Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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)

Employment rate in different sectors of US economy is demonstrated in the graph below between the time period of 1960 and 2020.

The number of jobs in agriculture and retail sectors started almost at same level. But agriculture employment started decreasing as time passed. While the jobs in retail sectors increased over time.

Jobs in healthcare sector increased in a consistent manner and ended up at maximum number at the end of graph, 2020. On the contrary, manufacturing sector was providing the most number of jobs in 1960. But this number faced continuous reduction after a small increase in 1980. And it stopped at 13 millions in 2020.

In conclusion, healthcare and retail sectors of US economy provided maximum number of jobs, with manufacturing on the second number and agriculture being the last.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad movements in all four sectors and include useful comparisons: agriculture and retail begin at similar levels, healthcare rises, and manufacturing peaks in 1980 before declining. However, the overview is not fully accurate: in 2020, retail and healthcare are tied at about 16 million, rather than healthcare alone reaching the maximum. The final sentence also says manufacturing was second and agriculture last, but this ranking is not clearly limited to a particular year. Several key figures and stages are omitted, such as retail’s rise from 6 to 16 million and agriculture’s fall to about 2 million. The response is also below the required 150 words. Add a clearer overview and support it with selected figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence: it introduces the graph, groups agriculture with retail, then discusses healthcare and manufacturing, and ends with a summary. This makes the main ideas easy to follow. Basic linking expressions such as “But,” “On the contrary,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships, although some connections are mechanical or not quite logical; for example, “On the contrary” does not accurately express the contrast between healthcare’s rise and manufacturing’s pattern. The short paragraphs also leave the report feeling underdeveloped, and the conclusion repeats earlier points rather than adding a precise overview. Use clearer grouping and transitions, and connect comparisons directly to the relevant years and figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main trends, including “increased,” “decreasing,” “consistent manner,” and “maximum number.” However, the range is limited and some choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing a line graph. “Employment rate” suggests a proportion of people employed, whereas the chart shows numbers of jobs; “started almost at same level” and “stopped at 13 millions” are also awkward. Repetition of “number of jobs” and “sector” limits flexibility. Aim for accurate trend language and natural collocations, such as “employment in agriculture declined” and “manufacturing employment fell to around 13 million.” These improvements would make the report more precise without requiring overly complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mixture of simple sentences and some more complex forms, including “as time passed” and the contrast introduced by “But.” Most sentences remain understandable, and grammatical errors do not generally prevent the reader from following the trends. Some errors and awkward constructions remain, however: “between the time period of 1960 and 2020” is not a well-formed time expression, “almost at same level” is missing an article, and “13 millions” has incorrect number agreement. The sentence beginning “But agriculture employment started decreasing” is also an incomplete contrast when separated from the preceding sentence. Practise accurate articles, plural forms, and sentence boundaries, while varying structures to compare changes across time.

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