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 production levels of three kinds of fossil fuel in the UK from 1981 to 2000. Overall, while the levels of petroleum and natural gas increased remarkably, the opposite was true for coal in the given period. Also, no fuel was produced more than petroleum. In 1981, the number of tons of oil equivalent produced was approximately 90 million for petroleum, compared with 80 million for coal and 40 million for natural gas.
Petroleum then rose sharply, reaching roughly 140 million by the mid-1980s, before declining to around 100 million in 1990. It recovered during the early 1990s and, after some fluctuations, finished the period at about 140 million.
Coal followed a markedly different pattern. After remaining near 80 million at the start, its output fell steeply to around 40 million in 1984. It rebounded to just over 60 million by 1986, but generally declined thereafter, ending at approximately 35 million in 2000.
Natural gas production was comparatively stable at around 40 million throughout much of the 1980s. From the early 1990s, however, it climbed steadily, reaching about 75 million in 1994 and 100 million by 2000. Thus, petroleum was consistently the leading fuel, while natural gas overtook coal in the early 1990s.
Targeted Improvement Tips
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