Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The graph shows the change in number of job in four sectors of the USA's economy 40 year apart. It shows a clear trend among the sectors. The number of job in retail and healthcare increased over the preriod of time. On the other hand in manufacturing and agriculture sector the number of job decreased.

Retail and healthcare sector experienced a continuous growth over the last 60 years. The number of job in retail and healthcare sector was 6 and 2.5 millions respectively in 1960. But in 2020 the number rose to 16 millions for both of the sectors. Jobs were increasing in these sectors in other reporting years also. In 1980 retail and healthcare sectors offer 10 and 5 million job respectively which climbed to 15 and 11 in 2000.

The curve of agriculture is going down since 1960. In each reporting year the number of job in this sector decreased. In 2020 it had 2.5 millions of job to offer where it was 6 million in 1960. The manufacturing sector faces rise and fall over the year but the ultimate count decreased compare to the 1960. It had 15 millions of job in 1960 that increased to 20 million in 1980, which is the highest among all the sectors throughout the reporting timeline. But after 1980 it started to fall and currently it has 13 milliions of job to offer.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main contrasting trends accurately: retail and healthcare rise, while agriculture declines, and manufacturing peaks in 1980 before falling. The report also includes relevant figures across the period, such as manufacturing’s rise from 15 to 20 million and healthcare’s increase from about 2 to 16 million. This gives the response a clear overview and substantial coverage of the chart. However, the opening says the graph covers “40 year apart,” although the period is 60 years, and the claim that agriculture decreased in each reporting year is not quite accurate because it remained at about 3 million from 1980 to 2000. The overview could also highlight that retail and healthcare both reach about 16 million by 2020, making them joint leaders.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a coherent sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by discussion of the rising sectors and then the declining or fluctuating sectors. This makes the main comparisons easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “But,” and “after 1980” help signal contrasts and changes. Some cohesion is less controlled, however. The repeated phrase “the number of job” makes the account sound repetitive, while “these sectors” and “the curve of agriculture” are not always the clearest references. The paragraphing is sensible, but the overview and details could be connected more smoothly by grouping the two leading sectors together and then comparing their final figures directly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of chart vocabulary, including “increased,” “decreased,” “continuous growth,” “rise and fall,” and “climbed,” so the trends are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more precise reporting, such as “the highest among all the sectors.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive: “number of job” recurs instead of “number of jobs,” and “offer” is awkward when describing employment figures. Spelling slips such as “preriod” and “milliions” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural, varied expressions for describing figures and trends, and check spelling and plural forms carefully. These improvements would make the vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and some longer structures, for example, “The manufacturing sector faces rise and fall over the year but the ultimate count decreased compare to the 1960.” The response is generally understandable, and the sequence of past figures is mostly clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with number agreement, articles, and verb forms: “40 year apart,” “the number of job,” “sectors offer,” and “decreased compare” need correction. Tense control is also inconsistent in “currently it has” within an account of figures ending in 2020. Work on accurate plural forms and past-tense reporting, while retaining the longer comparative sentences. More consistently accurate sentence patterns would strengthen the report.

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