Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-18

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 line graph illustrates the information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, the retail and the healthcare sectors surged in number of positions for the job seekers over a period of time. However, the manufacturing sector was the dominant area in number of jobs but it experienced the dramatic decrease. The agriculture area offered the least number of opportunities to the US economy.

The manufacturing sector offered a significant number of roles to the country till 1980, after that it witnessed huge decrease in numbers till 2020. On the other hand, the retail and healthcare sectors was recessive sectors in 1960. Eventually they experienced an enormous increase, consequently they became dominant over the manufacturing sector in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad trends: manufacturing peaks around 1980 and then declines, while retail and healthcare rise, and agriculture remains the smallest sector. However, the report is only 111 words, below the 150-word minimum, so several important details are missing. For example, you do not give any figures to support the comparisons, and the overview does not clarify that retail and healthcare both reach about 16 million jobs by 2020. The claim that retail and healthcare “became dominant over” manufacturing is broadly supported by the endpoint, but the description would be more precise if it noted that manufacturing falls to about 13 million. Develop the summary with key values and clearer comparisons across the years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing the main trends. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However,” and “On the other hand” help signal contrasts. However, the report is very brief, so the progression of information is limited and the body paragraph groups three sectors without enough detail to show how their trends compare over time. “Eventually” and “consequently” create a sequence, but the relationship between the two ideas is not fully explained. To improve, organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, describe manufacturing and agriculture together, then compare the rising retail and healthcare figures—and use linking words only where they express a precise relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “dominant,” “dramatic decrease,” “recessive,” and “enormous increase,” and the main meaning is generally clear. However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph. “Positions for the job seekers” and “opportunities to the US economy” do not accurately express the number of jobs, while “recessive sectors” is not a suitable way to describe sectors with fewer jobs. The repeated use of “number” and broad intensifiers such as “huge” and “enormous” also limits precision. Use neutral, data-focused language such as “employment,” “job numbers,” “declined,” and “rose steadily,” and support descriptions with figures rather than relying on emphatic adjectives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including contrast and cause-and-effect structures. Most sentences remain understandable, but there are some errors in agreement and sentence construction. In “the retail and healthcare sectors was recessive sectors,” the plural subject requires “were,” and the repeated noun phrase makes the sentence awkwardly formed. “The manufacturing sector was the dominant area in number of jobs” also needs a clearer grammatical construction, such as “had the highest number of jobs.” Your use of past tense is generally appropriate for the period shown, but the limited number of sentences gives little evidence of a wider range of accurate structures. Check subject–verb agreement and build comparisons in complete, direct sentences.

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