Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23

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 employments in four distinct economic sectors in the United States over a period of 60 years, from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the most significant feature is that the healthcare and retail sectors experienced a continuous growth in job numbers, whereas manufacturing and agriculture saw a general decline. By 2020, healthcare and retail became the largest employers among the four groups.

Looking at the declining sectors, manufacturing was the dominant sector in 1960 with 15 million jobs. It peaked at 20 million in 1980 before declining steadily to approximately 13 million by 2020. Agriculture started at 6 million in 1960, but experienced a sharp drop to 3 million by 1980. After that, it remained relatively stable, ending at roughly 2 million.

In contrast, the retail and healthcare sectors grew significantly. Retail jobs increased consistently from 6 million to 16 million over the timeframe. Meanwhile, healthcare had the lowest number of workers initially at just 2 million. However, it surged rapidly after 1980, eventually matching retail at around 16 million jobs in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear and comprehensive summary of the provided line graph. The overview clearly highlights the main trends—namely, the growth in healthcare and retail versus the decline in manufacturing and agriculture. Data points are reported accurately, such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and agriculture dropping to 3 million. Key comparisons are made effectively throughout the response, such as noting that healthcare eventually matched retail at around 16 million jobs in 2020. The response meets all requirements for a Band 7 or 8 level of task achievement, presenting well-selected and fully supported data features without missing any critical information.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs, beginning with a clear introduction, followed by a well-defined overview paragraph, and then detailed body paragraphs categorizing the sectors into declining and growing trends. Cohesive devices are used naturally and effectively, such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the declining sectors', 'In contrast', and 'Meanwhile'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas logically, ensuring clear progression throughout the response. There are no instances of faulty or mechanical cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for this academic task. Phrases like 'continuous growth', 'general decline', 'dominant sector', and 'surged rapidly' demonstrate a good awareness of vocabulary related to trend analysis. However, there is one noticeable lexical error in the opening sentence: 'number of employments' should be 'number of jobs' or 'employment levels', as 'employment' is generally uncountable in this context. Despite this minor slip, the overall lexical resource is adequate for a solid Band 7 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response demonstrates good control of grammar and punctuation, featuring a healthy mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Complex structures, such as 'whereas manufacturing and agriculture saw a general decline' and 'Although it started at...', are used accurately. The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout. Minor slips are virtually absent, and grammatical accuracy remains high, supporting a clear and fluent reading experience that meets the criteria for Band 8.

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