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 graph represent details about the number of works in four sector of the economy in the US in six decades between 1960 and 2020.

Firstly, Healthcare sector has least jobs in 1960 compare to other sectos. But it change drastically by 2020 and rose to about 15 millions. where agriculture had around 6 millions of job in 1960 but by the time it c=decreased to approximately 1 million. Similarly retail had around 6 millions of job in 1960 later by 2020 it gradually increased to above 15b million.

On the other hand, manufacturing has 15 millions of jobs in 1960 and it has maximum vacancy rather then other 3 sectors and it was increasing by 1980 but after 1980 it had a great fall by 2020 and manufacturing jobs came to less then 15 million where it had started.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant trends, including healthcare’s rise, agriculture’s decline, retail’s growth and manufacturing’s peak around 1980 followed by a fall. However, the response gives no clear overall summary and reports some figures inaccurately: healthcare reaches about 16 million in 2020, not 15 million; agriculture is about 2 million, not 1 million; and manufacturing ends at about 13 million, rather than simply “less than 15.” The comparison that manufacturing had the most jobs in 1960 is relevant, but the account does not clearly compare the sectors at the end, when retail and healthcare are both around 16 million. The response is also 10 words below the required minimum. Add a concise overview and report the main comparisons more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information is arranged in a generally understandable order: you first discuss healthcare, agriculture and retail, then contrast these with manufacturing. Linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “Similarly” and “On the other hand” help signal relationships between points. However, the response has no distinct overview, so the reader is not given a clear summary of the graph’s main pattern before the details. Some transitions are also awkward or unclear, particularly “But it change drastically” and “where agriculture had…,” which makes the relationship between trends less smooth. Organise the report into a brief introduction, an overview, and detail paragraphs grouped by trend, and use linking words only where they accurately express the connection.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “rose,” “increased,” “decreased,” “maximum” and “fall.” This gives you a basic range for reporting movement and comparison. However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “number of works,” “maximum vacancy,” and “a great fall.” There are also noticeable spelling and form errors, including “sectos” and “15b million,” which reduce precision. Aim to use standard chart-reporting phrases and check spelling carefully. For example, describe employment figures as the “number of jobs,” a peak as the “highest figure,” and a decline as a “fall” or “decrease.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including contrasts introduced by “But” and “On the other hand.” However, errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “The graph represent” and “Healthcare sector has least jobs,” where subject–verb agreement and articles are missing, and “it change drastically,” where the verb form is incorrect. The sentence beginning “where agriculture had…” is also not properly connected to the preceding clause. There is some control of basic past-tense reporting, but tense and agreement are inconsistent. Practise accurate past-tense sentences with clear subjects, and separate or correctly join clauses using appropriate punctuation and conjunctions.

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