Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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 given line chart illustrates the number of jobs in the four sectors of the economy in the United State of America. The timeline of the data starts from the 1960 and goes upto 2020. There are four sectors mentioned in the chart including manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare. Overall, manufacturing sector has the highest number of jobs while the agriculture has the lowest among the all.

Starting from manufacturing sector, it had 15 millions jobs in 1960 while other three sectors were much lower. It saw a 5 million jobs increase until year 1980 and later than it started declining and reached somewhere near 13 million jobs till the year 2020. Secondly, the retail sector had just 6 million jobs in 1960 however it grew a lot and increased to 16 million jobs in the year 2020. The healthcare sector also increased to 16 million jobs in the year 2020 however in the year 1960 it also had 2 million jobs approximately. The agriculture sector saw decline in jobs starting form 6 million and decreasing to approximately 2 million jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the four sectors and give a clear overall statement about manufacturing and agriculture, then report several relevant figures, including manufacturing’s rise to 20 million in 1980 and its later fall to about 13 million. However, the overview is not fully accurate for the end of the period: by 2020, retail and healthcare both reach about 16 million, so manufacturing is no longer the largest sector. The account also gives limited detail on the important changes in healthcare and agriculture between the intermediate years, and the phrase “other three sectors were much lower” overlooks that retail and agriculture both began at 6 million. A more complete overview and clearer comparisons across the four dates would make the key features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by details about manufacturing, retail, healthcare and agriculture. Sequencing phrases such as “Starting from” and “Secondly” help signal the movement between sectors, and the reader can follow the main trends. This meets the lower-band expectation of an overall logical arrangement. However, the progression is somewhat list-like, and the final two sectors receive less development than the first two. Some links between comparisons are also unclear; for example, “The healthcare sector also increased to 16 million” does not specify the period of increase. Grouping sectors by contrasting trends, and using clearer links such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile,” would make cohesion more flexible and the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “declining,” “increased,” “sector” and “approximately,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts to describe change rather than simply repeat figures. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, such as “saw a 5 million jobs increase,” “grew a lot,” and “reached somewhere near.” “The timeline of the data” is also less natural than a direct reference to the period shown. These choices limit precision, although they do not prevent understanding. Aim for concise, conventional chart language and check spelling, including “United States” and “from,” to improve control and presentation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “while” and “however,” and most sentences communicate the intended trend. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, plurals and sentence construction. For example, “15 millions jobs” should be “15 million jobs,” and “the agriculture” needs a more natural article pattern, such as “agriculture” or “the agricultural sector.” In “later than it started declining,” the time relationship is not expressed correctly; use “after that, it began to decline.” The opening also has awkward article use in “the 1960.” These errors are noticeable but rarely obscure meaning. More consistent editing of noun forms and time clauses would improve accuracy.

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