Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-27

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 diagram below provide information about the four sections of job in US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall,there is a uphill and downfall in different sections of job , in healthcare sector there is a continusly increase and in manufacturing section there is slight increase but after time it started decreasing.

In healthcare and retail sector there is a increase in number of jobs, In 1960 healthcare sector has jobs less than 5 million but in retail it has almost 6 million jobs. They starting increasing with pasage of time, In 1980 health care sector has 5 million jobs and in retial it has 10 million jobs.In the year 2020 both of them has almost 16 million jobs. The agriculture section has almost 6 million jobs in 1980 but after time it reduces to 4 million in 1980 and 2000. In 2020 it reduces to million. The manufacturing section has 15 million jobs in 1960 but with time in 2020 it reduces to 12 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant trends, including healthcare’s steady rise and manufacturing’s later decline, and you compare healthcare with retail by noting that both reach about 16 million jobs in 2020. However, the overview is vague: “an uphill and downfall” does not clearly summarise the main pattern across all four sectors. Some figures are inaccurate or unclear. Agriculture starts at about 6 million in 1960, not 1980, and falls to about 2 million by 2020; the response gives conflicting years and omits the final value. Manufacturing peaks at 20 million in 1980 before falling, a key stage not reported. To strengthen the response, give a precise overview and select the main turning points and end-point comparisons accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the sectors. It also attempts to connect information with phrases such as “with passage of time” and “after time.” However, progression within the detail paragraph is difficult to follow because the sectors and dates are not consistently ordered. For example, the agriculture figures move from 1980 to 1960 and then back to 1980 and 2000, making the trend unclear. Several sentences are joined with commas or run together, and the repeated use of “In 1960,” “In 1980,” and “In 2020” makes cohesion mechanical. Grouping the rising sectors together and the declining sectors together, with clear chronological comparisons, would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “sector,” “increase,” “decreasing,” and “million jobs,” so the reader can generally identify the subject and trends. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “four sections of job,” “an uphill and downfall,” and “they starting increasing.” Spelling errors, including “continusly,” “retial,” and “pasage,” also reduce precision. Repetition of “jobs” and “with time” limits the ability to describe changes flexibly. Build a small set of accurate graph terms and collocations, such as “employment in,” “rose steadily,” “peaked at,” and “declined to,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, articles, and punctuation. Examples include “The diagram below provide,” “there is a increase,” and “both of them has almost 16 million jobs.” The sentence beginning “They starting increasing” also has an incorrect verb form, while several clauses are joined with commas rather than being separated or linked correctly. These patterns sometimes make the timeline and comparisons harder to understand. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and past-tense reporting, then use a few controlled complex sentences with “while,” “whereas,” or “before” to compare trends.

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