Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The line graph shows the number of jobs in four economic sectors in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, manufacturing had the highest figure at the beginning, but its number decreased towards the end. Retail and healthcare increased, while agriculture remained at a low level.

In 1960, manufacturing provide around 15 million jobs. This figure rose to nearly 20 million in 1980. After that, it fell to about 17 million in 2000 and 13 million in 2020. Retail started at apporoximately 6 million workers. It then to 10 million in 1980 and 15 million in 2002, reaching around 16 million in the final year.

Healthcare had only 2 million jobs in 1960. However, this number grew steadily to 5 millionin 1980, 11 million in 2000 and 17 million in 2020. In contrast, agriculture began at 6 million and dropped to around 3 million in 1980. It rose slightly to 4 million in 2000 before falling again to nearly 3 million at the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response selects the main trends and gives a clear overview: manufacturing starts highest and then declines, while retail and healthcare rise and agriculture stays low. It also supports these points with figures across the period. Most reported values are close to the chart, but there are a few inaccuracies: retail reaches 15 million in 2000, not 2002, and healthcare ends at about 16 million rather than 17 million. The claim that agriculture rose to 4 million in 2000 is also inconsistent with the chart, which shows about 3 million. The overview could be more informative by noting that retail and healthcare finish level at around 16 million. These omissions and errors limit the precision of an otherwise relevant summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised clearly, moving from an introduction and overview to two paragraphs describing the sector trends. Grouping manufacturing with retail, then healthcare with agriculture, makes the comparisons easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “After that,” and “In contrast” help signal the relationships between ideas. The progression is generally logical, although the sector-by-sector reporting sometimes reads as a sequence of figures rather than a comparison; for example, the final values for retail and healthcare could be directly contrasted. There is also a small disruption in the retail sequence (“It then to 10 million”), which affects the flow. More precise linking and clearer comparisons would make cohesion more flexible and less dependent on listing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing a line graph, with useful terms such as “rose,” “fell,” “steadily,” “reaching,” and “in contrast.” The writer also varies references to the data with “figure” and “number.” However, the range is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the repeated use of “number” and basic movement verbs. There are also spelling and word-choice slips: “apporoximately” is misspelled, and “workers” is less precise than “jobs” or “people employed” when describing the chart’s measure. “Provide” is also an unsuitable form in “manufacturing provide,” though this is primarily a grammatical issue. More precise trend vocabulary and careful proofreading would improve control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex forms, including contrast and time clauses: “Overall, manufacturing had the highest figure at the beginning, but…” and “In contrast, agriculture began…” Most sentences communicate the trends clearly. Some grammatical errors remain, however. “Manufacturing provide” should be “manufacturing provided,” and “It then to 10 million” is missing a verb, such as “It then rose to 10 million.” The phrase “5 millionin 1980” also needs a space. These errors are noticeable but do not generally prevent understanding. To improve, check that each clause has a complete verb and maintain accurate past-tense forms when reporting the historical data.

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