Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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)

Overall, the service-oriented sectors (Retail and Healthcare) experienced significant long-term growth over the 60-year period, eventually surpassing the traditional industries. In contrast, employment in Manufacturing and Agriculture followed net downward trends. By 2020, Retail and Healthcare had become the leading job providers, while Agriculture consistently remained the smallest employer.

Sectors with Upward TrendsHealthcare: Started as the lowest employment sector in 1960 with only about 2 million jobs. It saw a dramatic, continuous surge over the next six decades, multiplying eightfold to tie as the largest sector at approximately 16 million jobs by 2020. Retail: Began at roughly 6 million jobs in 1960. It climbed steadily over the years, surpassing Manufacturing around the turn of the century and reaching 16 million jobs in 2020 alongside Healthcare.Sectors with Downward or Fluctuating TrendsManufacturing: Was the dominant sector in 1960, employing 15 million people. It continued rising to reach a peak of 20 million jobs in 1980 before undergoing a steady, sustained decline down to about 13 million jobs by 2020. Agriculture: Stood at approximately 6 million jobs in 1960, matching Retail. However, it steadily lost employment throughout the timeframe, dropping to around 2 million jobs by 2020 and remaining the lowest throughout most of the period

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 covering all four economic sectors with accurate figures and meaningful comparisons. The main features are skillfully highlighted, such as the dramatic rise of healthcare and the contrasting downward trend in agriculture. The data is reported accurately from the chart without any major omissions or misinterpretations. To reach the highest band, the response could integrate even finer data nuances or subtle rate-of-change comparisons across the decades, but overall, the task is handled with a high level of precision and thoroughness.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

Ideas are logically sequenced and the progression throughout the report is clear. The essay uses effective grouping strategies, dividing the sectors into upward trends versus downward or fluctuating trends, which enhances readability. Cohesive devices are managed well, and the paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, even though some headings were used in the student's layout. To move further up, referencing and cohesive links between the grouped sections could be slightly more seamless and natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 8.0

A wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary is demonstrated, with skillful use of uncommon items and precise reporting language such as 'service-oriented sectors', 'long-term growth', 'dramatic, continuous surge', and 'steady, sustained decline'. Word choice and collocation are generally accurate throughout. Occasional minor slips or slight phrasing improvements could bring it to the absolute peak, but the vocabulary deployed is sophisticated and highly appropriate for an academic task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response features a wide variety of complex sentence structures and good control of grammar and punctuation. The majority of sentences are error-free, with strong control over verb tenses (past simple for historical data) and modifiers. A few minor formatting issues or slight slips in punctuation do not impede communication at all, maintaining a high level of grammatical accuracy across the entire text.

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