Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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 6.5)

The given line chart illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between the time period of 1960 to 2020.

Overall we can see Manufacturing sector has the highest jobs in the economy, while the Agriculture sector accounted for the least number of jobs. In addition we can see that both retail and agriculture sectors experienced a noticeable increase over the time period.

In 1960,Manufacturing was having 15 million jobs in the US economy which was the highest in the four sector. This number gradually increased to 20 million in 1980 and then saw a drop to nearly 17 million in 2000 which further sink to nearly 12.5 million in the 2020. The Retail Industry on the other hand was at 6 million at 1960 which rose significantly till 15 million in 2000 and then saw a slight pump in 2020 to 15 million jobs.

The most dramatic change was seen in the Healthcare sector which was at nearly 2.5 million jobs in 1960 and climbed up to 16 million in 2020.However the Agriculture sector saw a dramatic fall from almost 6 million jobs in 1960 to nearly 1.5 million jobs in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main sectors and report several key figures, including manufacturing’s peak at 20 million in 1980 and healthcare’s rise to 16 million by 2020. The overview also recognises agriculture as the smallest sector. However, it contains a significant trend error: retail increased, but agriculture declined, so the claim that both experienced an increase is inaccurate. The final retail figure is also reported as 15 million, whereas it is about 16 million, and the overview’s claim that manufacturing remained the highest is not true in 2020, when retail and healthcare reached roughly the same level. Covering these comparisons accurately and distinguishing the changing rankings would make the summary more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the figures. The progression from manufacturing and retail to healthcare and agriculture is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “on the other hand” and “however” help signal comparisons. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some flexibility in connecting ideas. At times, though, the links do not accurately reflect the data: “both retail and agriculture…experienced a noticeable increase” conflicts with the later description of agriculture’s fall. Improve cohesion by grouping trends consistently and using transitions that match the relationship between the figures. Also add spaces after full stops and commas to make the presentation smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “gradually increased,” “rose significantly,” “climbed up,” and “dramatic fall.” These choices make the main movements understandable, and the response varies its wording rather than relying only on “increase” and “decrease.” Some less natural or imprecise expressions limit the control shown: “a slight pump” is not an appropriate collocation for a small rise, and “the highest jobs” would be clearer as “the highest number of jobs.” “The number of jobs” is also more suitable than “jobs” when describing a figure. Aim for precise, conventional chart language and avoid using dramatic terms for changes that are not especially large.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses joined with “which” and contrastive structures such as “on the other hand.” Most meanings remain clear, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “between the time period of 1960 to 2020” has an incorrect time construction; use “between 1960 and 2020.” In “Manufacturing was having 15 million jobs,” the tense and verb pattern are unsuitable for reporting a chart; “Manufacturing had 15 million jobs” is more accurate. There are also article and number issues in “the four sector,” and punctuation spacing is inconsistent. Check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries carefully while retaining your range of structures.

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