Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The line graph demonstrates information about the occpations in four different sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 to 2020.

Overall,Initially Retail and Healthcare sector was fewest number of jobs available there in past but at the end both sectors has gradually increased and reached to the top. In contrast, Agriculture sectore has marginally declined and remained constant at the end of period. Manufacturing was the highest jobs sector next two decades are sharply rose up. and then highlighted sharp dropped.

In 1960, Manufacturing was indicated a highest amount of the jobs around 15 millions. They has increased gradually upto 20 millions jobs in 1980. while, after two decades shown dramatically decreased in manufacturing sector from 20 millions jobs to approximately 13 millions jobs.

On the other side,Agriculture were indicate lowest numbers of occupations around 6 millions.next two decades noticeably sharp declined in agricuture sector from 6 millions obs to around 3 millions jobs and after, remained constant end of the period.as well as, Retail and healthcare sector was intially few numbers of jobs in this both sectors around 2 millions or 6 millions jobs, after they noticeably dramatically growth in both sectors retail were idicates 10 millions jobs and healthcare was 5 millions jobs in 1980. Contionusly, upward trend goes and reach to the to both sectors near 16 millions jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall patterns: retail and healthcare rise, agriculture declines, and manufacturing peaks before falling. You also include relevant figures such as manufacturing’s rise from about 15 million to 20 million and agriculture’s fall from 6 million to around 3 million. This covers the task well, with a clear overview and several supporting details. However, some comparisons are imprecise: manufacturing falls to about 17 million in 2000 and 13 million in 2020, rather than dropping to 13 million “after two decades.” The overview also says agriculture remained constant “at the end,” although it declines from about 3 million in 2000 to 2 million in 2020. More precise staging and a clearer comparison of the final values would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate detail paragraphs, and it generally moves from broad trends to figures. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several series and time points are combined in long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the final paragraph shifts from agriculture to retail and healthcare without a clear transition, and “after they noticeably dramatically growth” obscures the sequence. Some linking phrases, including “On the other side” and “as well as,” do not clearly express the relationship between the information. Use one paragraph for the declining sectors and another for the rising sectors, and connect each figure explicitly to its year.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “increased,” “declined,” “upward trend,” and “remained constant,” so the main trends can usually be understood. However, the range is limited by repeated general terms such as “jobs,” “sector,” and “dramatically,” and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “occupations” is not a natural substitute for job numbers, while “sharp dropped” and “dramatically growth” are not correctly formed expressions. Spelling errors such as “occpations,” “sectore,” and “agricuture” also reduce precision. Build a more controlled set of trend phrases, such as “rose steadily,” “fell sharply,” and “levelled off,” and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the reader can generally identify the intended trends. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence boundaries are frequent enough to make some relationships unclear. Examples include “Retail and Healthcare sector was fewest,” “both sectors has gradually increased,” and “Manufacturing was indicated a highest amount.” The sentence beginning “while, after two decades” is also incomplete, and punctuation is often missing after introductory phrases, creating run-on constructions. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check tense and agreement—for example, “the sectors had the fewest jobs” and “both sectors increased.” More accurate control of these patterns would make your comparisons easier to follow.

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