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 chart illustrates about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, there was steady increase in healthcare and retail jobs by 2020, both offer same ratio jobs. whereas, there was drop in manufacturing and agriculture releated jobs.

To begin with, healthcare jobs was increased in 1960 their were around 2 million jobs but by 2020 it rose and came upto approximately 16 million jobs. In 1960, 6 million jobs were avalible for retail by 2020 it came to same as healthcare field around 16 million jobs.

Furthermore, in 1960, there were 15 million jobs available in manufacturing field by 1980, it increased and came up to 20 million then it drop by 2020 it came around 13 million. There was also decrease in agriculture field in 1960, there were 6 million jobs but by 2020 it drop to around 2 million jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main broad trends: healthcare and retail rise, while manufacturing and agriculture decline overall, and you include several relevant figures, such as manufacturing reaching 20 million in 1980 and healthcare rising from about 2 to 16 million. However, the overview is imprecise: manufacturing first rises before falling, and retail does not increase steadily at every stage. The claim that both sectors offer the “same ratio jobs” is unclear; they finish at roughly the same number, about 16 million. The response also omits useful comparisons, including healthcare overtaking manufacturing by 2020 and agriculture remaining the smallest sector. At 135 words, it is 15 words below the required minimum, which limits the development of the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement, with an overview followed by two detail paragraphs, and the reader can generally follow the movement from one sector to another. “To begin with” and “Furthermore” help signal the progression. However, the grouping could be more purposeful: the first detail paragraph covers healthcare and retail, while the second covers manufacturing and agriculture, but comparisons between these groups are not made explicit. Some transitions are awkward or mechanical, particularly “whereas” after a full stop in the overview and the repeated “by 2020” phrasing. Several long sentences join separate data points with commas, making relationships less clear. Use full stops or conjunctions more carefully, and organise details around contrasting trends or key changes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “increased,” “decrease,” “available,” and “approximately,” so the main trends and figures are usually understandable. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear. “Same ratio jobs” does not express that the two sectors had approximately equal numbers of jobs, while “jobs was increased” and “it drop” are not natural descriptions of a trend. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “releated,” “avalible,” and “upto.” Aim for precise chart language such as “the number of jobs,” “rose to,” “fell to,” and “ended at a similar level.” Vary these expressions without sacrificing accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your response includes simple statements and some attempts to combine information, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, grammatical errors occur frequently and sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to follow. Examples include “there was steady increase,” “healthcare jobs was increased,” and “in 1960 their were around 2 million jobs”; these show problems with articles, subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction. The sentence beginning “In 1960, 15 million jobs…” also runs several clauses together with commas, and “whereas” is not correctly attached to the preceding sentence. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and use shorter, well-punctuated sentences before attempting longer comparisons. For example: “Healthcare employment rose from about 2 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.”

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