Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The given line graph represents the details about the number of job vacancies in four economical sector in the US from 1960 to 2020. Evidently, the number of jobs in manufacturing sector fluctuated during the given period.

According to the manufacturing sector, there were 15 million jobs in 1960, which was the highest among the other sector. In 1980, it was increased drastically with around 20 million and declined to 13 million in 2020. Coming to the agriculture sector, the job opportunities were around 6 million in 1960 which droped by 4 million and accounted 2 million in rhe final year.

Healthcare sector had only 3 million job in 1960, which increased significantly and peak the top with 16 million 2020. The job vacancy for retail was around 6 million in 1960, in 2000 it rose dramatically around 15 million and grew slowely in 2020 with 16 million same as healthcare.

Overall, in the final year the highest amount of job opportunities were in healthcare sector as well as in retail sector. On the other hand, Agricultural job were the least among all the sector.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall pattern: manufacturing peaks before declining, while healthcare and retail rise, and agriculture ends as the smallest sector. Most figures and comparisons are grounded in the graph, including manufacturing’s 15-to-20-million rise and its fall to 13 million, and retail’s increase to about 16 million. However, some details are inaccurate or incomplete: healthcare starts at 2 million, not 3 million, and manufacturing’s 2020 figure is not the highest; retail and healthcare are both highest at about 16 million. The overview also says manufacturing fluctuated but does not clearly summarise the contrasting long-term trends. A more precise overview and accurate starting values would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to sector details and then an overall summary. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “According to the manufacturing sector,” “Coming to the agriculture sector,” and “On the other hand” signal transitions. However, the sector-by-sector organisation sometimes makes comparisons less direct, and some linking phrases sound mechanical or do not clearly express the relationship between ideas. The overview is placed at the end, so the reader encounters the detailed figures before the main trends are fully summarised. Grouping the rising sectors together and contrasting them with agriculture and manufacturing would create smoother progression and more flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “declined,” “increased significantly,” “rose dramatically,” and “the least.” These choices make the main movements understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “economical sector,” “job vacancies” for the number of jobs, and “peak the top.” There are also spelling errors, including “droped,” “rhe,” and “slowely,” which reduce precision. Repeated use of “job opportunities” and “sector” also limits flexibility. Choose standard graph-reporting terms such as “employment,” “number of jobs,” “reached a peak,” and “remained relatively stable,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including relative clauses such as “which was the highest among the other sector” and time clauses such as “in 2000 it rose.” The overall meaning is usually clear, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include “four economical sector” and “the other sector,” where plural forms are needed, and “it was increased” and “which droped,” where the verb forms are not controlled. Articles and sentence construction are also inconsistent, as in “with 16 million 2020.” These errors do not generally prevent understanding, but they make the report less accurate and fluent. Practise past-tense trend descriptions, subject–verb agreement, plural nouns, and complete time expressions, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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