Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29
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 graph illustrates the number of jobs in four different sectors of the US economy between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, it is clear that employment in the retail and healthcare sectors increased considerably over the period, whereas the number of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture declined. It is also noticeable that manufacturing was the largest sector in 1960, while retail and healthcare had become the largest employers by 2020.
Looking first at manufacturing, the number of jobs stood at 15 million in 1960. It then rose to a peak of 20 million in 1980, before falling to 17 million in 2000 and reaching 13 million by 2020. Turning to agriculture, employment decreased from 6 million in 1960 to 3 million in 1980. It then remained stable at 3 million in 2000, before declining slightly to 2 million in 2020.
Turning to retail, the number of jobs increased steadily from 6 million in 1960 to 10 million in 1980, before rising further to 15 million in 2000 and 16 million in 2020. Similarly, healthcare experienced significant growth throughout the period, increasing from just 2 million jobs in 1960 to 5 million in 1980. The figure then more than doubled to 11 million in 2000, before reaching 16 million by 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 8.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5
The response fully satisfies the requirements of Task 1 by providing a clear and comprehensive summary of the visual data. The student successfully selects and reports the main features of the line graph, noting overall trends such as the substantial rise in retail and healthcare alongside the decline in manufacturing and agriculture. Key data points are accurately cited throughout the text, including the peak for manufacturing in 1980 (20 million) and the final figures for 2020. Comparisons are made effectively, such as contrasting the starting and ending positions of the four sectors. There are no significant omissions or inaccuracies, demonstrating a well-developed and focused approach to the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5
The text is exceptionally well-structured and easy to follow. Ideas are logically sequenced, beginning with a clear introductory paraphrase and an overview paragraph that captures the primary trends. Body paragraphs are logically grouped by sector, allowing for a smooth reading experience. Cohesive devices are used naturally and appropriately without being overused or mechanical, as seen in expressions like "Looking first at manufacturing," "Turning to agriculture," and "Similarly." Paragraphing is used skillfully to separate different aspects of the visual data, ensuring a clear overall progression throughout the essay.
Lexical Resource: Band 8.0
The student demonstrates a wide and flexible range of vocabulary suited to describing statistical trends. Less common items and functional phrasing are employed naturally, such as "considerable," "peaked," "remained stable," and "more than doubled." Word choice and collocation are generally accurate, allowing the information to be conveyed with precision and style. Although vocabulary usage does not quite reach the rare, sophisticated slips-only standard of Band 9, it comfortably exceeds Band 7 criteria through its fluent and varied lexical deployment across the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5
The student displays a wide range of sentence structures, successfully integrating simple and complex forms with a high degree of accuracy. Complex sentences featuring dependent clauses and participial phrases—such as "before falling to 17 million in 2000 and reaching 13 million by 2020"—are handled with strong grammatical control. The majority of sentences are completely error-free, and punctuation is managed appropriately. Only occasional, minor structural imperfections might be conceived, but overall grammatical control easily justifies an eighth band level.
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