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 line graph illustrate the given numbers of jobs of the economy in four sectors there were manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare which are located in US between 1960 and 2020

overall, for the most of the period given manufacturing sector had the most jobs,while healthcare had the least. Agriculture was the only job to see a decline in four sector and retail was went up with the period time.

Number of jobs of manufacturing started at 15 in 1960 and got higher in middle but by the final year (just below 15 number of jobs ). retail sector jobs rose from 5 to by the final year climbed above 15.

on the other hand, the number of agriculture sector started just over 5 and then dramatically decreased roughly at 3. likewise, healthcare jobs also saw a rise from just over 2 peak at over approximately at 17 by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four sectors and give a broad overview of the main movements: manufacturing rises and then falls, retail and healthcare increase, and agriculture declines. Several figures are also broadly accurate, such as manufacturing beginning at 15 million and agriculture falling to about 3 million by 1980. However, the overview is not fully accurate: manufacturing did not have the most jobs for most of the period, since retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million in 2020, above manufacturing at 13 million. Healthcare was not consistently the least either. Some details are vague or imprecise, including “got higher in middle” and healthcare reaching “over approximately at 17.” Compare the four series more precisely and report the key endpoint rankings.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs describing the trends. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of change. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is uneven: manufacturing and retail are grouped together, then agriculture and healthcare, but comparisons between related trends are not developed clearly. Linking phrases such as “overall,” “on the other hand” and “likewise” are used, though some connections are not logical or precise; for example, “likewise” suggests agriculture and healthcare behave similarly when one declines and the other rises. Improve cohesion by grouping the two rising sectors together and the declining or fluctuating sectors together, and use clearer references to years and values.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “rose,” “decreased,” “started at” and “by the final year,” so the main changes can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “numbers of jobs of the economy,” “got higher in middle,” and “was went up with the period time.” These choices make parts of the report difficult to interpret and do not consistently express the data accurately. Aim for standard chart language and more precise collocations, such as “the number of jobs,” “peaked in 1980,” “declined steadily,” and “increased over the period.” Avoid repeating “jobs” where a clear sector reference would suffice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentences, but control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “The line graph illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “retail sector jobs rose from 5 to by the final year climbed above 15” lacks a clear grammatical structure. The overview sentence “Agriculture was the only job to see a decline in four sector” also has problems with number and sentence construction. Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, particularly at sentence beginnings and around commas. Practise building accurate comparison sentences with a clear subject and verb, for example, “Retail employment rose from about 6 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.” Use a consistent past tense when describing the completed period.

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