Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-03

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 shows information on employment in the us market in 4 major areas (Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare) between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, manufacturing and agriculture showed a gradual decline over the period of 6 decades while retail and healthcare in turn experienced a sharp increase in the employment levels.

Initially, Manufacturing had a good start with 15 million jobs and peaked in 1980 with 20 million of jobs then sharply declined over the next few decades standing at just over 13 million in the early 2020. In contrast, agriculture began at one of the lowest levels (6 million) then continued to decline ever after.

Retail had a firm start and continued to grow until 2010, then hit a plateau at around 2020. On the other hand, Healthcare started at the lowest levels among the four, but continued to grow rapidly over the course of time surpassing even the retail industry in the early 2020s with a total of more than 16 million jobs.

All in all, the steady growth of retail and healthcare industry showed the growing demands of service-based and care-based employment in the US market from the beginning of the 21st century.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the graph and provided a clear overview of the trends. You covered all four sectors and made relevant comparisons, such as noting that healthcare surpassed retail. The data points are generally accurate, and the inclusion of specific figures helps support your summary. To reach a higher band, ensure that you avoid minor inaccuracies, such as stating retail hit a plateau in 2020 when the graph shows a slight decline, and ensure all labels are used precisely. Overall, you have addressed the prompt effectively and provided a well-structured response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the sectors by their trends (declining vs. growing). The use of cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'On the other hand', and 'All in all' helps guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different trends. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow. No significant issues with referencing or cohesion were noted.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response, such as 'gradual decline', 'sharp increase', 'hit a plateau', and 'surpassing'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'good start' or 'firm start', which are slightly informal for a report. Additionally, 'ever after' is not the most natural collocation in this context. However, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning with precision and flexibility, and the errors do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as '20 million of jobs' (should be '20 million jobs') and 'in the early 2020' (should be 'in the early 2020s'). Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are error-free, and your control over punctuation and sentence structure is generally strong. The errors are non-systematic and do not cause any difficulty for the reader.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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