Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 illustrates the information about how the eployment rate changed in four different sections of the economy of the united sates from 1960 to 2020

In 1960, Manufacturing sector offered 15 million jobs and it has been increased by 5 million in 1980 ,however from 1980 to 2020 sudden decreased in jobs has seen from 20 million to almost 14 million. Health care sector had least number of jobs in 1960 around 3 million , moreover it increased drawmaticly over the time and stood at almost 15 million in last year

In 1960 the retail sector offered something 5 million jobs and there was continous rise has been seen in the jobs over the all years and reached at 15 million with health care sector

however from 1960 to 2020 agriculture sector has least number of jobs provide which is around 5 million and decreased over time

overall, most number of jobs provided by health care and retail over the time whereas least number of jobs offered by agriculture section

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main sectors and report several relevant trends, including manufacturing peaking at about 20 million in 1980 before declining, and healthcare rising substantially. Your overview also recognises the growth of retail and healthcare and agriculture’s low position. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: healthcare began at about 2 million, not 3 million, and reached around 16 million by 2020; retail rose from about 6 million to 16 million, rather than ending at 15 million. The claim that retail and healthcare had the most jobs “over the time” is too broad, since manufacturing was highest in 1960 and 1980. More precise comparisons across the four years would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable arrangement: it begins with an introduction, groups manufacturing and healthcare together, then discusses retail and agriculture, and ends with an overview. This gives the reader a basic progression through the chart. However, paragraphing and linking are not always effective. The repeated use of “however” and “moreover” sometimes creates awkward or unclear relationships, and the final overview repeats earlier points without clearly summarising the key changes. Some references, such as “over the all years” and “last year,” are imprecise. Organise the body around clear comparisons—for example, rising sectors versus declining sectors—and use linking words only where their meaning fits.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “increased,” “decreased,” “stood at,” and “jobs,” so the main trends can generally be understood. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “sudden decreased” and “continous rise,” but these combinations are not natural or accurate. Spelling errors such as “eployment,” “united sates,” “drawmaticly,” and “continous” reduce precision, while phrases like “offered something 5 million jobs” and “jobs provide” are awkward. Aim for accurate, conventional expressions for describing data, such as “employed,” “rose steadily,” and “accounted for.” Check spelling and collocation carefully so that your vocabulary communicates the figures clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including clauses linked with “however” and “whereas,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless affect clarity. For example, “it has been increased by 5 million” uses an unsuitable passive form; “from 1980 to 2020 sudden decreased in jobs has seen” has an incomplete structure; and “there was continous rise has been seen” combines incompatible constructions. Articles and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “Health care sector had least number.” Use direct, controlled forms such as “Manufacturing employment rose by five million” and “Healthcare had the fewest jobs.” More accurate verb forms and complete clauses would improve control.

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