Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-20

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 given line chart illustrates the number of jobs available in different sectors which include manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare in the United States from the year 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the number of opportunities to work kept on increasing between 1960 and 2020 for the healthcare and retail sectors. On the other hand, the manufacturing industry saw a rise in the number of jobs; however, after the initial few years the number of jobs kept on decreasing till 2020. The agriculture sector never saw an increase in jobs between the given years.

The healthcare sector had about 2 million, whereas the retail sector had 6 million jobs in 1960. Nevertheless, both of the industries saw a large increase in available jobs throughout the given timeline. Both industries reached a peak in terms of job availability in 2020, with 16 million jobs available across each sector. The healthcare sector had 5 million and the retail sector had 10 million jobs in 1980. In 2000, the number of jobs increased to 11 million and 15 million in the healthcare and retail sectors respectively.

Initially, in 1960 the manufacturing industry had 15 million jobs which was the highest as compared to all other sectors in the same year. Moreover, the number increased to 20 million in 1980, after this the number of jobs kept on declining reaching 13 million in 2020. Conversely, the number of jobs in the agriculture sector was 6 million in 1960 and kept on reducing reaching just 2 million jobs in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response effectively covers all four sectors and provides a clear overview of the trends. You have successfully identified the main features, such as the growth in healthcare and retail and the decline in agriculture. The comparison between sectors is well-handled, particularly the contrast between the initial dominance of manufacturing and its subsequent decline. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurate; for instance, you mentioned both healthcare and retail reached 16 million in 2020, which is a good use of data. The summary is well-structured and addresses the prompt's requirements comprehensively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that group information by sector trends. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand', 'Nevertheless', and 'Conversely' to transition between ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the growing sectors from those that declined. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the referencing is clear throughout the text. To improve further, ensure that the flow between sentences remains natural and avoid slightly repetitive sentence structures when introducing data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision, using terms like 'illustrates', 'opportunities', 'timeline', and 'respectively'. The vocabulary is appropriate for an academic report. There are no significant errors in word choice that impede communication. To move toward a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items related to trends, such as 'upward trajectory', 'plummeted', or 'stagnated', rather than relying on 'kept on increasing' or 'kept on reducing'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free, and the grammar is generally accurate, which allows for easy reading. You successfully use comparative structures like 'the highest as compared to all other sectors'. There are minor issues with phrasing, such as 'the number of opportunities to work kept on increasing', which could be more concisely expressed. Overall, the control of grammar is good, and punctuation is used correctly throughout the response.

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