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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 7.0 Example

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

195 words AcademicTask 1Pie Chart
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

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

  1. Paraphrase the chart topic and identify both years.
  2. Give an overview of the top reason and the most notable increases and decreases.
  3. Describe the 1987 figures, grouping the largest and smallest categories.
  4. 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.
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 7.0

The charts illustrate the proportions of why students choose a particular university in UK between the years of 1987 and 2007 Overall, it can be seen that, suitable degree courses accounted were the main reason for students in both years, whereas the lowest percentage were for close to parental home; however, it has become crucial to note that the reasons changed considerably over the period. In 1987, suitable degree courses were selected by 35% of students. This share rose slightly to 37% in 2007, remaining the largest category in both years. Quality of resources was the second most popular reason in 1987, at 21%, but its figure fell to 17% ten years later. Good sports and social activities experienced the sharpest decline, dropping from 19% to just 6%.

By contrast, living close to the parental home became much more important, rising from 10% to 22%. It was the least common reason in 1987, but ranked second in 2007. The proportion choosing quality of teaching also increased modestly, from 15% to 18%. Overall, the charts indicate a shift towards location and teaching, while sports and social facilities became less influential; suitable courses remained students’ main consideration.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Check the year discrepancy before writing: the task wording says 1997, but the chart label says 1987. Follow the visual data and, if appropriate, flag the mismatch.
2
Write a two-sentence overview that states the biggest category and the most notable changes; check that each claim applies to the correct year.
3
Proofread the opening for verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, especially “accounted were,” “percentage were,” and “in UK.”

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