User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 6.0 Example

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

193 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 6.0

The line graph compares the proportion of Australian international trade with different countries over a 12-year period from 1990 to 2012. It can be clearly observed that the figures for both Japan and the US experienced a rapid rise at the end of the period, whereas the figures for China and India were reversed. They followed different trajectories. Japan's share fell from about 26% in 1990 to 20% in 1995, then declined more gradually to around 17% by 2010, where it remained in 2012. The US figure fluctuated: it started at approximately 11%, fell to 8% in 1995, recovered to 11% in 2000, and then dropped to 5% in 2010 before rising slightly to 7% at the end. By contrast, China's share climbed from about 2% in 1990 to 5% in 2000, then increased sharply, reaching 11% in 2005 and 25% in 2010, before ending at 28% in 2012. India's proportion began at around 1% and stayed low until 2000. It then rose to 5% in 2005 and 7% in 2010, before falling to 5% in 2012. Overall, China became the largest destination, while Japan and the US ended below their starting levels.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Before writing, note the start and end values for each line and identify the overall direction; this would prevent the inaccurate overview about Japan and the US.

Check the dates explicitly: 1990 to 2012 covers 22 years, so avoid stating a different duration.

Use one clear overview sentence, then compare the lines with precise verbs such as “declined,” “fluctuated,” and “rose sharply”; avoid the vague phrase “were reversed.”

AI Feedback

Overall Band

6.0

Competent

Words

193

Type

Line Graph

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

4.5 Band

The response identifies all four countries and includes relevant figures, such as China's rise to 28% and Japan's decline to about 17%. However, the overview claims that Japan and the US “experienced a rapid rise,” which conflicts with the chart, and calls the China and India trends “reversed,” an unclear description. The opening also gives a 12-year period, although 1990–2012 spans 22 years. Check the overall trends first, then verify the dates and comparisons against the graph.

Coherence & Cohesion

5.5 Band

The answer has a sensible broad-to-detail progression: it introduces the graph, gives an overview, and then describes country-specific figures. “By contrast” helps signal a shift to China and India. However, the overview's inaccurate comparisons make the description harder to follow, and the response groups countries inconsistently. Organise the details into clear contrasting pairs or explain each country's trend in a consistent order, with an accurate overview before the figures.

Lexical Resource

6.0 Band

There is useful chart vocabulary in “proportion,” “fluctuated,” “declined,” and “increased sharply,” and the country names and percentages make the account specific. Some wording is imprecise: “the figures … were reversed” does not clearly explain the trends, while “international trade” is broader than the export measure shown. Use precise language such as “share of Australian exports” and describe whether each line rose, fell, or fluctuated.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

6.0 Band

The response uses a mix of sentence structures, including the contrast clause “whereas the figures for China and India were reversed” and the relative clause “where it remained in 2012.” Most sentences are grammatically understandable, with accurate tense choices for past data. The main issues are awkward or unclear phrasing rather than repeated sentence-level errors. Practise concise overview constructions and check that pronouns and comparisons clearly refer to the relevant countries or export shares.

Topic Band Distribution

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