Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The provided line graph demostrates the US job market in 4 different sectors Manufaturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, Healthcare and retails sides have increased in these 2 decades showing surge in job market. While Manufacturing and Agriculture haven fallen representing lower demand in market.

The rise in Healthcare is steady and moving upward from around 3 million jobs in 1960 to above 15 million in 2020 with the higest rise among all divisons. Along with this Retail job market has increased rising from around 6 million job at start to above 15 million in 2020 accounting for same as Healthcare.

On the other hand, Agricultureal job are falling down and went from above 5 million jobs to under just 3 million in 2020. however the market for Manufaturing did started quite

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the four sectors and give a broad overview of rising employment in healthcare and retail, alongside a decline in agriculture. However, the account is incomplete and some details are inaccurate: healthcare began at about 2 million, not 3 million, and manufacturing rose from 15 million to a peak of 20 million in 1980 before falling to 13 million. The final sentence about manufacturing is unfinished, so this major trend is not reported. The overview also says the changes occurred over “these 2 decades,” although the graph covers 60 years. The response is 14 words below the required minimum, which contributes to its limited coverage. Include a complete comparison of all four sectors and report the main turning points accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing increases and decreases. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “Along with this,” and “On the other hand” help signal the relationships between ideas. However, progression is weakened by the unfinished final sentence (“did started quite”), which leaves the manufacturing comparison incomplete and disrupts the ending. Some connections are also unclear: “these 2 decades” does not fit the 1960–2020 period, and “accounting for same as Healthcare” does not clearly explain the comparison. Develop the final paragraph fully, group related trends consistently, and use precise references so readers can follow each comparison without having to infer your meaning.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “increased,” “steady,” “surge,” and “falling,” and the sector names make the subject clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are awkward, such as “retails sides,” “lower demand in market,” and “job market has increased.” Spelling errors—including “demostrates,” “Manufaturing,” “higest,” and “Agricultureal”—are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the report. Aim for standard chart language and check spelling carefully. For example, describe the number of jobs as rising or declining, rather than saying a sector’s “job market” increased, and use “employment” or “jobs” consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few complex structures, including the contrast beginning “While Manufacturing and Agriculture…” and the sentence starting “On the other hand.” However, control is uneven, and errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “Healthcare and retails sides have increased,” where the subject and verb do not form a clear grammatical relationship, and “Agricultureal job are falling down and went,” which mixes verb forms and has agreement problems. The manufacturing sentence is also incomplete, so it cannot communicate a full idea. Use complete sentences with consistent past-tense descriptions of the historical data, and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation. Simpler, accurate comparisons would be more effective than faulty complex clauses.

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