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Writing Academic Task 1 Band 5.0 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 5.0

The pie charts given illustrate the major reasons why scholars select a specific university in 1997 and 2007 in the UK. Overall, it can be observed that quality of resources, teaching, and suitable degree courses have major importance in both the years while choosing a specific university. There was a drastic change in consideration of the first-year label: the chart itself identifies it as 1987, although the task statement says 1997. In 1987, suitable degree courses were the leading reason, at 35%, followed by quality of resources at 21% and good sports and social activities at 19%. Teaching quality accounted for 15%, while being close to home was least important, at 10%. By 2007, suitable courses remained the top factor and edged up to 37%. The share choosing a university for its resources fell slightly, from 21% to 17%, while teaching rose from 15% to 18%. The most notable rise was in proximity to home, which more than doubled from 10% to 22%. In contrast, sports and social activities dropped sharply from 19% to 6%, becoming the least common reason. Thus, courses remained the leading consideration, whereas location gained importance and extracurricular facilities lost appeal.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Resolve the year discrepancy explicitly: the task statement says 1997, while the first pie chart is labelled 1987; identify which label you use before comparing figures.
2
Build the overview around the leading and most changed categories: courses remain highest, proximity to home rises, and sports and social activities fall.
3
Use parallel comparisons with both figures, such as “rose from 10% to 22%,” and check that each percentage is attached to the correct reason.

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