The table below shows the percentage of adults in urban and rural areas who took part in four free time activities 1990 and 2010.

Adults Urban Rural Free Time Activities 1990 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 7 · 212 words.

The table compares four different kinds of spare time activities - reading, animated plays, playing, and photography - in terms of their proportion of adults in urban and rural areas in two separate years, 1990 and 2010. Units are measured in percentages.

From an overall perspective, it is clear that reading was the most common activity across all categories in question, while photography in 1990 and animated plays trailed behind. Of particular note is reading, which represented the same fraction in 2010.

As far as reading is concerned, it recorded at 71% in rural area, compared to 61% of urban area in 1990. However, in 2010, there was a slight increase to 78% in both rural and urban areas. When it comes to playing, it stood at 26% in rural area, in comparison wiht urban area at 21%. Interestingly, in 2010, urban area experienced a downward trajectory to 14%, but rural area remained unchanged in its initial fraction.

By contrast, animated plays in urban area ranked at 10% in both 1990 and 2010, while rural area declined to 14% by 2010 after commencing at 18% in 1990. Meanwhile, photography lagged behind with 7% in urban area and 14% in rural area, but there was a 10% increase in both areas by 2010.

Examiner feedback

The response is a strong Band 7. It provides a clear, well-organized overview and accurately reports the data trends. To improve, the writer should focus on grammatical precision regarding plural nouns and articles, and seek more varied ways to refer to the categories to avoid repetition.

Task Achievement - 7

- The response covers all requirements of the task, including all four activities, both locations, and both years. - A clear overview is provided, highlighting the dominance of reading and mentioning the low participation in other activities. - Data is accurately selected and presented to support the descriptions, although some comparisons could be more nuanced (e.g., specifically noting that reading participation reached parity in 2010).

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Information is logically organized, with separate paragraphs for the introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs grouping the activities. - A range of cohesive devices is used (e.g., 'From an overall perspective', 'By contrast', 'Meanwhile') to guide the reader through the data. - Referencing is generally clear, though there is some repetitive use of the phrases 'urban area' and 'rural area' without pluralization or articles.

Lexical Resource - 7

- The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and shows some flexibility (e.g., 'trailed behind', 'recorded at', 'downward trajectory'). - Most word choices are appropriate, though 'initial fraction' is slightly awkward in this context. - There are a few minor spelling/typo issues ('wiht') and word formation errors, but they do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 7

- A variety of complex structures is used, such as subordinate clauses and comparative structures. - Grammar and punctuation are generally well-controlled, and error-free sentences are frequent. - Frequent minor errors occur with article usage and noun number (e.g., using 'in rural area' instead of 'in rural areas' or 'the rural area').

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