respectively
In the same order as the things just mentioned.
ExampleThe figures for men and women were 45% and 55%, respectively.
ExampleFrance and Italy spent 12% and 18% of their budgets on transport, respectively.
Usage Scenarios
Paired figures in Task 1
Use respectively only when the order of groups and figures is clear enough for the reader to match them immediately.
ExampleThe figures for men and women were 45% and 55%, respectively.
Concise data comparison
Use it to avoid repeating the same sentence pattern when two or three figures line up cleanly with named groups.
ExampleFrance and Italy spent 12% and 18% of their budgets on transport, respectively.
Usage Guide
Use respectively when two or more figures match two or more previously named items in exactly the same order.
A safe Task 1 pattern is A and B were 40% and 60%, respectively, where the order of groups and figures is unmistakable.
Do not use respectively to sound academic. If the sentence has too many groups or numbers, separate it into two clearer sentences.
Word Forms & Word Building
Respectively is built from respective plus the adverb suffix -ly. Respective means belonging separately to each item already named.
The suffix -ly turns it into an ordering adverb: A and B were 40% and 60%, respectively.
Do not connect it to respect meaning admiration in IELTS data writing; here it is about ordered correspondence between items and figures.
Meaning Boundaries
Respectively vs separately
Separately means apart. Respectively means the figures match the previously named items in the same order.
Respectively vs each
Each can describe individual items. Respectively is only useful when there are paired lists, such as two countries and two numbers.
Best IELTS context
Use respectively in Task 1 only when it makes paired figures shorter and clearer.
Memory Tricks
Store respectively as in the same order. First check that you have two groups and two figures.
Use it to shorten clean paired data: men and women were 45% and 55%, respectively.
If the reader must work hard to match the pairs, split the sentence instead of using respectively.
Common Traps
Do not use respectively with only one item.
Do not use it if the order of the groups and figures is not perfectly clear.
Avoid long respectively sentences with many items; they become harder to read.