Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 illustrates the changes in employment figures acrossfour economic sectors in the United States Manufacturing, Retail, Healthcare, and Agriculture from 1960 to 2020, measured in millions of jobs.

Overall, Healthcare and Retail experienced consistent upward trajectories throughout the 60-years period period , with Healthcare exhibiting the most dramatic rise. Conversely, Manufacturing saw initial growth before experiencing a steady decline, while Agriculture remained the smallest employer with a slight downward drift.

In 1960, Manufacturing was by far the largest provider of the jobes at 15 million, peaking at 20 million in 1980. However, this second sector subsequently contracted, dropping to 17 million in 2000 and eventually falling to 13 million by 2020. In contrast, Retail started at 6 million in1960 and climed steadily over the decades, overtaking Manufacturing around 2015 to reached 16 million by the end of the timeframe.

Healthcare begins as the smallest sectorin 1960 alongside Agriculture, offering only 2 million jobs in 1960. Over the following six decades decades , Healthcare witnessed substantial and uninterrupted expension, matching Manufacturing at approximately 14 million jobs in 2015and concluding at 16 million in 2020. Conversely, Agriculture started at 6 million jobs in 1960, dipped sharply to 3 million in 1980, and then slowly diminished to finish at just under 2 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features, selecting key data points, and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. The overview effectively captures the primary trends, noting the upward trajectories of Healthcare and Retail alongside the decline in Manufacturing and the minor downward trend in Agriculture. Specific figures, such as Manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and Healthcare reaching 16 million in 2020, are accurately cited to support the description. The information is well-selected, and no significant details are missed, making this a strong performance that fully satisfies the requirements for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with a well-structured introduction, moves into a clear overview paragraph, and then splits the detailed body paragraphs effectively by sector trends and comparisons. Cohesive devices such as 'Conversely', 'However', and 'In contrast' are used appropriately to signal shifts between the sectors. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and logically, contributing to the overall readability and seamless flow of ideas, though occasional mechanical repetition of words like 'decades' slightly detracts from absolute cohesion at the micro-level.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient and generally flexible range of vocabulary suited to academic reporting, utilizing terms such as 'upward trajectories', 'contracted', 'uninterrupted expansion', and 'diminished'. There are, however, a few noticeable typographical and spelling errors, such as 'acrossfour', 'climed', 'sectorin', and 'expension', alongside minor word-form slips like 'jobes' instead of 'jobs' and 'reached' instead of 'reach'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate to convey precise trends and comparisons without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and participial phrases effectively (e.g., 'exhibiting the most dramatic rise', 'offering only 2 million jobs in 1960'). There is good control over tense usage for past data. However, there are some minor grammatical slips and tense inconsistencies, such as 'Healthcare begins' (present tense used instead of past 'began') and repetitive word clusters like '6-years period period' and 'decades decades'. The majority of sentences remain error-free and communication is never impeded.

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