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 information about the economy of manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare in the US between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, the number of jobs in retail and healthcare increased over the period, whereas employment in agriculture declined considerably. Manufacturing was the largest employment sector, reaching a peak in 1980 before falling significantly.
In 1960, manufacturing was the largest sector, providing approximately 15 million jobs. This figure rose to a peak of around 20 million in 1980, before declining to roughly around 17 million in 2000, and then falling further to about 13 million by 2020. By contrast, retail employment increased steadily from approximately 5 million in 1960 to 8 million in 1980. It continued to rise, reaching around 15 million in 2000, before remaining stable until 2020.
Healthcare also experienced substantial growth. The number of jobs increased from only about 2 million in 1960 to 5 million in 1980, before rising more sharply to approximately 11 million in 2000 and 15 million in 2020. In contrast, agriculture showed a consistent downward trend throughout the period and had the lowest level of employment by 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 8.0 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and reporting the key features and comparisons between the four economic sectors over the 60-year period. The main trends—such as the growth in retail and healthcare, the decline in agriculture, and the peak and subsequent fall in manufacturing—are accurately captured. Data points are appropriately cited, such as manufacturing starting at approximately 15 million in 1960 and peaking at around 20 million in 1980. The response meets all the requirements of an effective Task 1 report, demonstrating a well-developed selection of main trends without unnecessary mechanical listing of every single minor data point.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0
The response exhibits clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically by sector and time period, and an effective overview is provided right at the beginning following the introduction. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, such as 'Overall', 'By contrast', 'It continued to rise', and 'In contrast', which help guide the reader smoothly through the comparisons. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each major sector or group of trends given its own dedicated space for discussion, ensuring the essay flows well from start to finish.
Lexical Resource: Band 7.0
The student demonstrates a sufficient and generally flexible range of vocabulary suited to academic report writing. Phrases like 'declined considerably', 'peak of around 20 million', 'steady growth', and 'downward trend' show good control over collocation and descriptive language. There are occasional slight inaccuracies, such as saying 'the economy of manufacturing' in the opening sentence instead of 'employment in manufacturing', but these minor slips do not impede communication. Less common lexical items are used effectively to describe upward and downward movements.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0
A good variety of complex structures is employed throughout the response, utilizing subordinate clauses and participial phrases effectively (e.g., 'before declining to roughly around 17 million in 2000, and then falling further...'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and control over grammar and punctuation is strong. There is a minor redundancy noted in 'roughly around 17 million', but this does not detract from the overall high quality of grammatical control. Complex sentence forms are attempted and executed with a high degree of accuracy.
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