Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-24
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 illustrates the number of available jobs in million positions in manufacturing, retail, agriculture and the healthcare sector from 1960 to 2020 in the US.
Overall, retail and healthcare experienced a significant increase over the entire period becoming the most popular. Manufacturing has the highest share initially, but rises only in the first 20 years. After 1980 manufacturing declined signifcantly. Agriculture fell constantly throughout the period, having the smallest number of jobs by a big margin at the end of the period.
The retail and healthcare sector started at around 6 and 2, respectively. In 1980 both rose almost parallel by about 3-4 million jobs, both converging to just shy of 16 in the following 40 years. Retail and healthcare overtake manufacturing between 2005 and 2015, while healthcare remaines marginally higher than retail in 2020.
In contrast, manufacturing increased significantly from exactly 15 in 1960 to just shy of 20 in 1980. Agriculture's share started approximately like retail, but declined to just above 3 in 1980, underperforming healthcare around 1975 and thus having the least number of jobs throughout all consecutive years. After 1980, manufacturing declined significantly to around 13 in 2020, while agriculture fell further constantly.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You covered all four sectors and made relevant comparisons, such as noting when retail and healthcare overtook manufacturing. The key features, including the peak of manufacturing in 1980 and the steady decline of agriculture, are well-highlighted. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data points are consistently accurate; for instance, stating that agriculture started at the same level as retail is slightly inaccurate based on the visual data. Overall, the response is well-structured and addresses the prompt effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0
The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the sectors effectively. The progression of ideas is smooth, and you use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'while', and 'consequently' to link information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different trends. The flow of information is easy to follow, and the relationship between the sectors is clearly established throughout the text. There is a good balance between describing individual trends and comparing them against one another.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, using terms like 'converging', 'underperforming', and 'consecutive'. There are some minor spelling errors, such as 'signifcantly' and 'remaines', which are minor slips. While the vocabulary is adequate and precise enough for the task, incorporating a few more sophisticated collocations or topic-specific synonyms would elevate the response further. The language used is natural and appropriate for an academic report, and the meaning is always clear to the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and the grammar is generally accurate. There are a few minor slips, such as 'retail and healthcare overtake' (should be 'overtook' for past tense) and 'least number of jobs' (should be 'lowest'). However, these errors do not impede communication. Your control over punctuation and sentence structure is good, and you demonstrate the ability to handle complex comparisons without losing clarity. The grammatical range is sufficient to support a high band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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