Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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

Overall, the number of jobs in manufacturing increased initially and then decreased, while retail rose significantly. Agriculture declined steadily; in contrast, healthcare despite recording the lowest figure initially, experienced the most dramatic growth by the end of the period.

In 1960, manufacturing stood at 15 million. After two deccades it reached its peak, climbing from 15 million to 20 million in 1980. Subsequently, the number jobs declined gradually to around 14 million by the end of the timeframe. In agriculture, the number started at roughiy 6 million and ended at 2 million, by 2020.

In terms of retail and healthcare, the number of jobs were around 6 million and 2 million, respectively. In rertail the number rose sharply to 16 million in 2020. Healthcare also increased considerabily, overtook agriculture around 1970 and exceeded manufacturing before converging with retail, by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main patterns accurately: manufacturing peaks in 1980 before falling, retail rises, agriculture declines, and healthcare grows from the lowest starting point to match retail by 2020. The overview is clear, and the figures for manufacturing and agriculture are broadly consistent with the chart. The comparison that healthcare overtook agriculture and later exceeded manufacturing is also relevant. To make the account more fully supported, include key intermediate figures for retail and healthcare, such as their rises to about 10 and 5 million in 1980 and 15 and 11 million in 2000. Also, “overtook agriculture around 1970” is not directly shown by the four plotted years, so avoid presenting that timing as a precise chart fact.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a summary of the main trends, and two detail paragraphs grouping manufacturing with agriculture and retail with healthcare. This gives the reader a logical route through the information, and transitions such as “Overall,” “Subsequently,” and “In contrast” help signal relationships. Some links are less smooth or precise, however. The final paragraph moves from starting values to later trends and then to crossover points without giving the intermediate stages, so the comparisons feel compressed. The phrase “In terms of retail and healthcare” also repeats information already introduced in the overview. A more systematic sequence—starting values, changes at each interval, then end-point comparisons—would make progression clearer and cohesion less dependent on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-appropriate vocabulary, including “stood at,” “reached its peak,” “declined gradually,” “rose sharply,” and “dramatic growth.” These choices communicate the main trends clearly, and there is some variation in how increases and decreases are described. However, several spelling errors—“deccades,” “roughiy,” “rertail,” and “considerabily”—reduce accuracy. Some phrasing is also imprecise or awkward: “the number jobs” omits a word, and “converging with retail” is less natural than saying the figures became equal or reached the same level. Use precise trend language consistently and proofread spelling; this would make the vocabulary more controlled and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

There is a useful mix of simple and complex structures, including the contrast in “while retail rose significantly” and the clause “despite recording the lowest figure initially.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the past tense is generally appropriate for the period shown. Some grammatical errors remain: “the number jobs declined” is missing “of,” and “the number of jobs were around 6 million and 2 million” has subject–verb disagreement and an unclear plural subject. The final sentence also needs cleaner punctuation around “by 2020,” while “overtook agriculture around 1970” presents a precise time not represented by the plotted years. Check noun phrases, agreement, and sentence boundaries carefully. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen the response.

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