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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The graph illustrate United States total number of jobs in four secots of the economy, timelined from 1960 to 2020.

The graph visualized an overall decline in manufacture and agriculture sector. On the other hand, it showed an rocket increase in retail and healthcare sector.

First of all, the manufacture sector had a 5 million increase in first decade, but then it declined steadily and ended up to 13 million. The agriculture sector declined a little bit in first 10 years, after that it remained steady for the next 3 decade.

Moreover, the retail sector seems to had a steadily increased for first 20 years, and then at the last decades it seemsto had a little bit groth.The hralthcare sector had a clam groth of 3 million in the first decades, after that it had a steady growth for the next 20 years and increased to 14 million, subsequently ended up with a same result alike retail sector.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the broad contrast accurately: manufacturing and agriculture decline overall, while retail and healthcare rise. You also include several relevant figures, such as manufacturing ending at 13 million and retail reaching 16 million. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: manufacturing first rises by 5 million over the first 20 years, not the first decade; agriculture is stable from 1980 to 2000, then falls slightly; and healthcare reaches about 16 million in 2020, matching retail, rather than ending at 14 million. The overview is relevant, but the account of the main stages is uneven and some trends are only briefly described. More precise comparisons and accurate endpoints would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and further details about the sectors. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand,” “First of all,” and “Moreover” help signal shifts between points. However, the progression is not always easy to follow because several sectors are compressed into long sentences, and the time periods are described imprecisely. For example, the manufacturing and agriculture trends are grouped together without a clear comparison, while the final healthcare sentence combines its rise, endpoint, and comparison with retail. Use separate, clearly focused sentences and organise the details into two groups—declining sectors and growing sectors—to make the relationships easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “declined steadily,” “remained steady,” and “growth,” and the reader can generally understand the trends you intend to describe. However, the range and control are limited by repeated general wording and several noticeable spelling or word-choice errors, including “secots,” “manufacture” for the sector, “rocket increase,” “groth,” and “clam groth.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “ended up with a same result alike retail sector.” Choose precise terms for chart movement and use standard collocations. For example, “rose sharply” is more suitable than “rocket increase,” while “finished at the same level as retail” clearly expresses the final comparison.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, using contrast and time clauses such as “On the other hand” and “after that.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction are noticeable. Examples include “The graph illustrate,” “seems to had,” and “it seemsto had”; these should be “illustrates,” “seemed to have,” and “it seemed to have.” The sentence beginning “The agriculture sector declined…” also needs a clearer time reference, and the final sentence is difficult to control because several clauses are joined together. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and consistent past-tense reporting, and break long sentences into shorter units.

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