Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 provided line graph illustrates information about the number of jobs in four different sectors of economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it is evident that retail and healthcare sectors experienced a growth throughout the period, while agriculture sector observed a decrease. Despite some fluctuations, manufacturing sector also declined.

Retail sector started at just above 5 million in 1960, and then increased significantly to 15 million in 2000 and around 16 million in 2020. Whereas, healthcare sector began at the lowest point about 2.5 million in 1960, and surged up to above 10 million in 2000, before reaching to 16.1 million in 2020.

Manufacturing sector started at the highest point around 15 million in 1960, and then rose further to 20 million in 1980, before declining to around 13 million in 2020. Agriculture sector accounted for just above 5 million in 1960, and then decreased to around 2.5 million in 2000, prior to marginally decreasing to 2.3 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview. You have selected key features, such as the growth in retail and healthcare and the decline in agriculture and manufacturing, and supported these with accurate data from the graph. The comparison between sectors is clear. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview is more distinct from the body paragraphs and perhaps include a more explicit comparison of the starting and ending points to highlight the shifts in the US economy more effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs grouping the sectors by their trends (growth vs. decline). Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Whereas', and 'prior to' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'surged', 'fluctuations', 'accounted for', and 'marginally decreasing'. This allows for flexibility and precision. There are no significant spelling errors, and the word choice is generally appropriate for an academic report. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' to demonstrate a wider range of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is generally accurate. There are minor slips, such as 'sectors of economy' (should be 'the economy') and 'before reaching to' (the preposition 'to' is unnecessary after 'reaching'). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the grammar does not impede communication. The control over complex structures is consistent, which supports a solid band score in this criterion.

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

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