The graph below shows the daily water consumption for Americans in their homes.
Sample Response
The illustration presents data on the daily water usage by an American for different purposes. The water consumption is measured in gallon per day and is compared considering whether the conservation method is used or not. It is obvious that water conservation saves a great deal of water and the highest water Americans consume for flushing toilets, washing clothes and taking showers. According to the bar chart, An American consumes 19 gallons of water for flushing toilets and this outgo is reduced to half of that if the water is conserved. An American use 15 gallons water to clean clothes using a washing machine and this is reduced by 4 gallons through the conservation techniques. Interestingly, the same amount of water is needed for using faucets regardless of the conservation method and this quantity is 11 gallons. Leaks waste 10 gallons water a day and the least water use could be observed for washing dishes in dishwashers. Moreover, an American consume 13 gallons of water to take a shower and this is even higher than the water required for using faucets. It is interesting to notice that an American can save around 20 gallons of water if the conservation method is in place.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Describe household use Original: water usage by an American Suggested revision: water use in an American home Why it matters: The chart concerns household water use rather than the behaviour of one identified person.
- 2. Use plural unit Original: gallon Suggested revision: gallons Why it matters: The unit gallon must be plural when reporting multiple gallons.
- 3. Fix comparison phrasing Original: is compared considering whether Suggested revision: is compared according to whether Why it matters: According to whether creates the required grammatical comparison between the two conditions.
- 4. Fix mid-sentence capitalization Original: An Suggested revision: an Why it matters: The article should not be capitalized after a comma within the same sentence.
- 5. Use a measurable noun Original: outgo Suggested revision: amount Why it matters: Amount accurately refers to the volume of water shown by the bar.
- 6. Complete the comparison Original: to half of that Suggested revision: to about half that amount Why it matters: The revision supplies a clear comparison noun and reflects the approximate change from 19 to 10 gallons.
- 7. Name the condition clearly Original: if the water is conserved Suggested revision: with conservation measures Why it matters: The chart compares the use of conservation measures rather than water itself being conserved.
- 8. Fix subject-verb agreement Original: use Suggested revision: uses Why it matters: The singular subject requires the third-person singular verb uses.
- 9. Add missing preposition Original: 15 gallons water Suggested revision: 15 gallons of water Why it matters: Measurements of a substance require of between the unit and the noun.
- 10. Use the chart activity Original: clean Suggested revision: wash Why it matters: Wash clothes matches the activity represented in the chart.
- 11. Use consistent terminology Original: the conservation techniques Suggested revision: conservation measures Why it matters: Conservation measures is a clearer label for the condition compared in the chart.
- 12. Use concise process wording Original: needed for using faucets Suggested revision: used through faucets Why it matters: The revision describes the water-use category more directly.
Suggested Rewrites
- water usage by an American water use in an American home
- gallon gallons
- is compared considering whether is compared according to whether
- An an
- outgo amount
- to half of that to about half that amount
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response accurately reports the main values, identifies the highest and lowest household uses, and correctly concludes that conservation saves about 20 gallons in total. Its main weakness is frequent grammatical inaccuracy, especially subject-verb agreement and missing quantity structures, together with some awkward word choices such as 'outgo'. Prioritise consistent agreement and concise comparisons between conserved and unconserved use for each activity.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and accurate figures cover the key household uses, unchanged categories, and overall saving from conservation.
Complete the comparison by stating that shower use falls from 13 to 10 gallons and leaks from 10 to 5 gallons.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response moves logically from the overview through individual uses to the total saving, but it remains a single paragraph.
Group the largest savings in one detail paragraph and unchanged or low-use categories in another.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is adequate and sometimes varied, though a few choices are awkward and 'an American' is repeated excessively.
Use 'daily household use', 'consumption falls', 'water saving', and plural references to 'Americans' or 'households'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is consistently clear, but agreement, articles, countable units, and noun phrases contain frequent errors.
Correct forms such as 'an American uses', '15 gallons of water', and 'the greatest amount is used for flushing toilets'.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows the daily water consumption for Americans in their homes.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.