantial decrease,” and “remained steady,” showing an adequate range for describing trends. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for a graph report: “job offers” suggests vacancies rather than the number of jobs, “great start” is unclear, and “least-populated job sector” is not an appropriate description of employment figures. “Provided the highest number of jobs” also overstates the pattern across the whole period. Choose standard collocations such as “employment,” “number of jobs,” “rose,” and “declined,” and avoid repeating “least” in adjacent sentences. More precise vocabulary would make the comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “whereas,” “but,” and “which,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. Some sentence structures are awkward or incomplete in their punctuation and clause relationships. For example, “the two sectors, which are healthcare and retail” uses an unnecessary relative clause, while “which is agriculture is recorded about 2 million jobs” has a faulty clause structure. In “agriculture is recorded about 2 million jobs,” the passive construction does not work with the intended meaning. There is also a missing comma around the inserted clause in “which is agriculture.” Aim for direct, controlled sentences, such as “Agriculture had about 2 million jobs in 2020,” and check that each clause has a clear grammatical connection.

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