Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

The line graph illustrates the number of jobs, measured in millions, available in four sectors—manufacturing, agriculture, retail, and healthcare—between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, employment trends varied considerably across the four industries. While the retail and healthcare sectors experienced substantial growth throughout the period, the number of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture declined. Healthcare recorded the most significant increase, whereas agriculture showed the sharpest fall.

In 1960, manufacturing was one of the largest employers and continued to grow until 1980, when it reached its peak. However, after this point, employment in the sector decreased steadily over the following decades and finished the period at a considerably lower level. Agriculture followed a similar but more consistent downward trend, with job numbers falling continuously from 1960 to 2020.

By contrast, employment in the retail sector rose gradually throughout the sixty-year period. Although growth was relatively moderate during the early years, the number of retail jobs increased significantly towards the end of the period. The healthcare industry witnessed the most dramatic expansion, with employment figures climbing steadily from the beginning and eventually surpassing those of the other sectors by 2020.

In summary, the graph highlights a shift in employment patterns, with service-based industries such as retail and healthcare becoming increasingly important, while traditional sectors including manufacturing and agriculture lost jobs over time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response fully satisfies all requirements of Academic Task 1. The student provides a clear and well-developed introduction, an effective overview highlighting the main trends, and detailed body paragraphs reporting specific data points. Key features, such as the peak and subsequent decline in manufacturing, the continuous drop in agriculture, and the dramatic rise in healthcare and retail, are accurately reported and compared. The figures cited from the visual data (such as the 1960 starting points and the 2020 final levels) are accurate and grounded in the source chart. The overview captures the overall shift from traditional manufacturing and agriculture to service-based industries without getting bogged down in unnecessary numbers.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression from start to finish. Information is grouped logically by sector and time period across well-structured paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'While', 'However', 'By contrast', and 'In summary' are used naturally and effectively to guide the reader through comparisons and contrasts. Referencing is clear throughout, and paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph serving a distinct and purposeful role in the development of the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The student uses a wide, flexible, and accurate range of vocabulary suitable for describing economic trends and visual data. Less common lexical items and collocations are employed skillfully, such as 'substantial growth', 'significant increase', 'sharpest fall', 'downward trend', and 'dramatic expansion'. Word choice and collocations are natural throughout, and there are no noticeable spelling or word-choice errors that detract from the clarity of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The writing exhibits a wide range of complex sentence structures used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, featuring well-controlled subordinate clauses ('While the retail and healthcare sectors experienced...', 'Although growth was relatively moderate...') and participial phrases ('surpassing those of the other sectors by 2020'). Grammar and punctuation are handled with precision, and control over tense consistency across past and present timeframes is excellent.

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