The charts below give information about USA marriage and divorce rates between 1970 and 2000, and the marital status of adult Americans in two of the years.
Sample Response
The first chart illustrates the change in the number of marriages and divorces in the US over a 30-year period from 1970. The second chart compares the proportion of American adults’ different marital statuses in two years, 1970 and 2000.
Overall, there was a clear downward trend of people getting married in the US. Although a majority of adult Americans were married in both recorded years, there was a quite higher percentage of people staying single in 2000.
From 1970 to 1980, 2.5 million marriages were registered in America; however, this number gradually decreased to 2 million by the year 2000. In contrast, the number of divorces filed was around 1 million in 1970 and then reached a peak at almost 1.5 million a decade later. There had been since then fewer divorces and the figure fell back to 1 million in 2000, exactly 50% of that of the marriages in the same year.
The percentage of married American adults dropped from 70% in 1970 to around 60% in 2000. Similarly, there was a marginal decrease in the proportion of widowed people. The figures for never-married people and divorced ones experienced a slight rise, by around 8% for each category.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise plurals Original: the change in the number of marriages and divorces Suggested revision: changes in the numbers of marriages and divorces Why it matters: The chart tracks two separate totals across several years, so plural forms are more precise.
- 2. Clarify the measure Original: the proportion of American adults’ different marital statuses Suggested revision: the proportions of adult Americans in different marital-status categories Why it matters: The chart shows proportions of people in categories, not a proportion belonging to statuses.
- 3. Name the measured total Original: downward trend of people getting married Suggested revision: downward trend in the number of marriages Why it matters: The graph measures marriage registrations rather than the general activity of people getting married.
- 4. Fix modifier order Original: quite Suggested revision: considerably Why it matters: “Quite” does not naturally modify the comparative “higher” in this construction.
- 5. Match chart category Original: people staying single Suggested revision: never-married adults Why it matters: The chart specifically labels this group as people who have never married.
- 6. Fix comparison structure Original: exactly 50% of that of the marriages Suggested revision: exactly half the number of marriages Why it matters: The proposed wording makes the numerical comparison direct and grammatical.
- 7. Report exact value Original: around 60% Suggested revision: 60% Why it matters: The bar is marked at exactly 60%, so approximation is unnecessary.
- 8. Close the time range Original: over a 30-year period from 1970 Suggested revision: over the 30-year period from 1970 to 2000 Why it matters: Naming both endpoints makes the time span immediately clear.
- 9. Tighten the wording Original: in two years, 1970 and 2000 Suggested revision: in 1970 and 2000 Why it matters: The years can be stated directly without the redundant introductory phrase.
- 10. Use concise wording Original: a majority of adult Americans Suggested revision: most adult Americans Why it matters: This expresses the same comparison more directly.
- 11. Refer to shown years Original: in both recorded years Suggested revision: in both years shown Why it matters: “Years shown” refers more naturally to the two values displayed in the chart.
- 12. Match the chart label Original: the number of divorces filed Suggested revision: the number of divorces Why it matters: The chart reports divorces, not specifically the number of legal filings.
Suggested Rewrites
- the change in the number of marriages and divorces changes in the numbers of marriages and divorces
- the proportion of American adults’ different marital statuses the proportions of adult Americans in different marital-status categories
- downward trend of people getting married downward trend in the number of marriages
- quite considerably
- people staying single never-married adults
- exactly 50% of that of the marriages exactly half the number of marriages
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is strongest in its clear organisation and generally accurate selection of the main trends across both charts. Its main limitation is task coverage: the overview omits the rise-then-fall pattern in divorces, while the final claim that the never-married and divorced groups each rose by about eight percentage points overstates both changes. Prioritise exact cross-checking of figures and a more comprehensive overview.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The response presents a clear overview and reports most key figures accurately, but it omits the divorce fluctuation from the overview and overstates the increases in two marital-status groups.
Add the divorce peak and subsequent decline to the overview, and report the never-married and divorced increases as roughly five and six percentage points respectively.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically sequenced into purposeful paragraphs, with clear progression from the broad trends to supporting figures.
Refine the chronological link around the post-1980 divorce trend so that the transition reads more naturally and directly.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is sufficiently varied and generally precise for describing trends and proportions, although a few phrases such as "a quite higher percentage" and "divorced ones" are awkward.
Use more natural statistical collocations such as "a considerably higher proportion" and "the proportion of divorced adults".
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentence forms is used with generally good control, though occasional errors in comparative phrasing, tense, and word order reduce precision.
Recast awkward structures such as "There had been since then fewer divorces" as direct, accurately sequenced clauses such as "Thereafter, the number of divorces declined".
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The charts below give information about USA marriage and divorce rates between 1970 and 2000, and the marital status of adult Americans in two of the years.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.