Back to Writing Hub

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.

230 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 given graph illustrates how much oil was produced and consumed in China over the 24-year course from 1982 to 2006. Overall, it is evident that oil output and consumption in China witnessed an upward trend over the examined span, despite an 8-year stability recorded in both figures. Also of note is that the gap between the two measures widened considerably as consumption eventually overtook production. The chart’s horizontal labels, however, run from 1965 to 2010, with 2010 appearing twice, rather than matching the 1982–2006 period stated in the prompt; therefore, the comparisons below refer to the plotted sequence from left to right.

At the first point, production was about 2 million barrels per day, slightly above consumption, at just under 2 million. Production then climbed to around 3 million by the second point and stayed close to this level through the middle of the graph, finishing at approximately 3.5 million. Consumption, by contrast, edged up from just below 2 million to about 2 million during the early part of the sequence. It then rose sharply, reaching roughly 3.3 million around the middle, before increasing further to 4 million and then 5 million. At the final plotted point, it stood at just over 6 million barrels per day, nearly twice production. Thus, while both series increased overall, consumption grew much more strongly later, reversing their relative positions.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Check the overview against the plotted lines: production is nearly flat for a stretch, but consumption does not show the same stability.
2
When the task text and visual labels conflict, state the discrepancy briefly and compare the sequence of plotted values rather than assigning uncertain dates.
3
Use approximate figures selectively to support the main contrasts: production finishes near 3.5 million barrels per day, while consumption ends just above 6 million.

Related examples for this topic

Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.

Browse all