Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11

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 employees in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. Overall, the number of retail and healthcare workers increased, albeit at varying rates, while the reverse was true for manufacturing and agriculture. However, the number of manufacturing workers stood out among the other categories with consistently higher figures.

Focusing on the increases first, the number of retail jobs started at about 6 million in 1960. Over the six decades, it experienced a significant increase from 6 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020. Similarly, the number of healthcare jobs grew dramatically from 2 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.

By contrast, the number of manufacturing and agriculture jobs decreased over the period. The number of manufacturing jobs increased steadily from 15 million in 1960 to 20 million in 1980, but this was followed by a significant decrease to 13 million in the final year. The number of agriculture jobs declined gradually from 5 million in 1960 to about 2 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview. You have successfully selected key features, such as the growth in retail and healthcare and the decline in agriculture. The comparison between sectors is well-handled, particularly the observation regarding manufacturing's dominance. However, the analysis could be further strengthened by including more specific data points for the peak or intersection years, such as the 1980 peak for manufacturing. Overall, the response covers all requirements of the task well, providing a clear and accurate summary of the provided graph.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, a summary paragraph, and body paragraphs that group information by trend (increases vs. decreases). The progression of ideas is smooth, and you make good use of cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'By contrast', and 'However' to link your points. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate different aspects of the data. The structure is clear and easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a high band score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision. Phrases like 'albeit at varying rates', 'stood out', and 'declined gradually' are used appropriately. While the vocabulary is accurate and fits the context well, it remains somewhat functional. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or varied synonyms for 'number of' and 'increased/decreased' to avoid repetition. Nevertheless, the language is natural and there are no errors that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The writing displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You show control over tense usage, correctly using the past tense to describe historical data. The sentences are generally error-free, and punctuation is used correctly throughout. While the grammatical structures are accurate, they are relatively straightforward. Introducing more varied complex structures, such as participle clauses or passive voice constructions, would demonstrate a wider range and help elevate the score further.

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

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