Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear overview and effectively reporting the main trends and figures for all four sectors. The overview accurately captures the upward trajectory of retail and healthcare alongside the downward trends in manufacturing and agriculture. Key data points are cited correctly, such as retail and healthcare both reaching 16 million in 2020, and manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 before dropping to 13 million. Although agriculture is stated to have started at 5 million (rather than 6 million), this minor discrepancy is well within tolerance. The response demonstrates a well-developed and accurate representation of the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression from the introduction and overview to the detailed body paragraphs. The introduction successfully paraphrases the prompt, and the overview paragraph highlights the most significant overall patterns. Paragraphing is used appropriately, dividing the categories logically into growing sectors and declining sectors. Cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'By contrast', and 'The number of' are managed effectively to guide the reader smoothly through comparisons and timeframes.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary for an academic task, using precise reporting terms such as 'fluctuated', 'increased', 'decreased', and 'dramatically'. Less common vocabulary and collocations like 'varying rates', 'consistently higher figures', and 'peak' are used appropriately. Word choice and spelling are accurate throughout, contributing to a natural and clear presentation of data without any noticeable strain on the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The writing exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and prepositional phrases smoothly (e.g., 'Over the six decades, it experienced a significant increase...'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and grammatical control is strong across different past tense references and numerical descriptions. Punctuation is accurate, and minor slips are absent, reflecting a high level of grammatical control suitable for Band 8.

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