Writing Academic Task 1 Band 8.0 Example

The provided illustration consists of a line graph depicting the distribution of water consumption across three sectors – agriculture, industry, and domestic use – from 1900 to 2000, alongside a table comparing water use in Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the year 2000. Overall, in 2000, agriculture accounted for the majority of global water use, and consumption rose in all three sectors over the period. Brazil also recorded substantially higher figures than the Democratic Republic of Congo for population, irrigated land and water use per person.

In 1900, agricultural consumption stood at about 500 km³, compared with roughly 100 km³ for industry and a smaller amount for domestic use. All three measures increased gradually until around the middle of the century. Thereafter, agricultural use rose more sharply, reaching approximately 3,000 km³ by 2000. Industrial consumption also accelerated, especially after 1970, to around 1,400 km³, while domestic use climbed more moderately to about 500 km³.

The table shows a marked contrast between the two countries. Brazil had a population of 176 million, against 5.2 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 26,500 km² of irrigated land compared with just 100 km². Water consumption per person was likewise much higher in Brazil, at 359 m³, whereas the corresponding figure for the Democratic Republic of Congo was only 8 m³.