Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The graph provided demonstrates number of jobs in four industries of the economic cycle from 1960 to 2020 in the United States.
Overall, the data illustrates number of jobs in four sectors of the United States between 1960 to 2020. The two sectors shows continous growth while other two shows the fluctuations.
The Two sectors going upward in which the jobs are continously increasing are the Retail industry, while the other one is health care.
The number of agricultural workers are showing constant decrease and the data of manufacturing industry from 1960 to 1980 represents the upward direction but from 1980 to 2020 it demonstrates the rapid decline and
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify the broad subject and mention several relevant trends: retail and healthcare rise, agriculture declines, and manufacturing peaks before falling. However, the response is incomplete and does not provide the key comparisons or supporting figures needed to summarise the graph. For example, manufacturing reaches about 20 million in 1980, while retail and healthcare both end at around 16 million in 2020; these important details are omitted. The claim that manufacturing shows a “rapid decline” is also not well supported by the graph, which shows a gradual fall from 1980 to 2020. The response is 101 words, below the required 150, and its final sentence is unfinished. Develop the overview and report selected figures for each sector.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, an overview, and comments on the sector trends. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and the sectors are discussed in a broadly relevant order. However, progression is limited because the overview repeats the introduction’s point about the period and sectors, while the later sentences do not develop a clear comparison between the lines. Linking is also sparse, and the final sentence ends with “and”, leaving the discussion incomplete. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the overview and key details, and connect comparisons explicitly—for example, contrast manufacturing’s decline with the continued growth in retail and healthcare.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “sectors”, “manufacturing”, “agricultural workers”, “upward direction” and “decline”, so the main trends can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph. “Industries of the economic cycle” does not accurately describe the chart, and “the two sectors going upward” is an awkward way to introduce the rising series. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “continous” and “continously”. Aim for concise, standard trend language and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “employment”, “rose steadily” and “fell gradually” would make the report clearer and more appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response uses some simple and compound sentence forms, and the main ideas are usually understandable. However, the range is limited, and errors recur in basic sentence construction and agreement. For example, “The two sectors shows” should use a plural verb, while “Overall, the data illustrates number of jobs” needs an article before “number”. The phrase “between 1960 to 2020” also uses an incorrect preposition pattern; write “between 1960 and 2020”. The final sentence is incomplete, which further affects accuracy. Practise checking subject–verb agreement, articles and complete sentence boundaries, then use a few controlled comparative structures to report changes across the years.
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