User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 8.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

187 words AcademicTask 1Pie Chart

Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

Compare the leading reason across both years: suitable degree courses ranked first, rising slightly from 35% to 37%.
Highlight the largest increase: choosing a university close to the parental home went from 10% to 22%.
Contrast the sharpest decline with the smaller fall: sports and social activities dropped from 19% to 6%, while quality of resources moved from 21% to 17%.

Suggested structure

Paraphrase the chart topic and identify both years.
Give an overview of the top reason and the most notable increases and decreases.
Describe the 1987 figures, grouping the largest and smallest categories.
Compare the 2007 figures with 1987, using exact percentages and clear change language.

Useful vocabulary & examples

accounted for: made up a particular percentage or share
Suitable degree courses accounted for 35% of responses in 1987.
rose slightly: increased by a small amount
The share choosing suitable degree courses rose slightly to 37%.
increased considerably: grew by a noticeable amount
The proportion choosing a university close to home increased considerably, from 10% to 22%.
fell substantially: decreased by a large amount
Good sports and social activities fell substantially, from 19% to 6%.

Task Prompt

The charts below show the main reasons why students chose a particular university in the UK, in 1997 and 2007.

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 8.0

The data compares the factors driving students’ application to a university in the UK in 1987 and in 2007. Overall, there were increases in the percentages of the suitability of majors, the distance between the university and home, and the teaching quality, while the figure for the quality of resources, sports and social activities decreased. In 1987, suitable degree courses were the leading reason, at 35%, followed by quality of resources (21%) and good sports and social activities (19%). Quality of teaching accounted for 15%, whereas living close to a parent’s home was the least common reason, at 10%. By 2007, suitable degree courses remained the top factor and edged up to 37%. The proportion choosing the university because it was close to a parent’s home more than doubled to 22%, making this the second-largest category. Teaching quality also rose slightly, from 15% to 18%, while resources fell from 21% to 17%. The sharpest decline was in sports and social activities, which dropped from 19% to 6%. Thus, course choice remained dominant, while proximity to family gained importance and sports and social activities became much less influential.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Check the year discrepancy before writing: the task sentence gives 1997, but the chart heading visibly gives 1987.

Use the chart’s category labels accurately, especially “close to parental home,” rather than describing this as distance from home.

Make the overview more specific by naming the overall pattern: three categories rose, while resources and sports/social activities declined.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

8.0

Excellent

Words

187

Type

Pie Chart

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

6.5 Band

The completed response includes an overview and compares all five categories with figures that match the chart. For example, it notes the rise in suitable degree courses from 35% to 37% and the fall in sports and social activities from 19% to 6%. However, “the distance between the university and home” misstates the chart’s category, which is closeness to a parental home. The task statement says 1997, while the chart itself says 1987; check which year is intended before submitting.

Coherence & Cohesion

7.0 Band

The response moves clearly from an overview to the 1987 figures, then the 2007 comparisons, and finishes with a concise summary. The transition “By 2007” helps orient the reader, and the comparisons are easy to follow. The overview’s grouping of several categories makes its trend summary less precise than the later detail. For an even clearer structure, organise the overview around the two categories that fell and the three that rose, using the chart’s category labels.

Lexical Resource

6.5 Band

There is useful topic vocabulary in phrases such as “the leading reason,” “the least common reason,” and “the sharpest decline.” These support clear comparisons without unnecessary repetition. However, “the percentages of the suitability of majors” is an awkward way to describe students’ choices, and “the distance between the university and home” does not accurately name the chart category. Prefer precise labels such as “suitable degree courses” and “proximity to a parent’s home.”

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

7.0 Band

The response uses a good range of sentence forms, including the contrast in “while resources fell from 21% to 17%” and the relative clause “which dropped from 19% to 6%.” Most sentences are controlled and readable. The main weakness is the long, parallel list in the overview, where the grammatical structure becomes awkward around “the percentages of the suitability of majors.” Use a simpler construction such as “the proportions choosing suitable courses, proximity to home and teaching quality all rose.”

Topic Band Distribution

Band 9.03 examples

Band 8.03 examples

Band 7.03 examples

Band 6.03 examples

Band 5.03 examples

Band 4.03 examples

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