The graph below shows the percentage of self-employed workers of the total workforce in five countries in 1998 and 2008.

Percentage Self Employed Workers Total Workforce Five Countries 1998 2008 - 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 8 · 200 words.

The given bar chart depicts the proportion of self-employed individuals within the total workforce across five nations -- the Russian Republic, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Turkey -- throughout a decade, from 1998 to 2008.

Overall, Greece and Turkey maintained the highest rates despite experiencing declines, while the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Russia Republic saw modest increases. Notably, despite these shifts, the relative ranking of the five countries remained unchanged over a ten-year period; with Turkey consistently at the top and the Russian Republic at the bottom.

In terms of the countries with the highest self-employment rates, Turkey stood out as the highest at approximately 55% in 1998, plunging significantly to just under 40% in 2008. Greece ranked second at roughly 43% in 1998, decreasing marginally to around 35% in 2008. Consequently, the disparity between these two leading countries dwindled over the provided timeframe.

Conversely, the countries with lower proportions, all experienced growth. There was an increase in the Czech Republic and Slovakia from about 11% (1998) to nearly 15% (2008) and from 7% in 1998 to 11% in 2008 respectively. The Russian Republic recorded the lowest percentage, negligibly rising from approximately 5% (1998) to around 7% (2008).

Examiner feedback

This is an excellent response that demonstrates a high level of control over both language and data analysis. The candidate has successfully identified the primary trends—the decline in high-rate countries and the growth in low-rate countries—and presented them in a highly organized and readable format. The vocabulary is academic and varied, and the overview is particularly strong.

Task Achievement - 8

- The response covers all requirements of the task, including a clear overview and appropriate data selection. - Key features are skillfully highlighted, such as the ranking of countries and the contrasting trends between the two groups. - Data is accurately represented from the chart, though 'plunging significantly' might be a slight overstatement for the Turkey drop compared to the visual scale, it remains a valid interpretation of the major change.

Coherence & Cohesion - 8

- Paragraphing is logically managed, with a clear introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs grouped by trends. - Cohesive devices such as 'Notably', 'Consequently', and 'Conversely' are used naturally to link ideas. - Progression is clear throughout the response, moving from a general summary to specific data details.

Lexical Resource - 8

- A wide resource of vocabulary is used to convey precise meanings (e.g., 'proportion', 'disparity', 'dwindled', 'negligibly'). - Lexical variety is evident in describing changes ('plunging significantly', 'decreasing marginally', 'modest increases'). - High level of awareness regarding collocations and academic style.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 8

- A wide range of structures is used with flexibility, including complex sentences and participial phrases (e.g., 'plunging significantly'). - The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled well. - Minor issues are extremely rare, though 'the Russia Republic' should have been 'the Russian Republic' consistently.

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