Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph compares the number of jobs in four srctors manufacturing ,retail ,agriculture,healthcare in the US from 1960 to 12020.

Overall manufatueing was the largest employer in 1960 but its jobs declined after 1980 .In contrast Retail and healthcare showed a continuous increase while agriculture saw a dramaticn fall

In 1960 manufactuuring had around 15 millions job which was the highest .It increase to a peak of about 19 millions in 1980 then fell to about 16 millions 2000 and to around 11 million 2020

Heathcare began with only about 2 million jons in 1960 rose slowly to 4 million in 1980 but then increase sharply to 10 million in 2000 and 14 millions in 2020 becoming equal to ratail

Agriculture showed the opposite trend .It had about 6 million in 1960 but droped to 2 million in 2020 the lowest of all sectors

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall patterns: manufacturing peaks around 1980 and then declines, healthcare and retail rise, and agriculture falls to the lowest level. You also include several relevant figures. However, some details do not match the chart: manufacturing is about 17 million in 2000 and 13 million in 2020, rather than 16 and 11; healthcare reaches about 16 million in 2020, not 14. Retail is not described in detail, despite its rise from 6 to 16 million and its ending level alongside healthcare. The response is also five words below the 150-word minimum. These omissions and inaccuracies leave some features less fully reported than others; include the retail trend and check figures against the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally sensible order: an introduction, an overview, and then details about manufacturing, healthcare and agriculture. This makes the main trends reasonably easy to follow. The overview’s contrast between rising sectors and falling agriculture is useful, and phrases such as “In contrast” and “the opposite trend” help connect ideas. However, retail is mentioned in the overview but receives almost no supporting detail, so coverage feels uneven. Some transitions between figures are also abrupt, and punctuation and spacing make the paragraph boundaries less clear. A more balanced sequence—grouping the two rising sectors together, then comparing them with manufacturing and agriculture—would strengthen progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “largest employer,” “peak,” “declined,” “rose sharply,” and “opposite trend,” which helps communicate changes over time. The range is adequate for describing a line graph, but spelling and word-form errors are conspicuous, for example “srctors,” “manufatueing,” “dramaticn,” and “ratail.” Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “15 millions job” and “continuous increase.” These do not usually prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, but they reduce accuracy and polish. Check spelling carefully and use standard data-reporting collocations, such as “15 million jobs,” “rose steadily,” and “fell to a low of.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “In contrast Retail and healthcare showed a continuous increase” and the participle phrase “becoming equal to ratail.” The main meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Verb forms are inconsistent: “It increase” and “then increase sharply” should be “increased” and “then increased sharply.” There are also problems with articles, plurals and sentence punctuation, as in “15 millions job,” while several sentences run together without full stops or commas. Use past tense consistently for the historical data, check singular and plural forms, and punctuate each sentence clearly.

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