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Writing Academic Task 1 Band 9.0 Example

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

193 words AcademicTask 1Line Graph
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

  • Petroleum was the leading fuel throughout, reaching about 140 in the mid-1980s, dipping around 1990–91, then recovering to a similar level.
  • Coal had a sharp early fall, a partial rebound, and then a longer decline to about 35 by 2000.
  • Natural gas stayed near 40 for much of the 1980s, rose strongly after 1991, and ended at about 100, above coal but below petroleum.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the graph by naming the three fuels, the UK, the years and the unit.
  2. Give an overview of the overall ranking and the contrasting directions of change.
  3. Describe petroleum’s rise, dip and recovery with key dates and approximate figures.
  4. Compare coal’s decline with natural gas’s later growth, including their end values.
Useful vocabulary & examples
remain the leading source
continue to have the highest production level among the categories.

Petroleum remained the leading source throughout the period.

fall sharply
decrease quickly and substantially over a relatively short interval.

Coal production fell sharply to around 40 in 1984.

recover to approximately
rise again after a decline to reach a similar or specified level.

Petroleum recovered to approximately 140 in 1996.

overtake
become greater than another category after previously being lower.

Natural gas overtook coal in the early 1990s.

Task Prompt

The graph below shows the production levels of the main kinds of fuel in the UK between 1981 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparison where relevant.
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 9.0

The chart presents a comprehensive overview of the production trends of three primary fuel sources in the United Kingdom over a period of 19 years starting from 1981. The overall pattern exhibits a notable shift in the dominance of fuel sources over the two-decade period, with natural gas experiencing a dramatic surge, coal production undergoing a marked decline overall.

Petroleum was the leading fuel throughout the period. Its output rose from about 90 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 1981 to roughly 140 by the mid-1980s. It then fell to around 100 in 1990–91 before recovering to approximately 140 in 1996. Thereafter, it fluctuated slightly but remained close to that level, finishing at about 140 in 2000.

Coal production began at about 80, dropped sharply to around 40 in 1984, and rebounded to approximately 60 two years later. After that, it generally declined, ending at roughly 35 in 2000. Natural gas started at about 40 and remained fairly stable until the late 1980s. Output then increased, especially after 1991, reaching around 80 by the mid-1990s and 100 by 2000. Thus, gas overtook coal in the early 1990s, although petroleum stayed well ahead.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Make the overview a single, compact comparison: state that petroleum remained highest, gas rose substantially, and coal declined overall.
2
Check that each approximate figure is attached to a clear year or period, especially the petroleum peak in the mid-1980s and its later recovery around 1996.
3
Reduce introductory wording and use parallel trend verbs in comparisons, for example, “gas rose while coal fell,” before adding specific figures.

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