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Writing Academic Task 1 Band 6.0 Example

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186 words AcademicTask 1Line Graph

Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model 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 6.0

The graph illustrates the rate of consumption of three spreads, which are margarine, low-fat and reduced spreads, and butter, from 1981 to 2007. It is clearly mentioned that margarine and butter are used earlier than low-fat and reduced spreads. The staple spread from the early 1980s until the early 1990s was butter. The consumption of butter then declined sharply after 1986, falling from about 160 grams to 100 grams in 1991. It continued to decrease, reaching around 70 grams in 1996 and 40 grams by 2007. Margarine fluctuated initially, dropping from 90 grams in 1981 to 80 in 1986, before rising to 100 grams in both 1991 and 1996. After that, its figure fell to about 90 grams in 2001 and 40 grams in 2007. Low-fat and reduced spreads first appeared at approximately 10 grams in 1996. Their consumption rose rapidly to around 85 grams in 2001, before declining to 70 grams at the end. Overall, butter was the most consumed spread at the beginning, while by 2007 butter and margarine were at similar low levels and low-fat and reduced spreads had become the most popular.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Replace the indirect phrase “It is clearly mentioned” with a direct graph-reporting verb such as “The graph shows.”

State the overview in one clear comparison: butter leads at the start, while low-fat and reduced spreads rise later and finish highest.

Check each approximate figure against its year and series, especially the close end values for butter and margarine in 2007.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

6.0

Competent

Words

186

Type

Line Graph

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

6.0 Band

The answer identifies the graph’s categories and period, and the closing comparison—“butter and margarine were at similar low levels”—captures an important end-point feature. It also reports the main rise and fall for each spread with approximate figures. However, “margarine and butter are used earlier than low-fat and reduced spreads” is an unclear description of when the series begin. Make the overview more direct by contrasting butter’s early lead with the later rise of low-fat and reduced spreads.

Coherence & Cohesion

6.0 Band

The response moves from an introduction and early overview into figures for butter, margarine and low-fat spreads, then ends with “Overall,” which gives it a recognisable progression. The detail is easy to follow, though the initial overview is vague and the body could group trends more deliberately. Use one paragraph for the main overview and separate the early-starting spreads from the series that begins in 1996.

Lexical Resource

6.0 Band

Phrases such as “declined sharply,” “fluctuated initially” and “rose rapidly” describe the trends efficiently, and “approximately” signals that the figures are estimates. Some wording is less natural: “the staple spread” is an unusual label here, while “its figure” is vague. Prefer precise chart language such as “the most widely consumed spread” and “margarine consumption,” and avoid repeating “consumption” when a clear pronoun will do.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

5.5 Band

The response uses a mix of simple statements and more developed clauses, including “falling from about 160 grams to 100 grams in 1991.” The main weakness is the opening description: “which are margarine, low-fat and reduced spreads, and butter” makes the list difficult to parse, and “are used earlier than” is awkward for describing a historical graph. Use a clean list and consistent past-tense reporting for the trends.

Topic Band Distribution

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Writing Academic Task 1 Band 6.0 Example

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