Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-23

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 graph illustrates the data about the number of jobs in four different sectors in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overal, the most noticeable feature is that the number of jobs in manufacturing sector dominated all three till 2000 then the figure for retail and healthcare sector outpassed it. Agriculture sector showed the lowest number of jobs in the US after 2000.

Looking at the details, the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector was the highest in 1960 as 15 million which further increased to 20 million in 1980 then it started decreasing and fell to 17% in 2000 followed by 13% in 2020 from the highest place to third place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a broad overview: manufacturing leads initially, while agriculture becomes the smallest sector after 2000. However, the response reports only manufacturing in detail, so retail, healthcare and agriculture are not adequately compared across the period. The overview also says retail and healthcare “outpassed” manufacturing after 2000, but in 2020 both reached 16 million, compared with manufacturing at 13 million; they do not exceed each other. In addition, the figures for manufacturing in 2000 and 2020 are incorrectly given as percentages rather than millions. The response is 114 words, below the required 150. To address the task more fully, include the main trends and key comparisons for all four sectors, with accurate units and figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and a detail paragraph. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and phrases such as “Looking at the details” signal a shift in focus. However, the progression is limited because the final paragraph covers only manufacturing and ends without discussing the other series. The overview’s comparison of retail and healthcare with manufacturing is not followed up with supporting details. Linking expressions such as “then” and “followed by” help show sequence, but the account would be clearer if the data were grouped by contrasting trends—for example, declining manufacturing and agriculture versus rising retail and healthcare. Develop the body into a complete, logically ordered comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “number of jobs,” “sector,” “increased,” “decreasing” and “fell,” so the topic is generally clear. There are also attempts at more descriptive phrasing, such as “the most noticeable feature” and “dominated.” However, some choices are inaccurate or awkward: “outpassed” is not the natural verb for this comparison, and “from the highest place to third place” is an imprecise way to describe the ranking change. “Overal” is misspelled, and “figure” is repeated without much variation. Use precise terms such as “overtook,” “declined” and “ranked third,” while varying references to the number of jobs. Ensure units are expressed consistently as “million jobs,” not percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and a longer sentence with a sequence of changes, showing some ability to combine information. The opening sentence is clear, and the overview communicates the general direction of the trends. However, control becomes less secure in the long manufacturing sentence: “was the highest in 1960 as 15 million” and “fell to 17% in 2000 followed by 13% in 2020” contain awkward or incomplete grammatical patterns. The final phrase, “from the highest place to third place,” is also attached unclearly to the preceding clause. Use a more controlled structure, such as “It stood at 15 million in 1960, peaked at 20 million in 1980, and then fell to 17 million and 13 million.” Check articles and sentence boundaries when adding comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.