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Writing Academic Task 1 Band 8.0 Example

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190 words AcademicTask 1Line Graph

Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

Highlight the main crossover: Japan leads in the earlier years, while China overtakes it between 2005 and 2010.
Contrast China’s steep late increase with Japan’s gradual decline.
Note that the smaller series do not follow one pattern: the US fluctuates, whereas India rises to a peak and then falls.

Suggested structure

Paraphrase what the graph measures and give the years covered.
Summarise the overall ranking change and the main trends without listing every figure.
Compare Japan and the US, using starting points, changes and final values.
Describe China and India together, emphasising China’s sharp late rise and India’s smaller peak and decline.

Useful vocabulary & examples

accounted for: formed a particular percentage or share of the total
Japan accounted for about 26% of Australian exports in 1990.
rose sharply: increased quickly and substantially
China’s share rose sharply after 2005.
fluctuated: went up and down rather than changing steadily in one direction
The percentage for the US fluctuated over the period.
peaked at: reached its highest point at a particular value
India’s share peaked at about 7% in 2010.

Task Prompt

The line graph shows the percentages of Australian export with four countries. The graph below shows the percentage of Australian exports to 4 countries from 1990 to 2012

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 8.0

The line graph illustrates the percentages of Australian exports to four countries – Japan, the US, China, and India – from 1990 to 2012. Overall, Japan started as the primary export destination but experienced a significant decline over the period. Meanwhile, China surpassed the US to become the top recipient by 2012, with India also fluctuating modestly, reaching a peak before falling slightly at the end. In 1990, Japan accounted for about 26% of exports, well ahead of the US at 11%. China and India received much smaller shares, at approximately 2% and 1%, respectively. Japan’s figure fell to 20% in 1995 and around 18% in 2000, then remained broadly stable until 2005 before settling at about 17% in 2010 and 2012. The US share dipped to 8% in 1995, recovered to 11% in 2000, and then declined to 5% in 2010, before rising to 7% by 2012. By contrast, China’s share increased gradually to 5% in 2000 and 11% in 2005, before climbing steeply to 25% in 2010 and 28% in 2012. India rose from around 1% to a high of 7% in 2010, then fell to 5% at the end.

Targeted Improvement Tips

In the overview, state both the dominant change and a brief starting-point comparison, such as Japan leading initially while China and India were far lower.

Check that each selected figure supports a clear comparison: for example, contrast Japan at about 17% with China at 28% in 2012.

Use trend verbs proportionately: describe China’s sharp late rise as a surge, while reserving terms such as “fluctuated” for the US line.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

8.0

Excellent

Words

190

Type

Line Graph

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

8.0 Band

The answer identifies the four destinations and period, and its overview captures the main shifts: Japan’s decline and China becoming the leading recipient. It also selects useful comparisons and covers the endpoint changes, including the US recovery and India’s fall. The figures are appropriately approximate. As a further refinement, make the initial comparison of China and India explicit in the overview, rather than leaving their small starting shares to the detail paragraph.

Coherence & Cohesion

8.0 Band

The response moves clearly from an overview to the starting-point comparison, then tracks the countries’ changes over time. Transitions such as “By contrast” help signal the major contrast between China’s surge and the other trends. The information is easy to follow, though the final paragraph groups several countries in a largely chronological sequence. A small improvement would be to group Japan and the US together as declining or fluctuating lines, then give China and India their own comparison.

Lexical Resource

7.5 Band

The vocabulary is varied and relevant to describing data, with phrases such as “accounted for,” “remained broadly stable,” and “climbing steeply” conveying proportions and trends accurately. “Top recipient” is understandable, although “largest export destination” is a more precise collocation for this graph. To refine the word choice further, use a consistent term such as “share” for the percentages and reserve stronger verbs like “surged” for the sharp rise in China’s figures.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

8.0 Band

The answer uses accurate complex sentences, including the opening overview and the contrast introduced by “before,” while maintaining clear reference to dates and countries. The continuation “with India also fluctuating modestly” is grammatically well formed and connects smoothly to the preserved opening. Sentence structures are controlled, with no distracting errors. For added variety, combine one pair of short trend statements using a subordinate clause, while keeping the figures easy to read.

Topic Band Distribution

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Writing Academic Task 1 Band 8.0 Example

Plan your answer

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