Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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 illustrates the information about the four sectors of the economy that has the number of jobs between 1960 and 2020 in the United States.

As an overview, there are four sections, the manufacturing economy is 15 in the year of 1960 but it decreased by 3 percent in the year of 2020. Moreover the healthcare has only 2 percent wealth but it is increased by 13 percent.

To begin with, from year 1960 to 2020 there are major ups and down in economy. firstly the manufacturing faces rapid changes in care it starts with 15 percent in the year of1960 and end with 13 percent in 2020. the proportion of the healthcare economy rose gradually till the period of 2020. in 1960 it is only 2 percent at starting point although its around 16 percent of saving in the year of 2020.

Moving towards to the rest of the information, Both retail and agriculture has a same starting point but the retail has rise till the period of 2020. Although the agriculture has slightly decrease only 4 percent which is around 2 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify all four sectors and report several relevant trends, including manufacturing’s rise and subsequent fall, healthcare’s strong growth, and agriculture’s decline. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear: the figures are numbers of jobs in millions, not percentages, and manufacturing peaks at about 20 million in 1980 before falling to 13 million. The overview also says healthcare increased by 13, although it rises from about 2 to 16 million. Retail’s growth is mentioned but not quantified or compared clearly with healthcare, which reaches a similar level by 2020. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the main contrasts and support it with accurate figures and comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs covering the sectors. Phrases such as “To begin with” and “Moving towards to the rest of the information” signal a change of focus, and the reader can generally follow the order of discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and the final paragraph combines retail and agriculture without explaining their contrasting trends in a well-organised way. Some linking expressions are mechanical or awkward, while references such as “it” and “the rest of the information” are not always precise. Grouping the two rising sectors together, then contrasting them with agriculture, and using clearer links between dates and figures would make the organisation more effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant terms, including “decreased,” “rose gradually,” and “starting point,” and the reader can identify the sectors being discussed. However, vocabulary is limited and several choices are inaccurate for describing this graph. “Percent” is repeatedly used where the data show jobs in millions, while “wealth,” “saving,” and “economy” do not accurately describe the plotted figures. Phrases such as “major ups and down” and “rapid changes in care” are also imprecise or unnatural. Aim for precise chart language, such as “number of jobs,” “employment,” “increased,” “declined,” and “reached,” and use these terms consistently to distinguish values from percentage changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “although” and a time clause beginning “from year 1960 to 2020.” However, errors in sentence structure and grammatical forms are frequent enough to make some statements difficult to interpret. For example, “the manufacturing economy is 15” lacks a clear grammatical relationship between the sector and its figure, and “Both retail and agriculture has a same starting point” has agreement and article errors. Tense and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “it starts … and end,” followed by lower-case sentence openings. Practise forming complete comparison sentences, checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and consistent past-tense reporting.

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