IELTS Writing Task 1: the most common mistake

The most common mistake in IELTS writing task 1 is not a grammar mistake.

Find the 2 big mistakes in the sentences below (not grammar mistakes).

The unemployment rate in the UK rose by 2% between 2008 and 2009, whereas Canada decreased by about 1%. The USA was the highest, at just over 4%.

CORRECT ANSWER FROM SIMON:

Thanks, you all seem to have spotted the problem: You CAN'T write "Canada decreased" or "the USA was the highest".

Canada didn't decrease! The unemployment rate decreased. Here's an example:

The unemployment rate in the UK rose by 2% between 2008 and 2009, whereas in Canada it decreased by about 1%. The unemployment rate in the USA was the highest, at just over 4%.