Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-25

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 6.5)

The given line graph demonstrates the number of jobs available in four different sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, the number of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture decreased while the number of jobs in sectors like retail and healthcare increased noticeabily. Manufacturing remained the sector with the highest number of jobs for nearly 40 years before falling to the third place. Whereas healthcare; which had least number of jobs rose to the top along with retail.

The sector of agriculture started with nearly 6 million jobs in 1960 which steeped down to approximately 4 million in 1980. This number remained steady for 20 years before declining to about 2 million. Manufacturing on the other hand, started with the most jobs (15 million) in 1960 and rose significantly to 20 million in 1980. This number started to decline gradually and reached around 14 million in 2020.

The healthcarte sector of economy was reported with the least number of jobs in 1960 which was about 3 million while retail sector started at nearly 6 million. Both of these fields experienced a prominant rise, retail reached 10 million while healthcare rose to 5 million in 1980. These figures rose steadily and met at nearly 16 million number of jobs in both sectors in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You provide a clear overview of the main contrasts: manufacturing and agriculture decline overall, while retail and healthcare grow, and you note that retail and healthcare finish at similar levels. The key figures are generally well selected and accurate, including manufacturing’s peak at 20 million and agriculture’s fall to about 2 million. However, healthcare began at about 2 million, not 3 million, and agriculture was around 3 million in 1980 rather than 4 million. The overview also says manufacturing fell to third place, but it is more precise to say it was overtaken by both retail and healthcare by 2020. The response addresses the task well, though a few details and comparisons could be more exact.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs grouping agriculture with manufacturing, then healthcare with retail. This makes the main trends easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “on the other hand,” and “while” help signal contrasts, although some connections feel mechanical or unclear. For example, “Whereas healthcare; which had least number of jobs rose to the top along with retail” is awkwardly punctuated and does not clearly explain when the sectors became comparable. The final paragraph also repeats the overview’s point about both sectors rising. Use clearer references and transitions to show the stages of change, and avoid repeating information when a more direct comparison would add detail.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “rose significantly,” “declining gradually,” “remained steady,” and “experienced a prominent rise.” These choices communicate the main patterns, but some word forms, spelling, and collocations are inaccurate or less natural, such as “noticeabily,” “steeped down,” “healthcarte,” and “prominant.” “Number of jobs available” is understandable, though “number of jobs” is more direct for this chart. There is also some repetition of “number” and “rose.” Aim for accurate spelling and natural trend language, and vary expressions such as “increased,” “climbed,” and “grew” without using imprecise phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including relative clauses and contrast structures, as in “Manufacturing on the other hand, started with the most jobs … and rose significantly.” Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical and punctuation errors recur. In “Whereas healthcare; which had least number of jobs rose,” the clause is punctuated incorrectly and needs an article (“the least number”). “The healthcarte sector of economy was reported with the least number” also has an awkward passive construction and missing article. Commas are sometimes misplaced, including after “on the other hand.” Improve control of articles, clause boundaries, and punctuation while retaining the range of sentence structures you are attempting.

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