IELTS Writing Task 1: Unemployment Rates in Two Regions

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Writing Prompt

The line graph below shows the unemployment rate, as a percentage of the workforce, in a northern region and a southern region of one country between 2000 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The vertical axis shows the unemployment rate from 0 to 14 per cent, and the horizontal axis is marked every five years from 2000 to 2020. The northern region begins at about 6 per cent, rises sharply to a peak of 12 per cent in 2010, and then falls back to around 5 per cent by 2020. The southern region starts higher at roughly 9 per cent, remains fairly stable until 2010, and afterwards declines gradually to about 7 per cent, ending the period above the northern region for the first time.

Show Band 8–9 model answer

The line graph compares changes in unemployment rates in the northern and southern regions of a country between 2000 and 2020.

Overall, the north experienced more dramatic fluctuations, with unemployment first rising and then falling sharply, while the south saw a gradual, steady decline. By the end of the period, the northern region, which had initially been better off, recorded a lower unemployment rate than the south.

In 2000, unemployment in the north stood at about 6%, noticeably lower than the southern figure of around 9%. Over the next decade, the northern rate climbed steeply, more or less doubling to reach a peak of 12% by 2010. In contrast, the south’s unemployment remained relatively stable, hovering close to its initial level throughout this first ten-year period.

After 2010, the trends diverged markedly. The proportion of unemployed people in the northern region fell rapidly, dropping from its 12% peak to approximately 5% by 2020, the lowest level shown on the graph for either region. Meanwhile, the south experienced only a slow, incremental improvement, with unemployment edging down to about 7% by the end of the period, which, for the first time, left it with a higher rate than the north.

Why this response works

This response would achieve a high band because it offers a clear overview highlighting key trends and end points, fully addressing all aspects of the task. Data are accurately reported with appropriate comparisons between regions and across time. The organisation is logical, with a clear progression from general overview to detailed description, and cohesive devices are used naturally. Lexical resource is strong and varied (e.g. “hovering,” “diverged markedly,” “incremental improvement”), and a range of complex yet controlled sentence structures are employed with a very high level of grammatical accuracy.