Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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 job across four economic sector in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, Manufacturing was the sector with highest employment rate initially.

The number of jobs in retail and healthcare increased significantly by the end of the period, whereas agriculture went down considerably.

In 1960, manufacturing provided employment to approximately 15 million inidividual. The number rose sharply to about 20 million before falling sharply to about 14 million by the end of the period. Retail and Agriculture both accounted for about 6 million jobs each initially, however both sector showed an opposite trend. The retail sector went up gradually, reaching just above 15 million making it the most popular job sector, while job in agriculture dropped slightly to about 3 million and plateued until 2000. The figure dropped slightly to about 2 million by the end of the period.

The number of jobs in healthcare started with lowest figure at just around 2 million. The figure increase gradually throughout the period and peaked at above 15 million, converging with Retail by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main patterns clearly: manufacturing begins as the largest sector, retail and healthcare grow, and agriculture declines. The overview is relevant, and the body supports it with key figures, including manufacturing’s rise to about 20 million and subsequent fall, and healthcare’s increase from around 2 million to over 15 million. The comparison that retail and healthcare converge by 2020 is also accurate. This gives the report a clear, well-supported account of the main features. To make the coverage more complete and precise, state explicitly that retail and healthcare both finish at approximately 16 million, and clarify that retail rises steadily across the period. The description of agriculture’s decline is sound, though its early fall and later stability could be distinguished more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, a concise overview, and two body paragraphs. Information progresses logically from the overall trends to manufacturing, retail and agriculture, then healthcare. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “whereas,” “before,” and “by the end of the period” help show contrast and sequence, while the grouping of retail and agriculture makes their opposing trends easy to compare. Some sentences carry several details at once, particularly the sentence beginning “Retail and Agriculture both accounted…,” so the comparisons become slightly crowded. You could improve the flow by separating the initial figures from the later trends and using clearer references to the years or periods. Overall, the organisation is clear and cohesive, with only minor opportunities to make connections more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of trend vocabulary, including “rose sharply,” “falling sharply,” “went up gradually,” “dropped slightly,” and “peaked.” These choices communicate the main movements, and terms such as “converging” show an attempt at more precise description. However, some word choices and collocations are not fully natural: “employment rate” is not the same as the number of jobs, and “most popular job sector” is less appropriate than describing the sector with the most jobs. There are also spelling errors in “inidividual” and “plateued,” and “job” is sometimes used where the plural is needed. A more consistent use of accurate chart language and careful proofreading would make the vocabulary more flexible and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including effective contrast structures such as “whereas agriculture went down considerably” and “before falling sharply.” Most of the message remains clear, but some grammatical errors persist. The opening has number and article problems in “the number of job across four economic sector,” and “both sector showed” needs plural agreement. In “The figure increase gradually,” the verb form should be “increased”; “started with lowest figure” also needs an article. The long sentence about retail and agriculture would benefit from clearer punctuation or division into shorter sentences. These errors do not prevent understanding, but more reliable control of plurals, articles, and past-tense forms is needed alongside the range of structures already attempted.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.