Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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 graph illustrartes the jobs across different four sectors in the economyof united states from 1960 to 2020.four sectors are shown in graph which includes manufacturing ,retails,agrcuture and healthcare with different lines which specifies each catagory of job.

In the given graph we can see the rise in jobs in retail and healthcare in retail jobs satarting from little more than 5 million in 1960 and goes up to 15 million in 2020.The line of healthcare also gives the information of its growingup during period of 1960 to 2020 from less than 5 million to 15 million.

the othe two other catagories of jobs show downfall the manufacturing sector shows slight rise in untill 1980 then it falls from 20 million to less then 15 million in 2020.The last jobs sectors agriculture is also going down from 5 million to its least point.

the graph show maximum jobs were in 1980 in manufaturing sector in 1980 and the minimum jobs were in 2020 in agriculture.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad direction of change in all four sectors and note that manufacturing peaks in 1980 while agriculture reaches its lowest point in 2020. However, the overview is incomplete and some key details are inaccurate: retail rises to about 16 million, not 15 million, and healthcare also ends at about 16 million, rather than 15 million. The statement that manufacturing falls to “less than 15 million” is broadly accurate, but the agriculture figures are not clearly reported. The response also does not make the important comparison that retail and healthcare finish as the joint largest sectors. To strengthen the summary, give a concise overview of the contrasting trends and support it with accurate start, peak, and end figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, comments on rising sectors, comments on declining sectors, and a final comparison. This gives the reader some organisation, and grouping the sectors by trend is a useful approach. However, progression is weakened by repetition, such as describing the graph and its four sectors twice, and by unclear or awkward links, including “the othe two other catagories.” The final sentence repeats the manufacturing peak already mentioned without adding much, while the overview is not clearly separated from the details. Use four purposeful paragraphs—introduction, overview, and two detail paragraphs—and connect comparisons directly, for example, contrasting the rise in healthcare with the fall in agriculture.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “sector,” “rise,” “downfall,” and “maximum,” so the main trends can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive: “jobs across different four sectors” is awkward, “retails” is not the usual name of the sector, and “growingup” does not express the trend naturally. Spelling errors such as “illustrartes,” “agrcuture,” and “manufaturing” are noticeable and reduce clarity. Aim for precise chart language and check spelling carefully. For example, use “employment in four sectors,” “retail,” “increased steadily,” and “declined” rather than repeating general words such as “rise” and “going down.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, but control is inconsistent. Several sentences lack clear grammatical structure, as in “retail jobs satarting from little more than 5 million in 1960 and goes up to 15 million in 2020,” where the verb forms do not form a complete, consistent clause. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries: “the graph show maximum jobs” should use a singular verb, and the opening contains a run-on sequence with missing punctuation. The repeated phrase “in 1980 … in 1980” also makes the final sentence less controlled. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent past-tense forms when describing the historical data.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.