The chart below illustrates the percentages of sales of one bookseller in 1970, 1997 and 2012.
Sample Response
The pie charts illustrate the sales percentages of books across five genres sold by a bookseller from 1972 to 2012.
Overall, it is evident that the proportion of Adult fiction book sales increased over the years, while the sales of Biography books exhibited a declining trend.
Initially, in 1972, the ‘Other’ books category dominated the market, comprising approximately 25% of total sales. In contrast, Adult fiction, Children’s fiction, and Biography books each represented 20% of total sales. Travel books constituted a smaller segment at 15%. By 1992, Adult fiction had taken the lead in sales at 25%, while Children’s fiction and the ‘Other’ category each accounted for around 20% of total sales. In the same year, Travel and Biography books made up 18% and 15% of sales, respectively.
By 2012, Adult fiction books constituted 45% of book sales. Additionally, Children’s fiction represented 25% of the market. Both Travel and ‘Other’ book categories saw a decrease, each accounting for about 10% of total sales. In contrast, Biographies had the smallest share of sales at just 8%.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Natural noun phrase Original: sales percentages of books Suggested revision: percentages of book sales Why it matters: This phrasing states more naturally what the percentages represent.
- 2. Name all chart years Original: from 1972 to 2012 Suggested revision: in 1972, 1992 and 2012 Why it matters: The visual presents three selected years rather than a continuous time series.
- 3. Use concise category wording Original: Adult fiction book sales Suggested revision: adult fiction sales Why it matters: The shorter phrase is more natural and avoids unnecessary capitalization of the genre.
- 4. Avoid overstatement Original: dominated the market Suggested revision: had the largest share of sales Why it matters: A 25% share was the largest category but did not constitute market dominance.
- 5. Correct both figures Original: around 20% Suggested revision: 22% and 20%, respectively Why it matters: The 1992 chart shows 22% for children's fiction and 20% for Other.
- 6. Match category label Original: Biographies Suggested revision: Biography Why it matters: Using the chart's singular category label keeps the terminology consistent.
- 7. Sentence rewrite Original: Both Travel and ‘Other’ book categories saw a decrease, each accounting for about 10% of total sales. Suggested revision: Travel and ‘Other’ both declined overall, accounting for 10% and 12% of sales, respectively, in 2012. Why it matters: The chart gives different 2012 shares for these two categories, so describing each as about 10% loses accuracy.
- 8. Broaden the overview Suggested revision: Add that children's fiction also increased, while Travel and Other ended with smaller shares. Why it matters: The overview currently identifies only the rise in adult fiction and fall in biography, omitting other major overall movements.
Suggested Rewrites
- sales percentages of books percentages of book sales
- from 1972 to 2012 in 1972, 1992 and 2012
- Adult fiction book sales adult fiction sales
- dominated the market had the largest share of sales
- around 20% 22% and 20%, respectively
- Biographies Biography
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is clear, well organised, and impressively comprehensive, with accurate reporting of almost every category and a concise overview of the dominant trends. Its main limitation is that the overview highlights only adult fiction and biography, while the substantial growth in children's fiction and the fall in other books are left implicit. Prioritise a fuller overview that groups the most important movements before presenting details.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response presents a clear overview and covers all five genres with figures that are accurate apart from minor approximations.
Broaden the overview to include the rise in children's fiction and the marked decline in other books.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the overview through the three years, with clear paragraphing and well-controlled linking.
Vary the openings of detail sentences slightly to make the progression even more fluid.
Lexical Resource
A varied and precise range of language describes proportions, rankings, and changes effectively.
Reduce repetition of sales and use the chart's category labels consistently for maximum precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex and simple sentence forms are used accurately, with consistently strong control of grammar and punctuation.
Continue refining clause variety while keeping comparisons as concise as they are here.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The chart below illustrates the percentages of sales of one bookseller in 1970, 1997 and 2012.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.