Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 6.0)

The given infographic represntation in the form of linegraph. Given information about changes in employment figures across four different economic sectors in the unites states over a sixty year period from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it can be clear seen that manufacturing jobs increased initially and then declined, while retail and healthcare showed an upward trend. In contrast, agriculture jobs decreased throughout the period.

In 1960, manufacturing had the highest number of jobs, at approximately 15 million. This figure rose to around 20 million in 1980 before falling to about 17 million in 2000, it had dropped to roughly 12 million.

Retail employment increased steadily from about 6 million in 1960 to 10 million in 1980. It then rose to approximatley 15 million in 2000 and remained at a similar level in 2020. similarly, healthcare jobs grew from around 2 million in 1960 to 5 million in 1980. The figure reached about 10 million in 2000and continued to rise to approximately 15 million by 2020.

On the other hand, agricultural employment fell from around 6 million in 190 to approximately 3 million in 1980. It remained almost unchanged in 2000 before decreasing further to about 1 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You provide a relevant summary of all four sectors and identify the main patterns: manufacturing rises before declining, retail and healthcare grow, and agriculture falls. The overview is clear, and the figures are generally well selected. Some details, however, are inaccurate or imprecise: manufacturing is about 13 million in 2020 rather than 12 million; retail reaches about 16 million, not merely a similar level to 15 million; and agriculture falls to about 2 million, rather than 1 million. The year “190” is also evidently intended to be 1960. Healthcare’s final figure is similarly closer to 16 million. The response covers the task well overall, but greater precision and fuller reporting of the ending comparisons would strengthen it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs grouping the sectors. This makes the main trends easy to follow, and transitions such as “In contrast” and “On the other hand” help signal comparisons. The progression within the detail paragraphs is mostly chronological. However, some linking and punctuation are not fully controlled: “before falling to about 17 million in 2000, it had dropped…” joins two clauses awkwardly, and “similarly” is not capitalised after a full stop. Extra spacing and the abrupt switch from manufacturing to retail and healthcare also slightly interrupt the flow. More precise sentence boundaries and smoother links between related figures would make the organisation more consistently effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “employment figures,” “economic sectors,” “increased steadily,” and “remained almost unchanged.” These choices communicate the trends, but several spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and reduce precision: “represntation,” “unites,” and “approximatley” are misspelled, while “infographic representation” is an awkward description of a line graph. “It can be clear seen” is also an unnatural phrase. Some wording is repetitive, particularly repeated uses of “figure” and “jobs.” To improve, check spelling carefully, use standard chart language such as “line graph,” and vary trend verbs accurately. The vocabulary is adequate for describing the data, but control of form and collocation is not yet consistent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses and time sequences, and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, some grammatical errors remain. The opening fragments (“The given infographic…”, “Given information…”) lack a main verb, and “it can be clear seen” has an incorrect adverb form and construction. In “before falling to about 17 million in 2000, it had dropped…”, the comma joins clauses that need clearer punctuation, and the tense sequence is confusing. Missing spaces in “2000and” and inconsistent capitalisation after sentence breaks also affect accuracy. Aim to make the introduction a complete sentence and check clause boundaries, articles, and verb forms. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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