The table below shows the percentage of men and women employed in four different types of industries in one town in 1990, 2000, and 2010.

Men Women Employment Four Industry Types Town 1990 2000 2010 Table - IELTS Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 9 · 204 words.

The table illustrates the percentage of men and women employed in four different industries in a town in 1990, 2000 and 2010.

Overall, manufacturing was the most common job for men in 1990 but declined considerably over time. In contrast, the proportion of women working in health and tourism increased during the period, while retail employment for men remained unchanged.

Looking first at retail and health sectors, the percentage of men working in retail stayed stable at 13% in all three years. Meanwhile, the figure for women increased slightly from 7% in 1990 to 9% in 2010. In the health industry, male employment remained at 7% in 1990 and 2000 before rising to 9% in 2010. However, women were more likely to work in this field, with the proportion growing steadily from 9% to 15%.

Turning to manufacturing and tourism, manufacturing experienced a sharp decline for men, falling from 30% in 1990 to only 10% in 2010. For women, the figures were much lower and decreased from 7% to 3% over the same period. In contrast, the tourism sector became more popular among women, increasing from 23% in 1990 to 27% in 2010, while the percentage for men dropped slightly from 13% to 10%.

Examiner feedback

This is an exceptional response that meets all the criteria for Band 9. It provides a crystal-clear overview, accurately captures all major trends, and uses sophisticated, error-free language to compare the data effectively.

Task Achievement - 9

- All requirements of the task are fully satisfied, including a comprehensive overview and detailed data support. - Key features are expertly selected, with a focus on both the significant decline in manufacturing for men and the steady growth in the health sector for women. - All data points provided in the response are accurate and compared effectively across the three time periods.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- The message can be followed effortlessly due to logical paragraphing and a clear progression of ideas. - Cohesive devices (e.g., 'Looking first at...', 'In contrast', 'Turning to...') are used naturally and do not attract undue attention. - Information is organized logically by grouping related sectors, making the comparison between genders and years easy to track.

Lexical Resource - 9

- Demonstrates a sophisticated and precise range of vocabulary (e.g., 'declined considerably', 'stable', 'proportion', 'sector', 'field'). - Use of synonyms for 'industry' (sectors, fields) and 'percentage' (proportion, figure) shows high-level lexical flexibility. - Spelling and word formation are flawless.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of complex structures is used with full control, such as participial phrases ('falling from...', 'increasing from...') and subordinate clauses. - The response is error-free in terms of grammar and punctuation. - Sentence variety is excellent, balancing simple statements with more complex comparative structures.

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