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)

This graph illustrates the economy of the US from the number of Jobs in four main sectors namely manufacturing,retail,agriculture and healthcare.

Overall, the manufacturing produces the highest proportion of jobs whereas retail and healthcare increases overall over a period of time.

Starting with the most numbers of jobs which is manufacturing it is peaked in 1980 to upto 20 million jobs while gradually decreasing till 2020 to 13 million jobs, whereas two sectors healthcare and retail shows comparitvely an increase from [redacted phone] and reaching a top end at 16 million jobs per year.

On the other hand agriculture sector starts with 6 million jobs per year but shows a downward trend till 1980 followed by a constant till year 2000, and then fall shortlu to 2 million jobs in year 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four sectors and report several key trends, including manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 before falling to 13 million, and agriculture declining to 2 million by 2020. However, the overview is not fully accurate: manufacturing does not produce the highest number throughout the period, since retail and healthcare both reach about 16 million in 2020, above manufacturing. The account also says retail and healthcare reach a “top end” of 16 million without distinguishing their different starting points and growth patterns. The response is 19 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail available. Include a clearer overview and a few more precise comparisons across the years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the sector trends. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “whereas,” and “On the other hand” help signal relationships. However, the progression is sometimes awkward because several trends are compressed into long sentences, particularly the sentence beginning “Starting with the most numbers of jobs.” The contrast introduced by “On the other hand” is also not especially clear, as agriculture is another trend rather than a direct counterpoint to the preceding sectors. Separate the trends into clearer units and use comparisons to connect them more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “downward trend,” “gradually decreasing,” and “constant,” and the sector names are clear. The range is sufficient to communicate the main movements, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the most numbers of jobs,” “top end,” and “fall shortlu.” “Produces the highest proportion of jobs” is also not a precise way to describe the number of jobs shown. Spelling and spacing errors, including “comparitvely” and “manufacturing,retail,” are noticeable. Aim for standard chart language such as “highest number,” “peak,” and “decline,” and check spelling and word forms carefully so that your meaning is consistently clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “whereas” and “while,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, some sentence structures and verb forms are inaccurate. For example, “the manufacturing produces” has an unnecessary article and an awkward verb choice, while “retail and healthcare increases” has a subject–verb agreement error. The phrase “it is peaked in 1980” uses an incorrect passive form; write “it peaked in 1980.” Several sentences are also overloaded, making relationships between clauses harder to follow. Use a mix of shorter, controlled sentences and complex comparisons, and check agreement, articles, and tense consistency when describing past data.

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