Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-02

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 7.0)

The line chart compares the number of jobs in four different sectors of the US economy between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it is clear that there were significant differences among the given categories, with some figures increasing while others decreasing over the period shown.

Looking first at manufacturing sector, the number of jobs was 15 millions in 1960, after two decades it increased by 5 millions. However, after 1980 the number gradually decrease and accounted around 13 millions. In contrast, slight more than 5 million employers were in agriculture field, over time the number slowly decline and reached 3 millions in 2020.

Turning to remaining categories, retail sector showed a contrasting trend. The figure for retail was around 5 millions in 1960, after which it experienced a rise and reached 15 millions at the end of the period. Meanwhile, healthcare sector followed a similar pattern beginning with around 3 millions job in 1960 and ending with 15 millions in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all four sectors and identifies the main trends, such as the growth in retail and healthcare versus the decline in agriculture and manufacturing. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting; for instance, stating that manufacturing jobs were '15 millions' in 1960 and increased by '5 millions' is not entirely supported by the visual data, and the description of the manufacturing trend after 1980 is slightly vague. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are cited with greater precision and that the comparison between sectors is more explicitly linked to the overall economic shift.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Looking first at', 'In contrast', 'Turning to', and 'Meanwhile' helps guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the declining sectors from the growing ones. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'contrasting trend', 'experienced a rise', and 'remained categories'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as '15 millions' (should be '15 million') and 'employers' instead of 'employees'. The vocabulary is functional but lacks the variety and precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise quantifiers and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with pluralization ('15 millions', '3 millions job') and verb tense/form consistency ('number gradually decrease' instead of 'decreased', 'number slowly decline' instead of 'declined'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage will help improve the accuracy of the writing.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.