Back to Writing Hub

User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 6.0 Example

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

196 words AcademicTask 1Line Graph
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

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 6.0

The provided graph illustrates the level of various fuel production in particular country over the period from 1981 to 2000. Overall,the production of petrolium represented the highest proportion with some fluctuations throughout the period, while the rest of productions were relatively small. The figure related to natural gas shows a sustainable growth over the period, whereas coal output declined markedly overall. In 1981, petroleum stood at about 90 energy units, compared with roughly 80 for coal and 40 for natural gas. Petroleum then climbed quickly, reaching around 140 units by 1985, before falling to approximately 100 in 1990. It recovered afterwards and finished at about 140–145 units in 2000, remaining the leading fuel. Coal production fell sharply to around 40 units in 1984, then rebounded to just over 60 in 1986. After this, it generally trended downward, with a brief rise around 1991, and ended at roughly 35 units. By contrast, natural gas remained close to 40 units through most of the 1980s. From the early 1990s it rose steadily, overtook coal at around 1992, and reached approximately 100 units by 2000. Thus, the ranking changed as gas expanded, although petroleum remained substantially higher.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Replace the broad overview phrase “relatively small” with a clear comparison: coal declined overall, while natural gas rose substantially towards the end.
2
Use approximate figures selectively to support the main trends: compare the fuels near 1981 and 2000, and mention petroleum’s peak and coal’s sharp mid-1980s drop.
3
Proofread fuel names, articles, plural forms, and comma spacing; then split the response into an overview paragraph and a details paragraph.

Related examples for this topic

Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.

Browse all