Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31

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 chart illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the highest amount of jobs manufacturing, while the figure of emoploy work at agriculture was lowest amount of jobs.

In terms of line chart, the highest amount of employee that was work at manufacturing sector from 15 million to 20 million between 1960 and 1980, which was dominate figure in this line chart, afther that the figure was decreased consistently 20 million to 7 million . the figure of agriculture was the lowest number of jobs 6 million to million between 1960 and 2020 throughout the period.

In contrast, the amount of retail was increased significantly from 6 million to 15 million between 1960 and 2000, before this figure increase slightly reach at 16 million in 2020. Moreover, 3 million to 16 million the healthcare figure was consistently increased reached at the pick position during the pie chart.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include an overview that manufacturing was highest and agriculture lowest, which gives the reader a relevant starting point. You also report the broad rises in retail and healthcare. However, several key details are inaccurate or unclear: manufacturing falls from 20 million to about 13 million, not 7 million, and agriculture declines from 6 million to 2 million, but the phrase “6 million to million” omits its final figure. The overview also misses the important change by 2020, when retail and healthcare are joint highest at about 16 million. Some comparisons and stages are therefore only partially reported. Select the main turning points and check each figure against the chart before writing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. “In contrast” and “Moreover” show an attempt to connect information and group the rising sectors separately from the others. However, progression within the paragraphs is not always clear. The manufacturing sentence combines its rise and fall but then gives an incorrect endpoint, while the agriculture sentence is difficult to follow because its final value is missing. Phrases such as “In terms of line chart” and “during the pie chart” do not accurately guide the reader. Use clearer topic sentences and organise the details by trend, with each sentence stating a sector, its period, and its change. This would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “increased significantly,” “decreased,” and “throughout the period,” and you attempt to describe peaks and comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning unclear. For example, “highest amount of employee that was work” is not a natural way to describe job numbers, and “dominate figure” does not fit the intended meaning. “Pick position” and “pie chart” are also inappropriate for this line graph. There are noticeable spelling errors, including “emoploy” and “afther.” Build a small set of accurate expressions for describing figures, rises, falls, and rankings, and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with time clauses, such as “before this figure increase slightly reach at 16 million in 2020.” This shows an effort to vary sentence structure, but complex constructions are often faulty, and errors frequently make relationships between ideas difficult to understand. Examples include “the highest amount of jobs manufacturing,” which lacks a complete grammatical structure, and “the figure was decreased consistently 20 million to 7 million,” which has problems with verb form and sentence construction. Articles and prepositions are also often missing or incorrectly used. Practise building accurate comparison sentences, for example, “Manufacturing employment rose from 15 million to 20 million, then fell to 13 million.” Check that each sentence has a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

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