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.

201 words AcademicTask 1Line Graph

Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

Identify the overall direction of each line separately: margarine and butter fall over the full period, while the low-fat variety rises after it appears and then declines.
Highlight key turning points: butter peaks in 1986, margarine reaches a plateau around 100 grams in 1991–1996, and the low-fat line surges by 2001.
Mention crossovers where they change the ranking: Low Fat & Reduced Spreads is highest in 2001, while butter and margarine are no longer the leading series.

Suggested structure

Introduce the graph, naming all three spreads, the years and the unit.
Give an overview that accurately summarises the different overall patterns and the late-period ranking.
Describe butter and margarine together, using their start values, peaks or plateaus and final values.
Describe the later-starting low-fat series and compare its 2001 peak with the other spreads.

Useful vocabulary & examples

reached a peak of: rose to its highest recorded value
Butter reached a peak of approximately 160 grams in 1986.
remained stable at: stayed at approximately the same level
Margarine consumption remained stable at around 100 grams from 1991 to 1996.
overtook both alternatives: became higher than the other two series
Low Fat & Reduced Spreads overtook both alternatives in 2001.
eased to: fell slightly or gradually to a lower value
The low-fat spread eased to about 70 grams by 2007.

Task Prompt

The graph below shows the consumption of 3 spreads from 1981 to 2007.

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 8.0

The line graph illustrates changes in the consumption of three different spreads in grams over the period from 1981 to 2007. Overall, the consumption of margarine and butter showed a declining trend throughout the period, while the consumption of low fat & reduced spreads experienced fluctuations over the years. Margarine consumption started at approximately 140 grams in 1981, although the chart puts margarine at about 90 grams at that point; 140 grams is the figure for butter. Margarine then fell to 80 grams in 1986, rose to 100 in 1991 and remained at that level in 1996. It subsequently dropped to around 80 in 2001 and 40 in 2007. Butter peaked at roughly 160 grams in 1986, then declined sharply to 100 in 1991 and continued falling to about 70 in 1996, 60 in 2001 and 50 in 2007. Low fat & reduced spreads first appeared at around 10 grams in 1996. Their consumption rose steeply to approximately 85 grams in 2001, before easing to 70 grams by the end of the period. Thus, butter was the most popular spread until 1991, after which margarine and low fat & reduced spreads became more competitive. By 2007, margarine was the least consumed of the three.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Before writing, note the starting and ending values for each line: margarine is about 90 grams in 1981 and 40 in 2007, while butter starts at about 140 and ends near 50.

Make the overview distinguish overall direction from every intermediate movement: butter falls overall, margarine fluctuates and ends lower, and low-fat spreads rise sharply before falling.

Use a quick final graph check to confirm that each figure is attached to the correct spread, especially where two lines meet or cross.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

8.0

Excellent

Words

201

Type

Line Graph

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

6.5 Band

The response covers all three spreads and includes useful comparisons, including butter’s peak at “roughly 160 grams in 1986” and the rise and later fall of low-fat spreads. However, the overview says margarine and butter declined “throughout the period,” which overlooks margarine’s rise and plateau, and the initial 140-gram figure for margarine is corrected only in the body. Next, verify each series against the graph and make the overview reflect the main trends accurately.

Coherence & Cohesion

7.0 Band

The answer moves from an overview to figures for margarine, butter and low-fat spreads, then closes with a comparison of their final positions. This gives the reader a clear route through the data. The correction beginning “although the chart puts margarine at about 90 grams” interrupts the description because the preceding figure is inaccurate. Plan the overview and body together, and group comparisons by trend or period so corrections are unnecessary.

Lexical Resource

7.0 Band

There is a useful range of graph language, including “peaked,” “declined sharply,” “rose steeply” and “easing,” which makes changes easy to follow. “Consumption” is appropriately repeated as the topic requires. The graph’s category name appears as “low fat & reduced spreads”; in formal prose, writing “low-fat and reduced-fat spreads” would read more smoothly. Keep the trend verbs, while using the category wording consistently.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

7.5 Band

The response uses accurate complex structures, such as “while the consumption of low fat & reduced spreads experienced fluctuations,” and generally controls past-tense descriptions and comparisons well. The sentence beginning “Margarine consumption started” is grammatically sound but contains a factual mismatch that is then clarified. For a cleaner final version, check the plotted value before drafting each sentence and use consistent hyphenation in compound modifiers such as “low-fat.”

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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