The pie charts below show the most common advantages and disadvantages of Bowen Island, according to a survey of visitors.
Sample Response
The two pie charts show the aspects of Bowen Island that tourists enjoy the most and the least.
Bowen Island has many features that attract tourists but the most popular of these are the scenery and the people, with more than two thirds of the visitors to the island listing these as the greatest advantages. The standard of accommodation on the island appears to be more than adequate, with 11% of respondents listing this as an advantage. 12% of visitors cite the culture of the island as a major attraction.
However, the island seems far from being a perfect tourist destination. When it comes to the negative aspects of the island, the high cost of living, poor weather and the quality or lack of entertainment are seen as the worst of these. Together, these three categories make up 90% of the total disadvantages. In spite of the high costs on the island, 10% of the visitors complain of poor food quality.
Overall, it seems that most people like Bowen Island because of the scenery and people. However, it is possible that the unspoilt nature of the island means there is little in the way of entertainment and this, combined with the high cost of living, makes it unlikely to appeal to everyone.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Match chart categories Original: enjoy the most and the least Suggested revision: regard as the main advantages and disadvantages Why it matters: The charts report cited advantages and disadvantages rather than degrees of enjoyment.
- 2. Reflect category ranking Original: the scenery and the people Suggested revision: the people and the scenery Why it matters: People is the largest advantage at 42%, ahead of scenery at 35%.
- 3. Give precise combined share Original: more than two thirds Suggested revision: just over three quarters Why it matters: Together, people and scenery account for 77%, which is more precisely described this way.
- 4. Avoid overstating culture Original: a major attraction Suggested revision: an advantage Why it matters: Culture accounts for 12%, so major attraction overstates its relative share.
- 5. Clarify entertainment category Original: the quality or lack of entertainment Suggested revision: limited entertainment Why it matters: The original alternatives make the meaning unclear in a list of disadvantages.
- 6. Remove false contrast Original: In spite of the high costs on the island Suggested revision: Finally Why it matters: The food-quality figure does not logically contrast with the cost-of-living figure.
- 7. Sentence rewrite Original: The standard of accommodation on the island appears to be more than adequate, with 11% of respondents listing this as an advantage. Suggested revision: Good accommodation was cited as an advantage by 11% of respondents. Why it matters: This reports the chart category without inferring a broader standard of adequacy.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: However, it is possible that the unspoilt nature of the island means there is little in the way of entertainment and this, combined with the high cost of living, makes it unlikely to appeal to everyone. Suggested revision: Entertainment and the high cost of living were among the disadvantages reported by visitors. Why it matters: This removes unsupported causal and predictive claims while retaining the relevant chart findings.
- 9. Separate leading percentages Suggested revision: State the figures separately: 42% cited the people and 35% cited the scenery. Why it matters: Reporting the two leading advantages individually makes their ranking and relative sizes clear.
Suggested Rewrites
- enjoy the most and the least regard as the main advantages and disadvantages
- the scenery and the people the people and the scenery
- more than two thirds just over three quarters
- a major attraction an advantage
- the quality or lack of entertainment limited entertainment
- In spite of the high costs on the island Finally
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response presents almost every category accurately and groups the positive and negative findings into a clear, fluent comparison, with particularly effective selection of the dominant features. The main limitation is the speculative final explanation linking unspoilt scenery to limited entertainment, which is not shown by the charts. Keep the overview strictly descriptive and add direct numerical contrasts between the largest and smallest segments.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The main features and proportions are accurately selected and compared, but the concluding causal interpretation is unsupported by the charts.
Replace speculation about the island's unspoilt nature with a factual overview contrasting the dominant and smallest survey responses.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically grouped into advantages and disadvantages, with clear progression and well-managed cohesive links throughout.
Refine the final paragraph so it synthesises the chart patterns directly without shifting into explanation or evaluation.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and mostly precise, with natural control of terms for survey findings, attractions, and disadvantages.
Use more exact wording for entertainment, avoiding the awkward phrase 'the quality or lack of entertainment'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, and the response contains only minor lapses that do not impede reading.
Maintain this strong control while tightening the longest sentences to make comparisons even more direct.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The pie charts below show the most common advantages and disadvantages of Bowen Island, according to a survey of visitors.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.