Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

The line graph illustrates the employment figure across four different domains of economic activity in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, employment in agriculture and manufacturing declined over the period, whereas the figures for sales and health care significantly increased. While agriculture experienced the most substantial decrease, health care recorded the most significant growth.

Turning to the first two sectors, agricultural employment stood at roughly 6 in 1960, before gradually declining to almost 2 by 2020. A similar pattern can be seen in manufacturing, where the figure rose from 15 in 1960 to nearly 20 in 1980, before dropping sharply to approximately 14 at the end of the period.

In contrast to the declining trends seen in agriculture and manufacturing, sales and healthcare experienced overall growth. At the beginning of the period, employment in sales stood at about 6, before soaring to 15 and then gradually increasing to roughly 16 in 2020. Meanwhile, healthcare started from a considerably lower figure of approximately 3, but rose sharply to almost 16 by the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt by presenting a clear overview of the trends across all four sectors between 1960 and 2020. Key features, such as the dramatic rise in healthcare and retail alongside the declines in manufacturing and agriculture, are accurately selected and supported with appropriate figures. Data points are cited well, though minor approximations like stating agricultural employment was 'roughly 6 in 1960' and manufacturing dropping to 'approximately 14' are acceptable based on the visual data. The progression of ideas is clear and well-supported, maintaining a consistent focus on relevant comparisons without over-generalising, which secures a strong performance for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The report demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically by sector trends, separating the declining sectors from the growing ones. Paragraphing is used effectively, with each body paragraph dedicated to specific economic areas. Cohesive devices are employed flexibly and naturally, such as 'Turning to the first two sectors', 'In contrast to the declining trends', and 'Meanwhile', which guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next without feeling mechanical. Reference words are handled well, ensuring that the relationships between the data points remain clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The student uses a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary with good flexibility and precision, suitable for an academic summary. Phrases like 'employment figure across four different domains', 'most substantial decrease', and 'soaring to 15' demonstrate an awareness of style and collocation. Less common items such as 'domains of economic activity', 'gradually declining', and 'considerably lower figure' are handled well. There are occasional slight lexical inaccuracies, such as referring to 'retail' as 'sales', but this does not impede communication. Spelling and word forms are accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

Grammatical control is a strong feature of this response, with the majority of sentences being entirely error-free. The writer demonstrates a wide range of complex structures, successfully integrating subordinate clauses and participial phrases, such as 'before gradually declining to almost 2 by 2020' and 'while healthcare started from a considerably lower figure'. Verb tenses and past time markers are handled with high accuracy throughout the description of historical data. Punctuation is used correctly to separate clauses and manage lists, resulting in a smooth and polished grammatical performance.

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