Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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 the number of jobs, measured in millions, in four different sectors of the US economy manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, manufacturing had the highest number of jobs for most of the period, although it experienced a decline after 1980. In contrast, employment in retail and healthcare increased considerably, while agriculture saw a significant decrease. By 2020, retail and healthcare had become the largest sources of employment.

In 1960 manufacturing provided approximately 15 million job, compared with around 6 million in retail and 6 million in ageiculture. Healthcare had the few jobs, at only about 2 million. By 1980, manufacturing employment had risen sharply to 20 million, making the largest sector. Retail also increased to 10 million, while healthcare to 5 million. However, agriculture employment fell to approximate 3 million.

Healthcare showed the most substantial growth over the period. Beginning at only 2 million jobs in 1960, employment in this sector rose to 5 million in 1980 and 11 million in 2000. By 2020, the number had increased further to around 16 million.

Finally, agriculture followed the opposite trend. It employed about 6 million people in 1960, but this number fell to 3 million in 1980 and remained unchanged in 2000. By 2020, agricultural employment had declined further to approximately 2 million, making it the smallest sector shown.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by providing a clear overview and reporting the main features of the four sectors over the 60-year period. Key trends are identified, such as the initial dominance of manufacturing followed by a decline, and the substantial growth in retail and healthcare. Comparisons are made effectively, such as noting that retail and healthcare became the largest sources of employment by 2020. However, the response has a slight tendency to over-generalise or miss minor nuances in specific decade-by-decade data points without fully extending all supporting details, which keeps the response firmly at this level. To move higher, the student could ensure that all significant turning points and minor fluctuations in the data are integrated even more precisely into the comparative narrative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information about the graph is introduced well, followed by an effective overall summary paragraph. The body paragraphs are grouped logically by sector and trend, such as grouping healthcare and agriculture into dedicated paragraphs that trace their trajectories clearly from 1960 to 2020. Cohesive devices are used adequately and flexibly to guide the reader through the data, with phrases like 'In contrast', 'However', and 'Finally' marking transitions smoothly. Referencing is generally clear, and paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the visual data. To achieve a higher level, the student could employ a wider variety of more sophisticated cohesive devices and ensure that referencing between sentences is exceptionally seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate and appropriate for the task, demonstrating a sufficient range of terms to describe trends and figures, such as 'considerable', 'substantial growth', and 'opposite trend'. The student attempts less common vocabulary with varying success. However, there are a few noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and spelling, such as 'ageiculture' instead of 'agriculture', 'few jobs' instead of 'fewest jobs', and 'approximate' instead of 'approximately'. These minor slips do not impede communication, but they prevent the score from reaching a higher band. To improve, the student should focus on precision in word formation and spelling, and incorporate a greater variety of less common, precise lexical items related to data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a reasonable control of grammar and punctuation. The student successfully uses complex structures such as 'while agriculture saw a significant decrease' and 'making the largest sector'. There are some errors in grammar, particularly missing articles or prepositions in grammatical patterns, such as 'provided approximately 15 million job' (missing plural 'jobs') and 'while healthcare to 5 million' (missing verb 'rose' or 'increased'). Nonetheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication. To reach the next level, the student needs to produce a higher proportion of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over minor grammatical elements like articles and singular/plural noun agreements.

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