Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-07-30

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 7.5)

The line graph provides information about the number of jobs in Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, and Healthcare sectors in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, Agriculture and Retail recorded a consistent rise in the number of jobs throughout the 40-year period, whereas jobs in Agriculture sector declined during the same period. Manufacturing had the highest number of jobs from 1960 to 2000, but the figures fell in 2020.

Retail sector recorded around 6million jobs in 1960 and the numbers climbed to 16million in 2020. Similarly, Healthcare sector increased the number of jobs from approximately 2M in 1960 to 16million in 2020. Both Retail and Healthcare sectors became the most popular jobs among the four sectors in 2020.

Regarding the Manufacturing sector, it recorded the highest number of jobs in 1960 at 15million and rose to 20million in 1980. However, the figures decreased to around 17million in 2000 and ended at only 13million in 2020. Making it the second largest sector next to Retail and Healthcare in 2020.

Agriculture had around 6million jobs in 1960 but consistently fell to only 2million jobs in 2020, making it the smallest among the four sectors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview. You accurately highlighted the growth in the Retail and Healthcare sectors and the decline in Agriculture. However, there is a significant contradiction in your overview: you state that 'Agriculture and Retail recorded a consistent rise', but then correctly note that Agriculture declined. This inaccuracy in the summary affects the overall clarity. Additionally, while you provided data points, ensure that comparisons are more explicit; for instance, noting that Healthcare and Retail ended at the same level (16 million) is a strong analytical point. Overall, the response covers the key features well, but the contradictory statement in the introduction prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific sectors. You use cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'However', and 'Regarding the' to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different trends. To improve, ensure that your cohesive devices are used with more precision; for example, the transition between your overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the description of the Manufacturing sector and the final summary of Agriculture could be improved to better highlight the contrast between the sectors.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, using terms like 'consistent rise', 'climbed', and 'decreased'. You also correctly use sector-specific terminology. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'Healthcare sector increased the number of jobs', where it would be more natural to say 'The number of jobs in the healthcare sector increased'. While you use a good range of vocabulary, it is mostly functional. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms for 'increase' or 'decrease' and ensure that your phrasing is consistently natural and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and your control of grammar is generally good. Most of your sentences are error-free, and the meaning is always clear. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'Making it the second largest sector', which is a sentence fragment, and 'Agriculture sector', which should be 'the Agriculture sector'. These errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. To improve, focus on avoiding sentence fragments and ensure consistent use of articles (the) before sector names. Your ability to handle data-heavy sentences is a strength.

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