Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Employment trends across four economic sectors in the US from 1960 to 2020

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. Write at least 150 words.

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020 (millions)

Manufacturing
Retail
Agriculture
Healthcare

View the data

	1960	1980	2000	2020
Manufacturing	15	20	17	13
Retail	6	10	15	16
Agriculture	6	3	3	2
Healthcare	2	5	11	16

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Band 8 sample answer

The line graph illustrates changes in the number of jobs across four distinct economic sectors in the United States between 1960 and 2020. Overall, it is clear that healthcare and retail became increasingly dominant, whereas manufacturing and agriculture witnessed downward trends in their workforce numbers.

In 1960, manufacturing was the largest employer at 15 million jobs, peaking at 20 million in 1980 before declining steadily to 13 million by 2020. Conversely, the healthcare sector started as the smallest employer with only 2 million jobs in 1960. It experienced consistent growth throughout the period, eventually reaching 16 million jobs in 2020, matching the retail sector.

Retail employment also showed a strong upward trajectory, rising from 6 million in 1960 to 16 million by 2020. In contrast, agriculture began with 6 million jobs, equal to retail, but plummeted to 3 million by 1980. This sector remained stagnant at 3 million until 2000, before experiencing a final slight dip to 2 million by the end of the period. By 2020, healthcare and retail had become the primary sources of employment, while agriculture had become the least significant sector.

185 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

How to write about line graphs

Overview first: the overall direction of each line and which was highest.
Group lines that move together instead of describing each one in turn.
Give the start and end figures plus the peak or low point, not every value.

upward trajectory: a path or trend showing consistent growth over time
plummeted: fell or dropped sharply and suddenly in value
stagnant: showing no activity or change in a period
dominant: having the most influence or being the largest
witnessed: seen or experienced a particular change or event
consistent: acting or done in the same way over time

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While the healthcare and retail sectors experienced significant growth over the period, manufacturing and agriculture saw overall declines in employment numbers.

How long should an IELTS Task 1 answer be?

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How do I describe line graphs?

Overview first: the overall direction of each line and which was highest. Group lines that move together instead of describing each one in turn. Give the start and end figures plus the peak or low point, not every value.