Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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 demonstrate about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Health care in US over 60 years and affect of these on US economy.

Through the graph, it can be calculated that Manufacturing was at its peak aroung 1980s but afterwars it get declined around 12-12.5 jobs in million. Healthcare was at its lowest around 1960 that approximately of 3-4 jobs in million and has improved till 2020, more than 15 jobs in million that aligned with Retail jobs that was enhanced from 5 jobs in million to 16-18 jobs in million. Agriculture has been declined drastically from 6-2 jobs in million over the span of 60 years and has worsen impact.

Consequently,US Economy has been supported by the uprising of Retail and Healthcare while Manufacturing jobs has been drawn in this time. As time has been more diitalize so jobs in Agriculture devastatingly declined.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify all four sectors and report several central trends: manufacturing peaks around 1980 before declining, healthcare and retail rise, and agriculture falls. However, some figures are inaccurate: manufacturing ends at about 13 million, not 12–12.5; healthcare starts near 2 million, not 3–4; and retail begins at about 6 million. The overview is also weakened by unsupported claims about effects on the US economy and digitisation, which the graph does not show. The response is 142 words, below the required 150, and this limits the development of the comparisons. Include a concise overview and support it with accurate start/end values and key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, a paragraph describing trends, and a concluding statement. This gives the reader some organisation, and words such as “but,” “while,” and “Consequently” attempt to connect ideas. However, the progression is not consistently clear: several sectors and comparisons are crowded into one paragraph, and the final comments about the economy and digitisation do not follow directly from the chart data. Some links are also awkward, such as “that aligned with Retail jobs,” making the relationship between the figures unclear. Use separate, logically grouped paragraphs—for example, declining sectors and rising sectors—and connect comparisons with precise references to years and values.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “peak,” “declined,” “improved,” and “span,” so the main trends can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the report difficult to interpret. For example, “the line demonstrate about” and “jobs in million” are not natural ways to describe the visual or its units; “has worsen impact” and “devastatingly declined” are also unsuitable or unclear in this factual report. There are spelling errors such as “aroung,” “afterwars,” and “diitalize.” Aim for precise, neutral language such as “the number of jobs,” “million jobs,” and “fell steadily,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “but” and a concluding clause beginning “As time has been more…”. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences hard to follow. Examples include “The line demonstrate,” where subject–verb agreement is incorrect, and “Manufacturing jobs has been drawn,” which has agreement and verb-form problems. The sentence beginning “Healthcare was at its lowest” also has an unclear construction around “that approximately of 3-4 jobs.” Punctuation and spacing need attention, as in “Consequently,US.” Build accurate short sentences first, then add comparisons using correctly formed clauses and consistent past-tense verbs.

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