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 given line graph gives us information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, such as manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare, between the years 1960 and 2020. The data has been calibrated in millions.

A cursory glance at the given line graph is adequate enough to reveal that the number of jobs in manufacturing in the US was at its peak in 1980. It was 20 million. However, it declined abruptly in the following years. It dropped from 20 million to 13 million. Moreover, a similar trend can be seen in agriculture, where job opportunities fell from 6 million in 1960 to 2 million in 2020.

Looking further at the graph, it can be noticed that the number of jobs related to retail and healthcare shows a progressive incline throughout the period of time. The number of jobs in retail in the US in 1960 was 2 million, and over the expansion of years it grew to 16 million. Similarly, jobs in healthcare started at 6 million in 1960 in the US and reached the same level as retail.

Overall, increasing trends can be seen in the number of jobs in retail and healthcare, whereas manufacturing and agriculture show decreasing trends.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the four sectors and give a clear overall contrast between the rising and falling series. The manufacturing peak of 20 million in 1980 and agriculture’s decline from 6 million to 2 million are accurately reported. However, some key details are misread: retail began at about 6 million, not 2 million, while healthcare began at about 2 million, not 6 million. The statement that manufacturing “declined abruptly” also overstates the change, and the intermediate figures and the fact that retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million by 2020 are not clearly developed. The response addresses the task, but uneven accuracy and limited support for some trends keep the account from being fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into an introduction, two detail paragraphs and a concluding overview, and the progression from manufacturing and agriculture to retail and healthcare is easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “However,” “Moreover,” and “Similarly” help connect the comparisons. The final sentence usefully summarises the broad direction of change. To make the organisation more effective, group the figures more systematically and ensure each comparison follows the graph accurately; the incorrect starting values make the retail–healthcare comparison less clear. Some transitions, including “Looking further at the graph,” are formulaic, and the overview repeats information already stated rather than adding a sharper comparison of the series’ endpoints.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “declined,” “fell,” “grew,” and “progressive incline,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “A cursory glance” and “calibrated in millions,” but these are not natural or precise in this context. “Calibrated” is not the usual way to describe the graph’s units, while “progressive incline” is an awkward collocation for a rising trend. Repetition of “number of jobs” and “in the US” limits flexibility. More precise chart language and a wider range of natural trend expressions would improve the vocabulary while preserving clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “whereas” and “where,” and most sentences communicate their meaning clearly. There are some grammatical and structural inaccuracies. For example, “the number of jobs related to retail and healthcare shows” uses a singular verb with a compound subject; “show” would be appropriate. In “the number of jobs in retail … was 2 million,” the grammatical construction is clear, but the reported figure is inaccurate rather than a grammar issue. The phrase “over the expansion of years” is structurally awkward, and “reached the same level as retail” leaves the comparison’s reference unclear. Greater control of agreement and more precise sentence construction would strengthen the response.

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