Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

The line graph illustrates the changes in employment figures across four 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-year 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 jobs at 15 million, peaking at 20 million in 1980. However, this 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 climbed steadily over the decades, overtaking Manufacturing around 2015 to reach 16 million by the end of the timeframe.

Healthcare began as the smallest sector in 1960 alongside Agriculture, offering only 2 million jobs in 1960. Over the following six decades, Healthcare witnessed substantial and uninterrupted expension, matching Manufacturing at approximately 14 million jobs in 2015 and 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 student provides a well-developed and comprehensive overview of the line graph, accurately reporting the main features, trends, and key data points across all four economic sectors from 1960 to 2020. The response effectively highlights significant movements, such as Healthcare's dramatic rise and Manufacturing's peak in 1980 followed by a decline. Meaningful comparisons are made throughout the text, including noting how Retail overtook Manufacturing and how Healthcare and Agriculture experienced opposite trajectories. The data points cited, such as Manufacturing's peak at 20 million and Agriculture finishing under 2 million, are accurately retrieved from the visual source. The response fulfills all requirements of Task 1 with precision and clarity.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The text is logically organised with a clear overarching progression from an introductory overview to specific sectoral details in the body paragraphs. Information is smoothly sequenced, moving from general trends to detailed data analysis. Paragraphing is used effectively and appropriately, with a dedicated overview paragraph followed by well-focused body paragraphs addressing specific groupings of data. Cohesive devices are managed skilfully and naturally, employing transitions such as 'Overall', 'Conversely', 'However', and 'In contrast' to signal shifts in direction and contrast without feeling mechanical or obtrusive.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a wide, flexible, and natural range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task. Less common lexical items and functional phrases are used skillfully, such as 'upward trajectories', 'dramatic rise', 'contracted', and 'uninterrupted expansion'. There is strong control of collocation and style. A couple of minor typographical or spelling slips occur, such as 'expension' instead of 'expansion' and a missing space in 'in1960', but these are rare and do not impede communication or detract from the overall high quality of lexical deployment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response exhibits a wide range of complex sentence structures, including participial phrases and multi-clause sentences linked effectively by subordinate and coordinate conjunctions (e.g., 'while Agriculture remained the smallest employer with a slight downward drift' and 'Over the following six decades, Healthcare witnessed substantial and uninterrupted expansion...'). The majority of sentences are entirely error-free, and grammatical control is strong throughout. Minor mechanical slips, such as spacing issues with dates, do not affect the high degree of grammatical accuracy achieved in the writing.

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