Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-24

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 6.0)

The chart compares the data about jobs in different economical sectors in US such as manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare from 1960 to 2020. Jobs measured in millions.

Overall, manufacturing was the most popular job over the years except for the last 15 years. Retail and healthcare increased with time while agriculture saw a decline.

Manufacturing started at 15 millions and peaked at 20 millions in 1980. After that the graph saw a steady decline and reached at around 13 millions in the last year.

Reagarding healthcare and retail, in 1960, the graphs stood at around 2 and 6 millions respectively. Both saw a steady increase over the period and then hit a high of about 16 millions in 2020. In contrast, agriculture saw a decline with time, starting from around 6 millions and then decreased to approximately 3 millions in 1980 and remained stable till 2000 before reaching the lowest in the last year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall patterns: manufacturing rises to a peak before declining, retail and healthcare grow, and agriculture falls. The key figures for manufacturing and agriculture are generally accurate, and you make a useful comparison between the two growing sectors at the end. This meets the task well, but some features are less fully reported. In particular, saying manufacturing was the most popular “except for the last 15 years” is imprecise: retail and healthcare only catch up with it by 2020, at about 16 million, while manufacturing is lower. Also, healthcare and retail did not both rise steadily in the same way: retail grows throughout, whereas healthcare’s increase is especially marked after 1980. Clarifying these comparisons and reporting the 2000 values would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about manufacturing, the growing sectors, and agriculture. Paragraphing helps the reader follow the main trends, and linking expressions such as “After that” and “In contrast” are relevant. The progression is generally logical, though some connections are a little mechanical or imprecise. For example, “Regarding healthcare and retail” introduces two series together, but the paragraph then describes their shared rise without distinguishing their different trajectories before giving their final values. The overview’s “except for the last 15 years” also leaves the comparison unclear. To strengthen cohesion, group the series by contrasting trends and use precise references to the years and values so each sentence follows naturally from the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to describe the graph, including “peaked,” “steady increase,” “decline,” and “remained stable.” These choices communicate the broad trends, but the range is somewhat repetitive and several phrases are not natural or precise for this task. “The most popular job” suggests popularity rather than the number of jobs, while “the graphs stood at” is an awkward way to report figures. “Economical sectors” is also an inaccurate word choice for economic sectors, and “hit a high” is less formal than a suitable reporting verb. Spelling errors such as “Reagarding” are noticeable. Aim for precise collocations such as “employment in manufacturing,” “stood at,” and “reached a peak,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the trends remain understandable. The overview’s contrast between rising sectors and declining agriculture is expressed clearly, and the sentence beginning “After that” links a sequence of changes effectively. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, plurals, and sentence construction. For example, “15 millions” and “6 millions” should use the singular unit “million,” and “reached at around 13 millions” combines an incorrect preposition with the same plural error. The opening fragment, “Jobs measured in millions,” would be clearer as a complete sentence or incorporated into the first sentence. Continue using varied structures, while checking number agreement and ensuring each sentence has a complete grammatical form.

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.