Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28

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)

This image illustrates line graph about the number of job opportunities in four sectors of the economy in the US between the given time period of 1960 to 2020.

This graph shows time period on horizontal axis while, jobs quantiies on vertical axis. The four different sectors of economy are Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare respectively.

To commence with, manufacturing offers highest jobs in the given data of about 15. it shows a continuous rise till 1980 after that, there is the sudden fall in jobs till 2020. In contrast, retail shows a start at around 7 and then there is a sudden increase in jobs to about 15 millions in 2000 then a gradual increase to around 17 in 2020.

Furthermore, jobs in agriculture is at its lowest in 2000 to approximately 3 million. On the other hand, Healthcare shows a constant progress throughout the given time period and it is at its highest point in 2020.

In conclusion, This line graph gives a data about the jobs of the US in the different time period. Manufacturing offers the highest start from 15 millions in 1960 while the agricultural economy demonstrates there lowest jobs in the time period of 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify all four sectors and report several relevant trends, including manufacturing’s rise to a peak in 1980 followed by decline, and the growth of retail and healthcare. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear: manufacturing is not the highest throughout the period, and healthcare reaches 16 million in 2020, matching retail rather than being uniquely highest. Agriculture’s lowest figure is in 2020, not 2000; it remains at about 3 million in both 1980 and 2000 before falling to 2 million. The response also lacks a clear, accurate overview of the main comparisons. To strengthen it, summarise the contrasting long-term patterns and verify each stated figure against the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction to descriptions of the sectors and a concluding paragraph. Linking phrases such as “In contrast,” “Furthermore,” and “On the other hand” help signal comparisons. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the conclusion repeats general information and introduces a claim about manufacturing’s “highest start” without resolving the main comparisons. Some transitions feel mechanical, and the agriculture and healthcare details are compressed together rather than developed in a clear sequence. Organise the body into meaningful comparisons—for example, rising sectors versus declining manufacturing and agriculture—and use the conclusion or overview to summarise those patterns rather than repeat the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “continuous rise,” “sudden fall,” “gradual increase,” and “highest point.” This gives the reader a basic sense of movement over time. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for an IELTS graph report: “job opportunities” and “offers highest jobs” do not accurately describe the number of jobs, while “constant progress” is vague. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “quantiies” and “there lowest,” which reduce control. Aim for precise terms such as “employment,” “stood at,” “increased,” and “declined,” and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including clauses linked with “while,” “after that,” and “although”-type contrasts. The main meaning is generally understandable, but errors recur in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “This image illustrates line graph” needs an article, and “jobs in agriculture is” has a subject–verb agreement problem. Capitalisation after sentence breaks is inconsistent, as in “In conclusion, This line graph,” and several sentences join clauses awkwardly with commas. Practise accurate article use and agreement, and separate complete clauses with full stops or suitable conjunctions. More controlled complex sentences would make the comparisons clearer.

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