The table shows the number of employees and factories producing silk in England and Wales between 1851 and 1901.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 1 question on IELTSX. The table shows the number of employees and factories producing silk in England and Wales between 1851 and 1901.

Number of employees and factories producing silk in England and Wales between 1851 and 1901 - 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.

IELTS Writing Task 1 chart for Number of employees and factories producing silk in England and Wales between 1851 and 1901
Chart supplied with the IELTS Writing Task 1 question: Number of employees and factories producing silk in England and Wales between 1851 and 1901

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 8.5 · 217 words.

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The table compares the total number of employees (disaggregated by gender), the number of factories, and the total workforce in a given industry between 1851 and 1901.

Overview

Over the 50-year period, both the workforce and the тоnumber of factories decreased significantly. Notably, women consistently formed the majority of employees, and the most dramatic reduction in the labour force occurred in the second half of the period.

Key trends in employment

Total employment fell steadily from 130,750 in 1851 to 38,942 in 1901, representing a decline of nearly 70%. The number of male workers dropped more sharply, from 53,964 to 13,375, while female employment fell from 76,786 to 25,567. Despite this, women outnumbered men in every single year shown. Interestingly, the male workforce continued to shrink after 1881, whereas female employment experienced a slight increase between 1881 and 1891 (from 32,138 to 33,336) before resuming its downward trend.

Factory numbers

The number of factories peaked in 1861 at 761, even though total employment that year (109,869) was already much lower than in 1851. After that peak, factory numbers declined gradually to 623 in 1901. However, the reduction in factories (around 18%) was far less pronounced than the reduction in total employees, suggesting a significant decrease in average factory size or workforce efficiency over the period.

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Examiner feedback

This is an exceptionally strong response that demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the data. The writer successfully identifies not just the trends, but the relationship between different variables, which is a hallmark of high-band achievement in Task 1. The language is natural, varied, and highly precise throughout.

Task Achievement - 9

- The response fully satisfies all requirements of the task, including a clear overview of main trends. - Key features are skillfully selected and illustrated with accurate data from the table. - Provides insightful comparisons, such as the relationship between factory numbers and employment decline.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- Paragraphing is logically managed with clear functional headings that guide the reader. - Cohesion is used fluidly with effective referencing (e.g., "After that peak", "Despite this"). - The progression of ideas from the overview to specific data categories is effortless.

Lexical Resource - 8

- Precise and sophisticated vocabulary is used (e.g., "disaggregated by gender", "far less pronounced", "resuming its downward trend"). - Excellent control of collocations and industrial terminology. - Minor typo ("тоnumber") is clearly a mechanical slip and does not impact communication.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of complex structures is used with full flexibility and precision. - The majority of sentences are error-free; punctuation is managed perfectly. - Uses sophisticated structures like "while female employment fell" and "representing a decline of".

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