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 graph illustrates data about the number of employments in four sectors of United States economy namely manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare between the time period of 1960 to 2020.

Overall, jobs in manufacturing sector dominate at the start of period but at the beginning of 21th century other jobs sectors retail and healthcare overlap manufacturing sector and dominate at the end of period while the jobs in agriculture sector remain lowest at the end of period.

To begin with, manufacturing sector dominates in 1960 with 15 millions jobs after that its rose to 20 millions in 1980 which is highest number then jobs in manufacturing sector decrease continuously at it stops about 12 millions at the end of period while the number of jobs in retail and healthcare sector was about 5 millions and about 2.5 millions respectively then these both sectors strikingly increase and overlap manufacturing sector at 2010 and they stopped around 15.5 millions.

Further more analyzing the graph, agriculture sector on second number in jobs about 5.5 million then it decreased whole the period and it stopped about 0.5 millions in 2020 which is lowest figure in graph.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall contrast: manufacturing starts as the largest sector, while agriculture ends as the smallest, and healthcare and retail grow substantially. Several figures and trends are also reported accurately, including manufacturing’s peak of 20 million in 1980 and its subsequent decline. However, the overview is not fully precise: retail and healthcare do not overtake manufacturing at the beginning of the 21st century; they reach roughly the same level only by 2020. The claim that they overlap manufacturing in 2010 is unsupported by the chart, which gives data at 2000 and 2020. Agriculture is also described as second-largest in 1960, although retail is equal to it. More accurate comparisons and clearer coverage of the final rankings would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the sectors. The sequence from manufacturing to the other sectors is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “Overall” and “To begin with” help signal the stages of the report. However, some connections are awkward or unclear: “these both sectors” refers to retail and healthcare, but the sentence’s comparison with manufacturing is difficult to track. “Further more analyzing the graph” is also an unnatural transition, and the final paragraph gives agriculture only brief treatment. Grouping the rising sectors together and the declining sectors together, while using clearer references and transitions, would make the progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “dominates,” “decrease,” “strikingly increase” and “lowest figure,” so the main trends are understandable. There are also attempts to vary how changes are described. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “number of employments,” “jobs sectors,” “stops about” and “on second number.” “Overlap” is used where the intended meaning appears to be that the lines meet or the sectors become equal, and “strikingly” is not the most natural description of a steady rise. Aim for precise chart language such as “employment,” “stood at,” “fell to” and “rose steadily”; this would improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast in the overview and a longer sentence describing several trends. The main meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “its rose” has an incorrect pronoun and verb form, while “manufacturing sector decrease” lacks the required past-tense ending. Articles and number agreement are also inconsistent in phrases such as “manufacturing sector” and “15 millions jobs.” The long sentence beginning “after that” joins several ideas without clear punctuation, making the relationships harder to follow. Use past-tense verbs consistently for the historical data, check singular and plural forms, and divide long descriptions into shorter, accurately punctuated sentences.

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.