Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The given line illustrates about the number of jobs in four sector of the economy in the United State from 1960 to 2020. Overall the healthcare department has the highest jobs throughout the periods, while Agriculture sector has the lowest once. Consequently. Manufacturing sector reach and its peak level of empolyment from his first two decades

Heralthcare sector intially started from two and then they continuosly grew upto just above the 15 in 2020 and reach its peak level.wheareas the Agriculture department line start from 6 and than we saw a slighty decline from 1960 to 1980 and they fell down to 3 in 2020. and once interesting things is that the both africulture and retail sector line are moving opposite from throughojt the period. Finally the manufacturing department rose up from 15 to 20 in 1980and they suddenly fell down to the below the 15 in 2020

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the overall rise in healthcare employment and the decline in agriculture, and you include several relevant figures, such as manufacturing increasing from 15 to 20 before falling. However, the overview is inaccurate: healthcare was not the highest throughout, since manufacturing led in 1960 and 1980, and healthcare only reached about 16 by 2020, alongside retail. Some details are also misreported: agriculture fell to about 3 by 1980 and remained there until 2000, then declined to 2, rather than reaching 3 in 2020. Retail’s steady rise is largely omitted. The response is also two words below the required minimum. Include a clearer overview and compare all four trends accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is an attempt to organise the response by sector, and expressions such as “Overall” and “Finally” help signal a summary and a later point. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview, healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing details run together without clear paragraphing. Several links are inaccurate or confusing: “Consequently” does not show a clear cause-and-effect relationship, and the claim that agriculture and retail move in opposite directions is not developed with a clear comparison. The final sentence returns to manufacturing without a strong transition. Separate the overview from the detailed comparisons, group related trends, and use linking phrases only when their relationship is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “peak level,” “decline,” and “grew,” so the main trends can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning unclear. For example, “the highest jobs” is an unnatural way to describe employment figures, while “the lowest once” does not clearly express that agriculture had the fewest jobs. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “empolyment,” “Heralthcare,” and “africulture.” Use precise terms such as “number of jobs,” “employment,” and “fell,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, including a comparison introduced by “while” and a sequence describing changes over time. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation frequently make the account harder to read. For instance, “the healthcare department has the highest jobs” has an unclear grammatical construction, and “Manufacturing sector reach” lacks an article and uses the wrong verb form. The sentence beginning “Heralthcare sector intially started” also shifts between singular and plural reference (“it” and “they”) and runs several clauses together. Practise forming complete sentences with consistent subjects and past-tense verbs, and use full stops to separate distinct trends.

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