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

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The graph illustrates about the number of jobs in four different sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it is clear that the jobs are fluctuated in all four sectors. Manufacturing sector had the highest figure in the year 1960, whereas healthcare accounted for lowest number of jobs. Till 1980 expect agriculture all other sector jobs increased significantly.

In 1960, manufacturing sector accounted for 15 million jobs which is highest figure in the year 1960 and significantly increased to 20 million in 1980, but declined slightly around to 17 and 13 million jobs in the years 2000 and 2020 respectively. Meanwhile, agriculture sector significantly decreased from 6 milion to around 3 million jobs in between 1960 to 2020.

Turning to healthcare and retail sectors, Both had inclined graph lines. Retail sector started with 6 million jobs in 1960 and reached 10 million in 1980 then 15 million jobs in 2000 and stood at around 16 million jobs in 2020. Whereas, healthcare started job count with 2 million in 1960 and had a drastic change in graph reached 5million in 1980 then around 11 million and finally represented equal number of jobs as retail sector in the year 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main trends and give a clear overview: manufacturing begins as the largest sector, healthcare as the smallest, and the two rising sectors reach the same level by 2020. Most figures are accurately reported, including manufacturing’s peak of 20 million in 1980 and the retail and healthcare values. The agriculture description, however, says it fell from 6 to around 3 million “between 1960 to 2020,” omitting that it ended at about 2 million; this also makes the trend less precise. The overview’s claim that jobs “fluctuated in all four sectors” is too broad, since retail and healthcare rose throughout. The response addresses the task well overall, but more precise selection and description of the overview features would strengthen it further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs grouping manufacturing with agriculture and retail with healthcare. This makes the main comparisons easy to locate, and linking expressions such as “Meanwhile” and “Turning to” help guide the reader. However, some connections are awkward or unclear. “Till 1980 expect agriculture” is difficult to follow, and “Whereas” begins a sentence that does not form a complete contrast with the preceding one. The overview also repeats the idea of increases without clearly distinguishing the sectors’ different patterns. Aim for more precise transitions and ensure each comparison is expressed in a complete, logically connected sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “declined,” “reached,” and “stood at,” which helps describe changes and figures. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “jobs are fluctuated,” “inclined graph lines,” and “a drastic change in graph” do not express the trends clearly. “Significantly” is also used for changes that are not necessarily large, and “milion” is misspelled. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, but they limit precision and naturalness. Choose standard trend language such as “fluctuated,” “rose steadily,” or “increased sharply” only when the scale supports it, and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “whereas,” “but,” and “which,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “jobs are fluctuated” uses an incorrect verb form, while “Manufacturing sector had the highest figure” needs an article before the sector name. “Till 1980 expect agriculture all other sector jobs increased” has faulty structure and agreement, and the final “Whereas” clause is not a complete sentence. Work on forming complete comparisons and maintaining consistent past-tense reporting. Greater control of these patterns would make the response smoother while preserving its useful range of sentence forms.

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