Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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 shows the number of jobs in manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare sector in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, people in the US had most number of jobs in manufacturing sector in 1960 where in 2020, retail and healthcare dominated in terms of jobs. Jobs in manufacturing and agricultural sector decreased from 1960 to 2020. In contrast, job opportunities in retail and healthcare sector increased with time.

In 1960, people had most number of jobs in manufacturing sector (15 million). The job number even increased in 1980 to 20 million, dominating the job sector in that year too. However, the jobs decreased afterwards and it was approximately 13 million in 2020. For retail and agriculture sector, the number of jobs were same in 1960, approximatelt 6 million. But the both sector went through opposite transition in job number. Though the number of jobs increased in retail sector to 16 million, agriclture sector went through a fall and the job number decreased to approximately 2 million.

Healthcare sector went through the sharpest rise in job numbers. In 1960, a merely 2 to 3 million people had jobs in this sector. However, the number increased to approximately 16 million in 2020, being the highest sector with jobs alongside retail.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response selects the main trends and supports them with relevant figures. The overview clearly contrasts manufacturing and agriculture, which declined overall, with retail and healthcare, which rose; it also identifies manufacturing as the leading sector initially and retail and healthcare as joint leaders by 2020. The reported values are generally consistent with the graph, including manufacturing’s peak of 20 million in 1980 and agriculture’s fall to about 2 million. To make the account more fully developed, include a few more direct comparisons at the intermediate years: for example, retail reached 15 million in 2000 while healthcare stood at 11 million, before both reached about 16 million in 2020. The main features are covered clearly, though some stages receive less detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The report has a clear structure: an introduction, a concise overview, and two detail paragraphs that group the sectors sensibly. The progression from the initial and peak manufacturing figures to the later decline is easy to follow, and contrast markers such as “However” and “In contrast” help signal changes. The final paragraph also gives healthcare a distinct focus. Some linking is slightly mechanical, and the retail/agriculture paragraph combines two trends without fully comparing their development across all years. More precise references between sentences and a clearer chronological comparison of retail and healthcare would make the progression smoother. Overall, the organisation is logical and the reader can follow the main points.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is adequate vocabulary for describing trends, including “increased,” “decreased,” “sharpest rise,” and “dominated,” and the meaning remains clear throughout. However, some word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise, such as “most number of jobs,” “job opportunities” for the number of jobs shown, and “opposite transition.” Spelling slips in “approximatelt” and “agriclture” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural data-reporting phrases and use “employment” or “number of jobs” consistently rather than implying opportunities. The range is sufficient to describe the graph, but more accurate collocation and spelling would make the account more fluent and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “However” and “Though,” and most relationships between ideas are understandable. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare sector” needs plural agreement, while “people in the US had most number of jobs” has an incorrect article and construction. In “the number of jobs were same,” the subject requires a singular verb, and “the both sector” has an article and number error. The sentence beginning “In 1960, a merely 2 to 3 million people…” is also awkwardly structured. Review articles, subject–verb agreement, and plural forms; greater accuracy in these areas would build on the range already attempted.

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