Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)
The line graph illustrates data about the number of jobs in four particular sectors of the economy in the US over the period between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, retail and healthcare jobs were the only sectors to experience an upward trend over the period, while manufacturing and agriculture jobs experienced a downward trend. Furthermore, retail and healthcare occupations reached the same level at the end of the period.
On the one hand, retail occupations recorded a relatively high number of people in 1960, at just over 5 million jobs and reached approximately 15 million in 2020. Following this, healthcare jobs experienced a significant increase, rising from approximately 2.5 million jobs in 1960 to 15 million in 2020.
On the other hand, manufacturing jobs declined significantly, as they fell from 15 million in 1960 to around 14 million in 2020, despite fluctuations, and peaked at 20 million in 1980. Similarly, agriculture jobs fell from around 5 million in 1960 to approximately 2.3 million jobs in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
The response effectively identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview. You successfully highlighted the upward trends in retail and healthcare and the downward trends in manufacturing and agriculture. The key features, such as the convergence of retail and healthcare at the end of the period and the peak in manufacturing in 1980, are well-selected. However, the description of manufacturing is slightly inaccurate; stating it fell from 15 million to 14 million while mentioning a peak of 20 million is a bit confusing without clarifying the timeline of that peak. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task well and provides a clear, logical summary of the data provided.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs focusing on the two distinct trends. The use of cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Furthermore', and 'Similarly' helps guide the reader through the comparisons effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sectors. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow. The referencing is clear, and the overall structure supports the development of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information accurately. Phrases like 'upward trend', 'downward trend', 'recorded a relatively high number', and 'significant increase' are appropriate for a Task 1 report. There is a good level of precision in reporting the figures. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more varied synonyms for 'jobs' (e.g., 'employment figures', 'workforce positions') and more sophisticated reporting verbs or adverbs to describe the trends, such as 'witnessed a marginal decline' or 'experienced a sharp surge'. The vocabulary is natural and fits the academic context well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The response demonstrates a good control of grammatical structures. You have used a mix of simple and complex sentences effectively, such as 'while manufacturing and agriculture jobs experienced a downward trend' and 'despite fluctuations, and peaked at 20 million'. The punctuation is generally accurate, and there are very few errors. Most sentences are error-free, and the minor slips do not impede communication. To improve, ensure that your sentence structures remain varied throughout the entire response, as some sentences follow a similar pattern of 'subject + verb + figure'. Overall, the grammatical accuracy is strong.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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