User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 4.0 Example

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

206 words AcademicTask 1Line Graph

Task 1

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

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.

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 4.0

The line graph illustrates the production levels of three kinds of fossil fuel in the UK from 1981 to 2000. Overall, while level of petroleum and natural gas increased remarkably, the opposite was true for coal in the given period. Also, no fuels were producted more than petroleum. In 1981, the number tones of generated energy units for each fuel can be compared. Petroleum was about 90 units, while coal stood at 80 and natural gas at around 38. Petroleum then climbed quickly, reaching approximately 140 in 1985, before falling to about 100 in 1990. It rose again after this and finished at close to 140 in 2000, remaining the highest fuel throughout most of the period. Coal production went down sharply to nearly 37 units in 1984, then recovered to around 63 in 1986. After some fluctuation, it generally declined, ending at about 36 units. By contrast, natural gas stayed close to 40 units until the late 1980s. It then increased gradually, and the growth became faster after 1991. It reached about 75 in 1994 and continued upward to 100 by 2000. At the end, gas had become the second-largest fuel, while coal was the lowest. Thus, petroleum remained dominant, despite changes in its production.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Write an overview that distinguishes the trends: petroleum fluctuates but ends higher than it began, natural gas rises substantially, and coal falls overall.

Select a few clear comparison points, such as the starting levels, petroleum’s mid-period low and later peak, and the three fuels’ 2000 values.

Proofread technical phrases and word forms, especially “produced,” “production level,” articles, and the units used on the graph.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

4.0

Modest

Words

206

Type

Line Graph

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

5.0 Band

You give an overview with “the opposite was true for coal” and report the main rises and falls, including petroleum’s peak and the upward trend in natural gas. The completed answer also compares the fuels at the start and end. However, “no fuels were producted more than petroleum” is unclear, and the overview does not clearly distinguish petroleum’s fluctuations from gas’s steadier rise. Next, state the overall ranking and contrasting trends precisely.

Coherence & Cohesion

5.0 Band

The answer moves from an overview to starting values and then describes petroleum, coal and natural gas in separate sequences. Transitions such as “By contrast” help signal comparisons. However, the awkward sentence beginning “In 1981, the number tones” interrupts the flow, and the fuel-by-fuel account could connect the final comparison more directly to the overview. Next, group the start and end figures together, then describe the major trends in a clear order.

Lexical Resource

4.5 Band

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “climbed quickly,” “fell sharply” in meaning through “went down sharply,” and “second-largest fuel.” These phrases help describe changes and rank the fuels. Some wording is inaccurate or unnatural: “producted” is not the correct form, and “number tones of generated energy units” is difficult to understand. Next, practise accurate collocations such as “production stood at” and “rose to,” and use them consistently.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

4.0 Band

The answer includes some clear simple sentences, for example, “It then increased gradually,” and attempts a complex contrast with “while level of petroleum and natural gas increased.” However, errors in articles and word forms (“while level,” “producted”) and the construction “the number tones of generated energy units” reduce clarity. Next, check articles, subject–verb agreement and noun phrases sentence by sentence, especially in the overview and opening comparison.

Topic Band Distribution

Band 9.03 examples

Band 8.03 examples

Band 7.03 examples

Band 6.03 examples

Band 5.03 examples

Band 4.03 examples

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