Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The line chart illustrate the contribution of jobs in four sectors such as manufacturing,retail,agriculture and healthcare from 1960 to 2020 in the US measured in millions.

Overall, the highest number is responsible for heathcare however manufecturing started strong but then it has declined. Second highest in jobs is retail section whereas jobs in agriculture is standing at lowest.

In the year of 1960 most popular job is menufecturing started at 15 millions then rose to 20 millions in 1980,however it has declined and standing at about 13 millions in 2020.

On the other hand,job in healthcare increased from around 3 millions in 1960 to approximately 16 millions in 2020. Closely followed by jobs in retail started at around 6 millions in 1960 then riose at 15 millions in 2000,after that it was stable at about 16 millions in 2020.

Turning to agriculture,it started at around 6 millions in 1960 then it fall in 1980 at about 3 millions and stayed almost stable at around 3 millions in 2020,which makes it least popular job among four sectors.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all four sectors and provide a clear overview of the main patterns: manufacturing peaks before declining, healthcare rises strongly, and agriculture remains the smallest sector. Most figures are accurately reported, including manufacturing’s rise from 15 to 20 million and retail’s growth to about 16 million. However, the overview says healthcare has the highest number overall, which is only true at the end; manufacturing leads earlier, and retail and healthcare finish at roughly the same level. There are also small factual imprecisions: healthcare begins at 2 million, not around 3, and agriculture falls to about 2 million by 2020 rather than remaining at 3. More precise comparisons across the four dates would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a brief introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the sectors, so the reader can follow the account easily. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “Turning to agriculture” help signal shifts in focus, and the information generally progresses from the broad picture to details. Some connections are less exact: “Closely followed by jobs in retail” is unclear because it follows the healthcare trend without specifying the comparison, while the overview’s ranking does not distinguish between the final figures and earlier years. A few long sentences also run together after commas. Clearer grouping of the two rising sectors and the two declining or fluctuating sectors, with more precise transitions, would make the progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “declined,” “increased,” “rose,” “stable,” and “approximately,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and some choices are unnatural for describing employment data: “contribution of jobs,” “highest number is responsible for healthcare,” and “most popular job” do not accurately express the number of jobs in a sector. Repeated use of “started at” and “about” also reduces precision. Spelling errors such as “heathcare,” “manufecturing,” “menufecturing,” and “riose” are noticeable and weaken control. Use standard sector names accurately and choose collocations such as “employment in healthcare” or “the number of jobs in manufacturing” to describe the data more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including contrasts with “however” and “whereas,” and the overall meaning can usually be followed. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “The line chart illustrate” should use a singular verb, while “jobs in agriculture is” has a plural subject. Phrases such as “In the year of 1960” and “it fall in 1980” also show problems with article use and past-tense forms. Several clauses are joined with commas where a full stop or conjunction is needed, as in the sentence about retail rising and then remaining stable. Check agreement and past-tense verbs, and punctuate each complete clause clearly.

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