User-written IELTS example
Writing Academic Task 1 Band 9.0 Example
Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.
Illustrative target band for this original model answer.
Plan your answer
Try your own response before reading the samples.
Ideas to explore
- Compare the largest category in each direction: aircraft parts are $72 million from the US to Vietnam, while coffee is $23 million from Vietnam to the US.
- Highlight the gap between the leading and smaller categories: US exports include other goods at $35 million and machinery at $30.5 million, while Vietnam’s garments and other exports are both $2 million.
- Point out close values where they help summarise the data: Vietnam’s seafood ($4.4 million) and rice ($4.3 million) are almost equal.
Suggested structure
- Paraphrase what the charts compare and state that values are in millions of dollars.
- Give an overview naming the leading category in each direction and any notable tie or overall contrast.
- Describe US-to-Vietnam exports from the largest value to the smallest.
- Describe Vietnam-to-US exports in descending order, grouping the close seafood and rice figures and the tied lowest figures.
Useful vocabulary & examples
- account for
- to make up or represent a stated amount or share
Aircraft parts account for $72 million of exports to Vietnam.
- be valued at
- to have a stated monetary value
Machinery is valued at $30.5 million.
- be tied at
- to have the same value as another category
Garments and other exports are tied at $2 million.
- followed by
- used to introduce the next item in a ranking
Coffee leads at $23 million, followed by fruit and vegetables at $16 million.
Task Prompt

User Essay Analysis
Review the public answer with report-style highlights.
The pie charts illustrate the exports of different products between the US and Vietnam. Overall, the US generates more money from its exports compared to Vietnam. Notably, aircraft parts exported from the USA account for the highest revenue, while coffee exports from Vietnam to the US represent the highest share. Looking specifically at the US’s exports to Vietnam, aircraft parts are by far the leading item, at $72 million. The next largest categories are other products ($35 million) and machinery ($30.5 million), followed by fertiliser at $16.5 million. Cotton brings in $12 million, while cars are the smallest category, at $6 million. In the opposite direction, coffee is the largest Vietnamese export to the US, worth $23 million, with fruit and vegetables second at $16 million. The remaining categories are much smaller: seafood accounts for $4.4 million and rice $4.3 million, while garments and other products each contribute $2 million. Thus, both directions show a clear leading product, although aircraft parts dominate US exports far more strongly than coffee does Vietnam’s. Overall, US exports to Vietnam are worth considerably more than Vietnam’s exports to the US.
Targeted Improvement Tips
Related examples for this topic
Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.
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