Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-03

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 the number of jobs amoung the four sectors of the United states economy.

Overall the manufacturing sector had the highest produced jobs whereas the agriculture and healthcare sectors were not doing great in job production.

The manufacturing sector had 15 million jobs in 1960 which steadily increased to 20 million by 1980 which were the best numbers ever produced by manufacturing sector but gradualy started to decrease with only 17 million jobs produced by 2000. Both retail and agriculture sector produced 6 million jobs in 1960 however retail had a steady increase and reaching about 15 million jobs by 2000 whereas agriculture sector had a decline to 3million and had reletively same numbers till 2000. On the other hand healthcare sector produced the least jobs with only about 2 million in 1960. This number then steadily increased in further years with 5 million in 1980 and 11million in 2000.

Manufacturing sector followed the downward trent till 2020 with numbers around 14million whereas retail and healthcare had upward trend and peaked just above 15 million jobs in 2020. Agriculture followed its downward trend with only 3 million jobs produced by 2020 which is the least produced amoung all the other sectors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall pattern: manufacturing rises to a peak and then declines, while retail and healthcare grow and agriculture falls. The response also includes relevant figures for 1960, 1980 and 2000, and its comparisons between retail and agriculture are useful. However, the overview is not fully accurate: healthcare did not perform poorly throughout, since it rose to 16 million by 2020 and tied with retail as the largest sector. The final paragraph also misreports agriculture at 3 million in 2020; the chart shows about 2 million. Manufacturing is given as around 14 million rather than 13 million, a small approximation. Covering the 2020 endpoint more accurately and making the overview reflect the final ranking would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a brief overview, and paragraphs describing the earlier and later years. The sequence from 1960 through 2020 is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “however” and “On the other hand” help signal contrasts. This gives the report a coherent progression. Some connections are less precise, though: the overview groups agriculture and healthcare together as sectors “not doing great,” despite their very different trends, and the final paragraph repeats the broad upward/downward patterns already mentioned. More deliberate grouping—for example, contrasting the two growing sectors with manufacturing and agriculture—and clearer references to how the trends compare would make cohesion more flexible and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “increased,” “decrease,” “decline,” “upward trend” and “peaked,” so the main information remains understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for a chart report. “Highest produced jobs” and “job production” suggest that jobs are manufactured, while “not doing great” is informal and imprecise. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “amoung,” “gradualy,” “reletively” and “trent.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Aim for standard collocations such as “employed the most people” or “number of jobs,” and check spelling carefully; this would make the vocabulary more appropriate and reliable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the chronological descriptions are generally understandable. Some sentences combine several trends successfully, such as the comparison beginning “Both retail and agriculture sector produced 6 million jobs in 1960.” However, there are some errors in sentence structure and agreement. In that example, the plural subject requires “sectors,” and “retail had a steady increase and reaching” mixes verb forms; use “increased steadily, reaching.” The overview’s “the highest produced jobs” also has an unclear grammatical construction. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, and some long sentences would be clearer if divided. More consistent control of verb forms, articles and plural agreement would strengthen accuracy while preserving your range.

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