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 illustrated graph shows number of jobs available in US in four sectors of economy between the time period of 1960 till 2020. There were 15 million jobs in manufacturing sector during 1960 which then increased to 20 million in 1980. In 2000 there had been a decrease in them reaching 16 million and in 2020 jobs decreased to 14 million. In retail sector there were 5 million jobs in 1960 and with passage of time they increase to 10 million in 1980 to 15 million in 2000 utill 2020 they are at the same spot. Jobs in healtcare sector were fairly low in 1960 as they were below 5 million but as time passed they available jobs started increasing from 5 million to 10 million and then at 20 million in year 2020. At last in agriculture sector there was a decent ratio of jobs available which was 5 million in 1960 but eventually it decreases and in 2020 it reached around 3.5 million. The graph features changing trends in major economic sector of US showing constant variations across multiple years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You report several relevant figures and trends, including manufacturing rising to a peak in 1980 and then declining, and agriculture falling over the period. However, the response only partially summarises the graph: it gives a sequence of details for each sector but lacks a clear, accurate overview of the main comparisons. Some figures are misreported: healthcare reaches about 16 million in 2020, not 20 million; retail is about 16 million in 2020 rather than remaining at 15 million; and agriculture ends near 2 million, not 3.5 million. The claim that agriculture had a “decent ratio” is also unclear. Highlighting that retail and healthcare become the largest sectors by 2020, while agriculture remains the smallest, would make the key picture clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a generally understandable order, moving through manufacturing, retail, healthcare and agriculture, and uses time markers such as “in 1980” and “in 2020” to show change. However, it reads mainly as a series of sector-by-sector sentences rather than a clearly organised summary with an overview and purposeful comparisons. The final sentence, “The graph features changing trends,” repeats a general idea without drawing together the most important patterns. Some linking is awkward or repetitive, particularly “with passage of time” and “as time passed.” Grouping the rising sectors together and contrasting them with manufacturing’s decline and agriculture’s fall would create clearer progression and stronger cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “increased,” “decrease,” “reaching,” and “eventually,” so the main trends are usually understandable. There are also attempts at more descriptive phrasing, such as “fairly low” and “constant variations.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph: “jobs available” suggests vacancies rather than the number of jobs, “same spot” is informal, and “decent ratio” does not clearly describe a figure. Spelling errors such as “healtcare” and “utill” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise collocations such as “employment in healthcare,” “remained stable,” and “the lowest figure,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses linked with “which” and “as,” and the reader can generally follow the intended trends. However, control is uneven, especially in longer sentences. For example, “with passage of time they increase to 10 million in 1980 to 15 million in 2000” shifts tense and has an unclear structure; “they available jobs started increasing” also has faulty word order. There are article and preposition problems in “in US” and “in year 2020,” while “there had been a decrease” is an awkward tense choice for a chart description. Use the past simple consistently for the historical data and divide long sequences into clear sentences. More accurate sentence patterns would make the comparisons easier to understand.

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