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 following line chart shows number of jobs in four sector of US economy,1960 to 2020. Which is one of greatest economy in world. Basically the chart depicts four economic sectors among those manufacturing sector is continue rising from 1960 to 1980, after 1980 the number of jobs start declining upto year 2020. Although the numbers of jobs in retail and healthcare sector is continuously rising from year 1960 to 2020, but on other hand the numbers of employment in agricultural sector is terribly declining from year 1960 to 2020. The chart depicts that numbers of job in manufacturing sector rise from 15 million to 29 million between [redacted phone] and the employments in retail and healthcare sectors continuously doubling upto year 2020. Also the numbers of jobs in agricultural sector decreases from 1960 but the level of 2.5 millions jobs remains constant between year 1980 to 2020 then it again declines to 1 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad patterns: manufacturing rises before falling, retail and healthcare increase, and agriculture declines. This gives the reader a relevant summary of the chart. However, several key details are inaccurate or unclear. Manufacturing reaches about 20 million in 1980, not 29 million, and agriculture falls to about 3 million by 1980, stays near that level until 2000, then drops to about 2 million—not 2.5 million remaining constant until 2020 before falling to 1 million. The claim that retail and healthcare “continuously doubling” is also imprecise; neither doubles consistently across the period. Include a clear overview of the main comparisons, such as manufacturing leading initially while retail and healthcare rise to around 16 million by 2020.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a broadly sensible order, moving from an introduction to general trends and then to figures. Linking expressions such as “Although” and “on other hand” show an attempt to connect contrasting information. However, the ideas are compressed into one paragraph, so the overview and supporting details are not clearly separated. Several transitions are awkward or repetitive, and the final sentence combines agriculture’s decline, a period of stability, and another decline in a confusing sequence. Organise the response into an introduction, a concise overview, and one or two detail paragraphs grouped by trend. Use clear references and connectors only where they accurately show the relationship between the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “number of jobs,” “sector,” “declining,” and “employment,” and you attempt to vary expressions rather than relying entirely on basic words. However, the range and control are uneven. Phrases such as “terribly declining” are too emotive for an academic report, while “continuously doubling” does not accurately describe the trends. “Which is one of greatest economy in world” is an irrelevant and awkward addition. Some word forms and collocations also reduce precision, as in “the employments” and “numbers of job.” Choose neutral, precise terms for describing movement and compare the figures directly; this will make the report sound more academic and help avoid ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt compound and complex sentences, for example, “Although the numbers of jobs in retail and healthcare sector is continuously rising …, but on other hand…”. This shows an effort to express contrast, but the construction is faulty: “although” and “but” should not be used together in this pattern, and the subject–verb agreement is inconsistent. Errors also appear in articles, plurals, and sentence formation, such as “four sector,” “the number of jobs … start declining,” and the opening fragment beginning “Which is…”. Punctuation and spacing around commas and dates are inconsistent. Practise accurate simple comparisons first, then add subordinate clauses, checking agreement and sentence boundaries so complex structures remain clear.

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