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.

191 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 6.0

The pie charts compare the amount of energy produced by five different energy sources, in the UK in 2014 and 2018. Overall, it is clear that gas was the majority of energy source in both years, although the use of renewable energy was almost double in the 4-year period. According to the first picture, gas accounted for 30.1% of energy generation, making it the largest category rather than a majority. In 2014, renewables represented 15%, while nuclear made up 22.5%. Coal contributed 28.4%, and oil and other sources accounted for the remaining 4%.

By 2018, gas remained at 30.1%, whereas coal had fallen to 18.1%. Renewable energy rose markedly to 26.2%, the largest increase among the categories. Nuclear edged down to 21.6%, while oil and other sources stayed unchanged at 4%. Taken together, the figures show a shift away from coal towards renewables, while gas retained the top position. Although coal was the second-largest source in 2014, renewables had overtaken it by 2018. The charts therefore show that the overall share of gas was stable, while the proportions for renewables and coal changed substantially.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Change “majority” to “largest share” when describing gas, and make clear that it accounts for 30.1%, not more than half.

Use the chart’s exact percentages to describe the largest movements: renewables increase by 11.2 percentage points, while coal decreases by 10.3 points.

Replace informal or vague references such as “picture” and “amount” with “chart” and “percentage share,” then check that the overview accurately matches the figures.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

6.0

Competent

Words

191

Type

Pie Chart

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

6.5 Band

The completed answer reports all five categories and compares both years, including the main shifts: renewables rise from 15% to 26.2%, while coal falls from 28.4% to 18.1%. However, the preserved overview says gas was “the majority of energy source,” which can suggest more than half, although its share is 30.1%. Also, 15% to 26.2% is a substantial rise but not quite a doubling. Describe gas as the largest category and quantify the change.

Coherence & Cohesion

7.0 Band

The response follows a clear overview-and-details sequence, moving from 2014 figures to 2018 comparisons. The contrast in “By 2018” helps signal the time change, and the closing sentence summarises the overall pattern. The repeated focus on gas in the overview and conclusion is slightly redundant. For a tighter report, keep the conclusion concise and use the space to make the most important year-to-year comparisons explicit.

Lexical Resource

6.0 Band

There is useful chart vocabulary in phrases such as “rose markedly,” “edged down,” and “remained at 30.1%,” which expresses different types of change. Some wording is imprecise: “the first picture” is less suitable than “the first chart,” and “amount of energy” does not make clear that the figures are percentages. Replace these with “chart” and “share of energy generation,” and use “largest source” rather than “majority” for gas.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

6.0 Band

The answer uses a range of sentence patterns, including the contrast in “although the use of renewable energy was almost double” and the participle phrase “making it the largest category.” Most of the added comparisons are grammatically clear. The preserved phrase “gas was the majority of energy source” is not natural English and also blurs the intended comparison. Revise it to “gas was the largest energy source,” and check articles and singular/plural forms when describing 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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