User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 5.0 Example

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

165 words AcademicTask 1Pie Chart

Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

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Ideas to explore

Renewables rose from 15.0% in 2014 to 26.2% in 2018, the most notable increase.
Coal fell from 28.4% to 18.1%, while nuclear declined slightly from 22.5% to 21.6%.
Gas remained the largest category at 30.1% in both years; Oil and Other stayed at 4.0%.

Suggested structure

Introduce the two pie charts, the UK, the years and the percentage measure.
Give an overview highlighting the main increase, the main decrease and stable categories.
Compare the 2014 shares, grouping the larger sources before the smaller ones.
Describe the 2018 figures and directly compare them with 2014.

Useful vocabulary & examples

accounted for: made up a particular proportion of the total
Gas accounted for 30.1% of energy generation in both years.
remained unchanged: stayed at the same level
The share for Oil and Other remained unchanged at 4.0%.
recorded the largest increase: showed the biggest rise in the figures
Renewables recorded the largest increase between 2014 and 2018.
fell by 10.3 percentage points: decreased by the difference between two percentage values
Coal fell by 10.3 percentage points, from 28.4% to 18.1%.

Task Prompt

The pie chart below shows the energy generation by fuel type in the UK over two years. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 5.0

The pie chart shows energy generation by fuel type in the UK between 2014 and 2018. Overall, the most energy generation used in 2014 and 2018 was the gas as the highest, and the oil and others were the lowest at the same time. The coal showed a decrease while the renewables represented an increase.

In 2014, gas accounted for 30.1% of energy generation, slightly more than coal, at 28.4%. Nuclear made up 22.5%, while renewables contributed 15%. Oil and other sources had the smallest share, at 4%.

By 2018, gas remained unchanged at 30.1%, whereas coal’s share fell substantially to 18.1%. In contrast, renewables rose to 26.2%, becoming the second-largest source and narrowing the gap with gas. Nuclear edged down from 22.5% to 21.6%, while oil and other sources stayed at 4%. Thus, the most notable shifts were the rise in renewables and the fall in coal, while gas and the smallest category showed no change.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Rewrite the overview in two direct comparisons: gas was the largest source in both years, while oil and other sources were the smallest; then mention the opposite movements in coal and renewables.

Check each figure against the chart and report the key movements with percentage-point differences: renewables rose by 11.2 points, coal fell by 10.3 points, and gas and oil/other remained unchanged.

Use parallel wording for both years, such as “In 2014, X accounted for…” and “By 2018, X had…”; then proofread articles and redundant phrases in the overview.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

5.0

Modest

Words

165

Type

Pie Chart

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

6.0 Band

The overview identifies the leading and smallest categories and the contrasting movements in coal and renewables. The continuation supports this with the chart figures, including the unchanged 30.1% for gas and the rise in renewables from 15% to 26.2%. However, the overview’s phrase “the most energy generation used” obscures the main comparison. Next, state the largest and smallest shares directly, then select the clearest increases and decreases.

Coherence & Cohesion

6.0 Band

The answer moves from an overview to 2014 figures and then to 2018 changes, which gives the reader a sensible route through the data. “By 2018” clearly signals the comparison, and “In contrast” introduces the rise in renewables. The overview’s awkward wording makes its message less immediate, though. For a cleaner progression, group the overview in its own short paragraph and make the two year-by-year paragraphs parallel.

Lexical Resource

5.5 Band

The answer uses relevant chart language such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “remained unchanged,” and “narrowing the gap” concisely describes the changing relationship between renewables and gas. Some wording is imprecise or repetitive: “energy generation used” and “represented an increase” are less natural for describing proportions. Next, use consistent terms such as “share” or “proportion” and verbs like “rose,” “fell,” and “remained stable.”

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

4.5 Band

The later sentences show some control of comparison structures, for example “whereas coal’s share fell” and “while oil and other sources stayed at 4%.” However, the overview contains clear problems in “the most energy generation used ... was the gas as the highest,” including an unnatural construction and redundant phrasing. “The coal showed a decrease” also uses an unnecessary article. Practise concise subject–verb sentences when describing chart categories.

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

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