User-written IELTS example
Writing Academic Task 1 Band 7.0 Example
Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.
Illustrative target band for this original model 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
- Introduce the graph by naming the three fuels, the UK, the years and the unit.
- Give an overview of the overall ranking and the contrasting directions of change.
- Describe petroleum’s rise, dip and recovery with key dates and approximate figures.
- 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

User Essay Analysis
Review the public answer with report-style highlights.
The line graph illustrates the varying production frequencies of fuel in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 2000. Overall, there were three types of changes in all the categories included, with fluctuations in petroleum, an increase in gas, and an unstable downward trend in coal. It is evident that both petroleum and gas had higher production levels than coal by 2000. Petroleum remained the leading fuel throughout the period. Its output rose from about 90 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 1981 to around 140 in 1985, before falling to roughly 100 in 1990. It then recovered, reaching approximately 140 in 1996, and fluctuated slightly around this level to 2000.
By contrast, coal production began at about 80 million tonnes. After a small decline, it dropped sharply to around 40 in 1984, then rebounded to just over 60 in 1986. Thereafter, its output generally fell, ending at approximately 35 in 2000. Natural gas started at about 40 and remained broadly stable until the late 1980s. From around 1990, production increased gradually, then more rapidly in the mid-1990s, reaching about 75 by 1994. It continued to rise and finished at around 100 in 2000.
Targeted Improvement Tips
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