The bar chart illustrates the percentage contribution of three sectors — Agriculture, Industry, and Services — to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over five decades, from 1960 to 2000.
Band 9 Sample Answer:
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The bar chart presents the changing contributions of agriculture, industry, and services to India's GDP between 1960 and 2000. Over this period, the agricultural sector saw a significant decline, while the service sector steadily gained prominence.
Overall, the chart clearly shows a major structural transformation in India's economy: from an agriculture-based system in the 1960s to one led by services by the turn of the century.
In 1960, agriculture accounted for the largest share of GDP, contributing over 60%. In comparison, industry and services made up much smaller proportions, each contributing just under 20%. This distribution began to shift in the following decades.
By 1970, agriculture's share had fallen slightly to around 55%, while services edged ahead of industry for the first time. The gap between these two non-agricultural sectors continued to grow. In 1980, although agriculture still dominated, its share dropped further to approximately 45%, and services rose to nearly 30%.
The 1990s marked a turning point. Agriculture and services contributed almost equally at just over 30%, with industry maintaining a relatively stable share throughout the period. By 2000, services emerged as the dominant sector, contributing over 60%, while agriculture plummeted to around 15%.
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✅ Band 9 Insights Based on IELTS Writing Criteria
1. Task Achievement
✔ The response accurately summarises the main trends and compares key data clearly.
✔ Specific figures are mentioned where appropriate.
✔ No data is misinterpreted or overlooked.
Example: Clear mention of agriculture’s drop from 60% to 15%, and services' rise to dominance.
2. Coherence and Cohesion
✔ Logical flow: introduction → description → comparisons → conclusion.
✔ Effective use of linking phrases: In comparison, This distribution began to shift, By 1970, Overall.
✔ Paragraphing aligns with the sample structure in the Word document.
3. Lexical Resource
✔ Strong academic vocabulary used precisely: accounted for, contributed, structural transformation, emerged as the dominant sector.
✔ No repetition or informal language.
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
✔ Wide variety of sentence structures, including complex and compound-complex forms.
✔ All grammar and punctuation is accurate.
Example: “By 2000, services emerged as the dominant sector, contributing over 60%, while agriculture plummeted to around 15%.”
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