Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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, in millions, in four sectors of the US economy from 1960 tp 2020.

Overall, manufacturing employed most people for much of the period, but its figure declined after 1980. In contrast, retail and healthcare experienced considerable growth, while agriculture showed an overall decrease.

In 1960, manufacturing provided about 15 million jobs, while compared with 6 million for retail and agriculture. Healthcare had lowest figure, at nearly 3 million. By 1980, manufacturing had increased to a peak of 20 million, while retail rose to 10 million. Whereas, agriculture fell to around 3 million, and healthcare increased to 5 million.

From 1980 onward, manufacturing dipped steadily, reaching approximately 17 million in 2000 and 13 million in 2020. Retail continued to grow, reaching 15 million in 2000 and 16 million in 2020. Similarly, healthcare also rose significantly roughly 12 million in 2000 and 16 million in 2020. Agriculture decreased slightly to 2 million by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response covers all parts of the task well and provides a clear, well-developed overview at the beginning. Key features and trends are accurately reported, such as manufacturing peaking in 1980 at 20 million before declining, and retail alongside healthcare experiencing steady growth to 16 million by 2020. Relevant comparisons are made throughout the text, effectively contrasting the rising sectors against the declining trajectory of agriculture. There is a very minor typographical error in the introductory sentence ('tp' instead of 'to'), but overall the data handling is precise, accurate, and completely addresses the prompt requirements with well-supported ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout the text. Information is well-structured into a traditional four-paragraph format comprising an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific data points. Cohesive devices are used flexibly and appropriately to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'Similarly'. Paragraphing is handled sufficiently, ensuring each section has a distinct focus. Referencing between sentences and across time periods is handled smoothly, making the progression of information easy to follow without any mechanical or confusing transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is sufficient for the task and demonstrates some flexibility and precision, employing appropriate reporting language such as 'experienced considerable growth', 'dipped steadily', and 'rose significantly'. Less common items and sector-specific terminology are handled with a good awareness of style and collocation. However, there are a few minor lexical or phrasing awkwardnesses, such as omitting a preposition in phrases like 'roughly 12 million' or missing a verb element in earlier comparisons. Overall, the range is adequate to convey the data clearly, though a few more sophisticated idiomatic collocations would push the lexical score higher.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response exhibits a good variety of complex structures alongside simple sentence forms, with frequent error-free sentences demonstrating solid control of grammar and punctuation. Tenses are managed well across different historical time frames, shifting from past simple forms like 'provided' and 'rose' to past perfect structures such as 'had increased' and 'had fallen'. Minor structural slips occur occasionally, such as the dangling comparison in 'while compared with 6 million' and a missing preposition before 'roughly 12 million', but these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication, showing strong overall command of grammatical range and accuracy.

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