01 The diagrams below give information about two road tunnels in two Australian cities.
This response is estimated at Band 8.5. Can you write a better one?
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Sample Response
The given diagramsmaps illustrate two different road tunnelsunderground tunnel systems for cars in two Australian cities.
Overall, there are a number of differences between the two tunnel systems, in terms of the cost, heightsize, length, time of construction, and the surrounding environment. The first tunnel cost approximately half as much as the second tunnel to construct; however, the firstto construct, however, the first tunnel was significantly shorter and had fewer lanessmaller in terms of length and vehicle capacity. The first tunnel also took much longer to construct.
The first tunnel, which took twelve years to construct between 1986 and 1998, cost $555 million, and was built through sand beneath a body of waterunderneath a body of water and sand. Meanwhile, the second tunnel only took four years to completefour years for completion but cost twice as much, at $1.1 billion, and was constructed through stone and claybeneath a layer of stone and clay.
The dimensionssize of the tunnels was also substantially different, with the first tunnel being 1.5 meters high and 2.2km long, and the second tunnel being 2.5m high and 3.6 km long. The first tunnel system is four lanes wide, while the second tunnel system is six lanes wide.
Why this response received Band 8.5
The response gives a comprehensive, accurate comparison, selecting all major differences in construction time, cost, dimensions, capacity, and surrounding geology, and its overview makes the contrasts immediately clear. The main weakness is minor stylistic imprecision in phrases such as took four years for completion and six lanes wide. Refine these collocations and sentence joins to make an already strong report more natural and exact.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The report fully and accurately covers the tunnels' construction periods, costs, dimensions, lane capacities, and geological settings, supported by a clear comparative overview.
Maintain this comprehensive selection while expressing lane capacity as total lanes rather than describing each tunnel as lanes wide.
Coherence and Cohesion
The overview and two focused detail paragraphs create clear progression, with comparisons integrated smoothly throughout.
Strengthen the flow further by avoiding the comma splice before however and varying repeated references to the first and second tunnel.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and appropriately comparative, with only a few slightly unnatural collocations.
Prefer more idiomatic forms such as took four years to complete and had six lanes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex comparative structures is used accurately, and errors are rare and non-impeding.
Use a semicolon or full stop before however when it links two independent clauses.