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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 8.0 Example

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

210 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

  • Compare which series begins higher and which one ends higher; here, production starts slightly above consumption, but consumption finishes much higher.
  • Identify the different rates of change: production rises gradually, while consumption accelerates after the early plotted years.
  • Mention the axis-label problem: the task’s stated dates do not match the displayed years, and the last year is printed twice.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the graph, measures, and units.
  2. Give an overview of the overall direction and the main contrast between the two lines.
  3. Describe production’s starting level, plateau, and gradual later rise.
  4. Describe consumption’s early stability and sharper increase, then compare the final plotted values.
  5. Briefly note that the displayed dates are inconsistent or duplicated where this affects interpretation.
Useful vocabulary & examples
rose gradually
increased slowly over time

Oil production rose gradually after remaining near 3 million barrels per day.

remained stable
stayed at approximately the same level

Production remained stable at around 3 million barrels per day for a period.

increased substantially
went up by a large amount

Consumption increased substantially and reached about 6.3 million barrels per day at the final plotted point.

the gap widened
the difference between two values became greater

The gap between oil consumption and production widened as consumption climbed.

Task Prompt

The line graph below shows the oil production and consumption in China between 1982 and 2006.
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 8.0

The line graph illustrates the trends in oil production and consumption in China from 1982 to 2006, measured in millions of barrels per day. Overall, both production and consumption exhibit an upward trajectory, with consumption significantly outpacing production in the later years. In 1982, China’s oil production stood at 2 million barrels per day, showing the starting point for a subsequent modest rise. It then climbed to approximately 3 million barrels per day by 1986 and remained close to this figure through the early 1990s. Production increased only gradually thereafter, reaching about 3.5 million barrels per day at the end of the period.

Consumption, by contrast, began at just under 2 million barrels per day and changed little in the first few years. From the early 1990s, however, it rose much more rapidly: it was around 3.3 million barrels per day in 1994, 4 million in 1998, and 5 million in 2002. By 2006, consumption had reached approximately 6.3 million barrels per day.

Thus, the two measures started at similar levels, but their paths diverged markedly after the early 1990s. While production increased by roughly 1.5 million barrels per day overall, consumption more than tripled and finished nearly 3 million barrels per day higher than production.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Check the start and end values for both lines, then use those points to support the overview and final comparison.
2
Select only the most informative intermediate values; group the nearly stable production figures rather than describing every small movement.
3
Avoid repeating the same overall contrast in both the overview and conclusion; use the closing sentence to add a distinct comparison or end after the final key figure.

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