Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · 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 8.0)

The line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of the US economy between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, employment in retail and healthcare increased significantly, while agricultural jobs declined steadily. Manufacturing followed a different pattern, rising initially before experiencing a considerable fall.

In 1960, manufacturing was the largest sector, with about 15 million jobs. This figure rose to a peak of approximately 20 million in 1980, before falling to around 17 million in 2000 and 13 million in 2020. Retail employment, however, increased consistently from about 6 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.

Healthcare also experienced substantial growth, rising from roughly 2 million jobs in 1960 to around 16 million by 2020. In contrast, agriculture declined from approximately 6 million jobs in 1960 to only 2 million in 2020. By the end of the period, retail and healthcare had the highest employment figures, whereas agriculture had the lowest.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response covers all parts of the task well, providing a fully developed overview and reporting all key features accurately. The student effectively selects and contrasts data from the four sectors, highlighting the significant growth in retail and healthcare alongside the decline in agriculture and the fluctuating trajectory of manufacturing. Figures are reported accurately from the chart, such as manufacturing peaking at approximately 20 million in 1980 and agricultural jobs dropping to 2 million by 2020. The selection of main features is entirely appropriate and well-supported, with only rare minor omissions that do not detract from the overall quality. To reach the highest band, the response could integrate even more precise cross-sector comparisons at specific milestone years, though the current coverage is already comprehensive and logically structured.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

Ideas are logically sequenced, and information flows smoothly from the general overview to detailed body paragraphs. The student uses cohesive devices effectively, such as 'Overall,' 'This figure rose,' 'However,' and 'In contrast,' ensuring clear logical progression throughout the text. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating the overview from the individual sector descriptions and the concluding comparative summary. Referencing is consistently clear, avoiding any ambiguity regarding which sector or year is being discussed. While cohesion is well managed, achieving the absolute highest level would require even more sophisticated and seamless transitions between sentences, making the cohesive devices entirely unobtrusive.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic report. Less common items such as 'fluctuating trajectory,' 'substantial growth,' 'consistently,' and 'considerable fall' are used skillfully. Word choice and collocation are generally natural, with accurate reporting verbs and nouns related to economic sectors and trends. There are only occasional minor inaccuracies, but these do not impede communication. To push into the top band, the writer could incorporate an even higher degree of sophisticated, less common lexical chunks and demonstrate absolute precision in every single collocational pairing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

A wide range of sentence structures is used flexibly, including complex forms such as participial clauses and subordinate time clauses like 'before experiencing a considerable fall' and 'rising from roughly 2 million jobs in 1960 to around 16 million by 2020.' The majority of sentences are completely error-free, showcasing excellent control over past tense verbs, prepositions, and numerical modifiers. Punctuation is also handled accurately throughout the report. Only very occasional minor slips occur, placing the grammar at a very high standard. To maintain this level consistently, the writer should ensure that every complex multi-clause sentence remains tightly controlled.

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