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)

The line graph displays the contribution to the US economy given by four different sectors from 1960 to 2020. The four jobs include manufacturing, retail, agriculture and health care.

The graph shows that manufacturing industry creates the most jobs from 1960 to 2000. Retail industry along with heath care are catching up to manufacturing and in 2020 it overcame that industry and created the most job. Agriculture sector job creation oppurtunity is constantly decre asing with time.

The bold line in line chart present that manufacturing is a leading sector, which is contributing most to create job oppurtunity since 1960 to 2000.In 2020 other two sectors that is retail and agriculture overtook it to become leader. The total jobs offered by manufacturing was 15 million in 1960. In 1980 spike in number of job creation by this sector, which is manufacturing sector,saw an increase in 5 million. The number started to decrese from 1980 till 2020. In 2000 it was between 20 to 15 million likely 16 million which further decrease to number between 10 to 15 million around 18 million.

The triangle and rhombus along with dotted line shows retail and healthcare sectors respectively. It can be concluded that these industry job oppurtunity is boosting with time. Retail sector saw jobs number increase from 6 million to 10million then 15 million and finally 16 million along the time from 1960,1980,2000 and 2020 respectively.Same is the case for healthcare.The minimum oppurtunity was in 1960 which was 3million and in 2020 it became 16 million. 1980 saw its growth to 5 million and 2000 saw its number to be 11million.

Whereas agriculture sector had the lowest ranging from 4million in both 1980 and 2000.In 2020 further decrease in job oppurtunity was seen in 2020 around 3million. In the past which is 1960 it had the highest about 6million.

This chart dipicits the picture that no sector is constantly producing same amount of job.There is variation in number.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main broad patterns: manufacturing rises to a peak before declining, retail and healthcare grow, and agriculture falls overall. You also include several relevant figures, such as manufacturing’s 15 million jobs in 1960 and retail’s increase to 16 million by 2020. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear. Manufacturing is reported as about 18 million in 2020, whereas the chart shows about 13 million; healthcare starts at 2 million, not 3 million; and agriculture is about 3 million in both 1980 and 2000, then 2 million in 2020. The overview also incorrectly says agriculture overtook manufacturing in 2020. More accurate comparisons and a concise, reliable overview would make the response more complete and clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an identifiable overall structure, moving from an introduction and broad trends to descriptions of individual sectors. Time markers such as “In 1980” and “In 2020” help readers follow the data. However, progression is weakened by repetition and unclear references. Manufacturing is described in both the second and third paragraphs, while phrases such as “the bold line” and “these industry” make it difficult to identify the series being discussed. The final statement that no sector produces the same amount of jobs adds little to the comparison. Grouping the rising sectors together and the declining sectors together, then using clear comparisons and references, would create a more logical flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “increase,” “decrease,” “boosting,” and “variation,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural for this task. “Contribution to the US economy” does not precisely describe the number of jobs, while repeated phrases such as “job opportunity” and “job creation” obscure the chart’s measure. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “heath,” “oppurtunity,” “decrese,” and “dipicits.” Choose precise terms such as “number of jobs,” “employment,” “rose,” and “declined,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons across years, and some sentences communicate the trend clearly, such as “Retail sector saw jobs number increase from 6 million to 10 million.” However, grammatical errors are frequent, and some sentences are difficult to interpret. For example, “In 2000 it was between 20 to 15 million likely 16 million which further decrease to number between 10 to 15 million around 18 million” has unclear structure and inconsistent verb forms. Other issues include missing articles and awkward agreement, as in “The triangle and rhombus … shows,” and punctuation problems where sentences run together. Use shorter, controlled sentences and check subject–verb agreement, tense, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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