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.

188 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

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 4.0

The graph illustrates the percentage of goods or services sold to the other countries from Australia between 1990 and 2012. On the graph, percentages start from 0 to 35. Overall, exports to China and India is generally in growth even though it drops from 2010 to 2012 for India. On the other hand, the case for Japan and the US was different. Japan started at about 26% in 1990, making it the largest export destination shown. Its share fell to 20% in 1995 and then to roughly 18% in 2000. It stayed close to this level in 2005 before decreasing slightly to around 17% in 2010, where it remained in 2012.

The US figure was about 11% at the beginning. It went down to 8% in 1995, rose to roughly 11% in 2000, and then decreased again. It stood at about 5% in 2010 before recovering to 7% at the end.

China started at approximately 2% and rose gradually until 2005, then climbed sharply to 25% in 2010 and 28% in 2012. India stayed at around 1% until 2000, increased to 7% in 2010, and finished at 5%.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Replace “percentages start from 0 to 35” with a precise description of the displayed scale; the graph’s labelled vertical axis runs from 0 to 30.

Make the overview identify the biggest changes and rankings: Japan starts highest, while China rises to the highest share by 2012.

Check subject–verb agreement and tense in the opening overview, especially the clause beginning “exports to China and India.”

AI Feedback

Overall Band

4.0

Modest

Words

188

Type

Line Graph

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

5.5 Band

The completed report covers all four destinations and includes an overview, as in “Overall, exports to China and India...” It correctly highlights China’s strong rise and Japan’s decline, and gives useful comparisons at several dates. However, “percentages start from 0 to 35” does not match the graph’s labelled vertical scale, which reaches 30, and the overview could more clearly state that China ends highest while Japan starts highest. Next, check the axis and summarize both the main starting and ending positions.

Coherence & Cohesion

5.5 Band

The answer moves from an overview to Japan and the US, then China and India, so the information is easy to locate. The phrase “On the other hand” signals a contrast, although “the case for Japan and the US was different” is a vague transition and the later country-by-country paragraphs could connect more explicitly to the overview. For a clearer report, group the main rising trends together and use short transitions that name the comparison.

Lexical Resource

5.0 Band

The report uses relevant trend language, including “fell,” “rose,” “decreasing slightly,” and “climbed sharply,” which helps describe changes without repeating one verb. Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, particularly “generally in growth” and “goods or services sold to the other countries from Australia.” Choose standard chart terms such as “share,” “percentage,” and “exported to,” and use “increased” or “declined” where they make the direction clear.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

4.5 Band

Many later sentences are complete and use past-tense verbs consistently, for example, “The US figure was about 11% at the beginning.” However, “exports to China and India is” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “even though it drops” shifts awkwardly to the present tense and leaves the pronoun unclear. Check agreement and keep past-tense reporting consistent; read each sentence once to identify the subject and the verb describing its trend.

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

Practice this prompt

Use the same topic in Hack Admission AI and compare your answer with this example.

Check your answer on this topic Browse all examples