Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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 data on the number of jobs in sectors including Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, and Healthcare in the USA from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the manufacturing and agriculture sectors recorded a downward trend, while retail and healthcare saw a marked increase. Retail and healthcare showed the most significant growth.

Looking at the number of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture areas, Manufacturing started off at 15 million jobs initially, rose substantially to 20 million in the following year before decreasing to approximately 13 million by the end. In contrast, the agriculture sector stood at just over 5 million, dipped to just 3 million in 1980 before standing at the same point by 2020.

In terms of Retail and Healthcare, both showed an upward trend. The number of employees was just above 5 million, increased to a large extent at 15 million in 2000, after which it recorded a subtle shift to almost 16 million in 2020. In contrast, the figure for healthcare began with only 2 million, and climbed to just over 15 million, meeting the figure for Retail by the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and comparisons of the four sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overview is provided, highlighting the downward trends in manufacturing and agriculture alongside the increases in retail and healthcare. The data selected is generally accurate and supported by specific figures from the chart, such as manufacturing starting at 15 million and peaking at 20 million. However, there is a minor imprecision in the timeline description for manufacturing ('rose substantially to 20 million in the following year' instead of 1980) and a slight lack of clarity regarding which sector is being referred to in the third sentence of the final paragraph. Overall, the response covers the prompt well and meets the requirements of Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement, followed by a concise overview paragraph, and then two body paragraphs grouping the sectors logically into declining ones (manufacturing and agriculture) and growing ones (retail and healthcare). Paragraphing is used appropriately. Cohesive devices are employed effectively to signal contrasts and transitions, such as 'In contrast', 'Looking at', and 'after which'. Referencing is mostly clear, though the pronoun use in 'The number of employees was just above 5 million' at the start of the final paragraph could be slightly sharper to avoid any ambiguity between retail and healthcare. Cohesion is managed well throughout, supporting a solid Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to an Academic Task 1 response, incorporating terms such as 'downward trend', 'substantially', 'fluctuated' (implied by movement), 'subtle shift', and 'upward trend'. There is some attempt to use less common vocabulary items with general awareness of style and collocation, such as 'recorded a marked increase' and 'meeting the figure'. However, there are minor awkwardness issues and slight lexical inaccuracies, such as referring to 1980 as 'the following year' from a 1960 baseline, and 'subtle shift' to describe a rise from 15 to 16 million which is imprecise. Spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication, fitting the Band 6.5 or 7 descriptor well; a score of 6.5 is awarded to reflect the occasional lexical inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilizing subordinate clauses and participial phrases effectively (e.g., 'while retail and healthcare saw a marked increase', 'after which it recorded a subtle shift'). There are frequent error-free sentences, and grammatical control is generally good. Punctuation is accurate throughout. While there are minor issues with time-reference logic ('in the following year'), the actual grammar and verb tenses (past simple) are well-handled and consistent. The variety of complex structures combined with a high proportion of error-free sentences justifies a Band 7.0 score for grammatical range and accuracy.

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