Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-01

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 depicts the information of the number of jobs in different four proffesions of the US during the years of 1960 to 2020. The number of jobs shown in millions.

Firstly, it gives information about manufacturing industry that is providing 15 million jobs in 1960 and then it shows the rise in the jobs for next 20 years and reach at maximum of 20 million jobs after that it shows constant decreasing in jobs. Moreover it provides the detail of jobs in retail sector thats the sector shown continuous improvement for providing jobs to the people of US over the whole 60 years. The other profession with the gradual upward movement is health care department it's highest jobs numbers are 16 millions people in 2020 alongside retail. Lastly, the only department has continuous falling in the number of jobs are agriculture starts from 6 million jobs in 1960 and 2 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify all four sectors and report several key trends, including manufacturing peaking at 20 million before declining and agriculture falling from 6 million to 2 million. You also note that retail rises throughout and that retail and healthcare both reach 16 million in 2020. However, the response lacks a clear, separate overview of the main comparisons, and some trends are only briefly described. For example, healthcare’s rise from 2 million to 16 million and retail’s growth from 6 million to 16 million could be compared more explicitly with manufacturing’s decline after 1980. The claim that manufacturing shows “constant decreasing” is broadly accurate but would be clearer with its final figure. A more selective overview and fuller comparisons would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a generally understandable order, moving through manufacturing, retail, healthcare and agriculture, and signposting with “Firstly,” “Moreover” and “Lastly.” This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, the ideas are compressed into two paragraphs, with most of the report presented as one long sequence of linked clauses. The connectors sometimes make the relationships between points unclear, and there is no distinct overview to guide the reader before the details. For instance, “Moreover it provides the detail” shifts abruptly from manufacturing to retail. Organise the report into a brief introduction, an overview of the main patterns, and grouped detail paragraphs; use linking phrases to show comparisons rather than simply introduce the next sector.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “rise,” “decreasing,” “continuous improvement” and “gradual upward movement,” so the main patterns are usually understandable. There is some repetition of “jobs” and “sector,” and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “different four proffesions,” “providing jobs to the people,” and “highest jobs numbers.” Spelling errors such as “proffesions” also reduce accuracy. Choose standard chart language and vary it carefully: for example, describe figures as the number of jobs, say that employment “increased” or “declined,” and refer to a sector’s “peak” or “highest level.” More precise collocations would make the report clearer and more appropriately academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine ideas using clauses such as “that is providing 15 million jobs … and then it shows the rise,” but these longer structures are often faulty or difficult to follow. There are problems with articles, agreement, verb forms and sentence boundaries: “The number of jobs shown in millions” is a fragment, while “it shows the rise … and reach at maximum” shifts verb form and lacks a clear grammatical subject. The sentence beginning “Moreover it provides” also runs several ideas together without reliable punctuation. These errors sometimes make the relationships between details less clear. Use complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, check singular/plural agreement, and separate each sector’s trend into manageable sentences. Practising accurate simple structures before adding subordinate clauses will improve control.

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