Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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 6.5)

The given line graph delineates the number of jobs in four different sectors of the economy in the US over a period of 40 years.

Overall, the most significant increase was observed in jobs related to healthcare sector. The number of jobs in manufacturing sector was highest in all the years, except in 2020.

It is apparent that in 1960, 15 million jobs were regarding manufacturing sector, which was the highest among the given categories and 9 million higher than jobs in retail sector. The figure for manufacturing increased to 20 million in 1980. After that, it declined gradually to reach 13 million in 2020. Regarding retail sector, the number of jobs inclined to 16 million by 2020.

The number of jobs in agricultural sector was 6 million, which was 3 million higher than healthcare sector. The figure for agriculture dropped to 3 million in 1980 and remained unchanged in the next 20 years. After which it declined marginally 2 million by 2020. The number of jobs in healthcare sector rose significantly over the given period to reach 16 million by the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response identifies the main overall patterns: healthcare rises most strongly, manufacturing peaks in 1980 and then declines, and agriculture falls. It also reports several figures accurately, including manufacturing at 15 million in 1960 and 20 million in 1980, and agriculture at 6 million initially. However, some comparisons are incomplete or imprecise. The overview says manufacturing was highest in every year except 2020, but does not explain that retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million then, overtaking manufacturing. Retail’s rise is only summarised at the endpoint, with its 1980 and 2000 values omitted, and healthcare’s intermediate growth is not described. More precise comparisons across the four series would make the account more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs that group manufacturing with retail and agriculture with healthcare. This makes the main trends easy to follow, and sequencing phrases such as “After that” and “by the end” help indicate change over time. Some links are less smooth or precise, however. “Regarding retail sector” begins a new comparison without explaining how its trend relates to manufacturing, while “After which” creates an awkward transition in the agriculture description. The final paragraph also shifts from agriculture to healthcare without a clear linking comparison. More consistent use of time markers and explicit contrasts between sectors would strengthen progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a line graph, including “increased,” “declined gradually,” “remained unchanged,” and “rose significantly.” These choices communicate the broad movements, and the response uses some more formal language. At times, however, word choice or collocation is unnatural: “jobs were regarding manufacturing sector,” “the number of jobs inclined,” and “jobs related to healthcare sector” do not express the data idiomatically. “Given categories” is also less precise than “sectors.” Repeating “the number of jobs” and “the figure” limits flexibility. Aim for accurate graph language such as “employment in manufacturing,” “rose to,” and “the sector employed,” while varying expressions without sacrificing precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex forms, including a relative clause in “which was the highest among the given categories” and time clauses that help describe changes. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions persist. For example, “in 1960, 15 million jobs were regarding manufacturing sector” has an unsuitable verb pattern and is missing an article; “After which it declined marginally 2 million” lacks the preposition needed before the endpoint; and “over the given period to reach” needs clearer punctuation. There is also inconsistent spacing around punctuation. Use straightforward, controlled patterns such as “Manufacturing employed 15 million people in 1960” and “fell to 2 million by 2020,” then check articles and prepositions.

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