IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: US Jobs by Sector Line Graph (Band 9 Sample)
This Academic Task 1 asks you to summarise a line graph showing the number of jobs, in millions, in four sectors of the US economy from 1960 to 2020. A band-9 response gives a clear overview and reports the key figures and comparisons accurately. Below is a model answer of roughly 190 words, followed by why it scores 9 on all four criteria.
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01 · The task
The graph below shows the number of jobs, in millions, in four sectors of the US economy — manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare — between 1960 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
02 · Band 9 sample answer
191 words · Band 9The line graph compares the number of jobs, measured in millions, in four sectors of the US economy — manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare — over a sixty-year period from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, employment in manufacturing and agriculture declined over the period, whereas retail and, most strikingly, healthcare grew substantially. As a result, the sector that dominated in 1960 had been overtaken by the end.
In 1960, manufacturing was by far the largest employer, with around 15 million jobs, and it continued to rise to a peak of roughly 20 million by 1980. After that, however, it fell steadily, dropping to about 13 million by 2020. Agriculture, meanwhile, was already small at 6 million in 1960 and shrank further to just 2 million, remaining the smallest sector throughout.
The rising sectors told the opposite story. Retail climbed steadily from 6 million to around 16 million, while healthcare showed the most dramatic growth of all, soaring from just 2 million in 1960 to roughly 16 million by 2020. By the end of the period, retail and healthcare had become the joint-largest employers, each overtaking a much-reduced manufacturing sector.
03 · Why this scores Band 9
The response reports all four sectors, gives a clear overview (manufacturing and agriculture down, retail and healthcare up, the leader overtaken), and quotes accurate figures (manufacturing 15→20→13 million; healthcare 2→16 million). It groups the sectors into falling and rising rather than listing them one by one.
The report follows the ideal Task 1 shape — introduction, overview, then two detail paragraphs that pair the sectors logically (the declining pair, then the rising pair). Cohesion is natural — "After that, however...", "meanwhile", "The rising sectors told the opposite story", "By the end of the period" — and comparisons run throughout.
Trend vocabulary is precise and varied — "the largest employer", "rise to a peak", "fell steadily", "shrank further", "climbed steadily", "soaring" — and each verb is matched to the correct degree of change, avoiding repetition of "rose" and "fell".
A wide range is controlled accurately: a contrast with "whereas", a past perfect to summarise the outcome ("the sector that dominated in 1960 had been overtaken"), and a participle clause ("each overtaking a much-reduced manufacturing sector"). Past tenses suit the historical data, and the writing is error-free.
04 · Useful collocations for this task
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural collocations like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
05 · Frequently asked questions
How do I organise a graph with four lines?
Group them by behaviour rather than describing each in turn. This model pairs the two declining sectors (manufacturing and agriculture) and the two rising ones (retail and healthcare), which is far clearer than four separate descriptions.
How many figures should I quote?
Enough to support your comparisons, not every point. Quoting the start value, the end value and any turning point (like manufacturing peaking in 1980) is ideal. A wall of numbers with no selection lowers the score.
What tense should I use?
Past tenses, because the data covers 1960–2020 and is historical ("employment declined", "healthcare soared"). If a graph included future projections, that portion would take future forms instead.
How long should a Task 1 answer be?
At least 150 words; a band-9 answer is usually 170–200. This model is 191 words, enough to give an overview and report all four sectors accurately. Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1.
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