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 jobs available in million in four different sectors of US economy; Manufacturing , Agriculture, Retail and Healthcare from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, all four sectors showed a variable trend in the availability of jobs over the 60 years of period. Manufacturing sector topped the chart, while Agriculture sector accounted for the lowest figures.

In terms of jobs, manufacturing sector stood at 15 million in 1960, which surged significantly to 20 million before dropping 13 million in 2020. Whereas, Healthcare started at 2 million jobs, which increased markedly to 17 million by 2020. Thus overtaking the manufacturing and Agriculture sector and matching the retail sector.

Looking at Agriculture and retail sector, both started at 7 million jobs in 1960. Retail sector increased marginally to 15 million jobs before becoming constant in 2020. Whereas, Agriculture sector dropped sharply to 2 million in 1980 before slowly recovering by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main broad patterns: manufacturing reaches a peak and then declines, healthcare rises strongly, and agriculture remains the smallest sector overall. You also include useful figures for several years. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: retail begins at 6 million, not 7, and rises to 16 million by 2020 rather than becoming constant after reaching 15 million. Agriculture falls to about 3 million by 1980 and stays near that level in 2000 before declining to 2 million, so the claimed recovery is not supported. The overview also says manufacturing topped the chart without clarifying that retail and healthcare catch up by the end. More precise comparisons and accurate reporting of the later values would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a clear introduction, overview, and two detail paragraphs, with a sensible progression from the overall picture to sector-specific figures. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Whereas,” and “Looking at” help signal shifts between points, and the reader can follow the main trends. Some connections are less smooth: “Thus overtaking the manufacturing and Agriculture sector and matching the retail sector” is a sentence fragment, and the relationship between the two final-year leaders would be clearer if stated directly. The last paragraph also groups retail and agriculture despite their contrasting trends. Keep this structure, but use complete sentences and organise comparisons around shared patterns or clear contrasts.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You use a suitable range of task vocabulary, including “surged significantly,” “increased markedly,” “dropping,” and “overtaking,” which helps describe movement and comparison. The wording is generally clear, but some choices are imprecise or awkward for this chart. “Jobs available in million” is not a natural way to express the unit; use “number of jobs, in millions.” “Variable trend in the availability of jobs” is vague, since the sectors follow distinct patterns. “Becoming constant” also misrepresents the retail line, which continues to rise slightly. More precise terms such as “levelled off” should only be used when the data support them. Aim for accurate, natural collocations alongside varied trend vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including relative clauses (“which surged significantly”) and contrast structures with “Whereas.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. The opening has an incorrect singular unit phrase and article use: “in million in four different sectors of US economy” needs forms such as “in millions across four sectors of the US economy.” In “before dropping 13 million,” the verb pattern is incomplete; write “before dropping to 13 million.” The sentence beginning “Thus overtaking…” is a fragment and should be joined to the preceding sentence or rewritten with a subject and verb. There are also inconsistent articles and capitalisation in sector names. More consistent sentence completion and control of these patterns would improve accuracy.

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