Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-14
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 graph illustrates the amount of jobs across four industries in the Unites States' economy from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, employment in retail and healthcare sectors have increased over time while agricultural jobs display decline from the start. Manufacturing industry contributed highly to employment in the initial years but experienced sharp decrease after 1980.
There were 6 million retail jobs in 1960 which escalated to 16 million in 2020 reaching its peak. Healthcare industry too experienced its peak at the same level in 2020 even though it started with the lowest employment number in 1960, accounting for only 3 million jobs. Conversely, agriculture sector began with 6 million jobs in 1960 but decreased to less than 3 million in just next 20 years. Since then, it plateaued at this level for some year before experiencing another sharp decline after 2000.
The manufacturing sector started off well in 1960 with 15 million employment, highest during that time. This industry reached its peak in 1980 at 20 million jobs before facing decline: a trend which continued year on year marking 13.5 million jobs in the final year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response effectively identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview of the data. You have successfully highlighted the growth in retail and healthcare, the decline in agriculture, and the peak and subsequent fall of the manufacturing sector. Key figures are used to support these observations, such as the 20 million peak for manufacturing in 1980. The response covers all parts of the task well, and the information is logically selected to provide a comprehensive summary. To reach a higher band, ensure that all comparisons are fully explicit, such as noting that healthcare overtook agriculture in the later years.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on different sectors. The progression of ideas is smooth, and you have used a range of cohesive devices such as 'Conversely', 'Since then', and 'before facing decline' to link sentences and ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the trends. The flow is natural, and the relationship between the different sectors is clearly established throughout the text, making the information easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'escalated', 'plateaued', and 'sharp decrease'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'amount of jobs' (should be 'number of jobs') and 'Unites States' (spelling error). While the vocabulary is adequate and allows for precision, it lacks the more sophisticated, less common collocations that would characterize a higher band. However, the meaning is always clear, and the terminology related to the graph is accurate and appropriate for the task.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The response demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several error-free sentences, and your control of grammar is generally strong. However, there are some minor slips, such as 'employment in retail and healthcare sectors have increased' (subject-verb agreement: 'has increased') and 'for some year' (should be 'for some years'). These errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. The use of punctuation is generally correct, and the sentence variety helps maintain interest throughout the report.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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