The graph below gives information about car ownership in Britain from 1971 to 2007.
Sample Response
The graph shows changes in the number of cars per household in Great Britain over a period of 36 years.
Overall, car ownership in British households increased between 1971 and 2007. In particular, the percentage of households with two cars rose, while the figure for households without a car fell.
In 1971, nearly half of British families were without a carnot regularly using a car. While around 44%44/% of households owned a car, the figure for households with two carsfamilies having two cars was about 8%. Households with three or more cars were uncommon, only 1% of householdsfamilies falling into this category.
One-car householdsThe one-car households became the most common type in Britain, at about 45% from the late 1970s1970’s. The percentage of families without a car fell steadily to about 25% by 2007by about 25% in 2007. By contrast, the figures for households with more than two cars increased, rising to 26% and it rose to 7% for families with more than three cars (included three).
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response has a clear overview and selects several useful start- and end-point comparisons, while its paragraphing keeps the report easy to follow. Its main limitation is imprecise reporting of the final figures: the two-car and three-or-more-car categories become confused, and the no-car endpoint is ambiguously expressed. Prioritize accurate category labels and unambiguous ‘rose/fell to’ language when reporting values.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and relevant opening figures are provided, but the final paragraph confuses the two-car and three-or-more-car categories.
Check each line label carefully and state endpoints explicitly, including that two-car households reached about 26% while three-or-more-car households reached roughly 6%.
Coherence and Cohesion
The introduction, overview, and two detail paragraphs create a sensible progression, though the final comparison becomes awkwardly linked.
Use one separate sentence for each car-ownership category so every comparison has a clear subject and reference.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is generally adequate for describing trends, but several choices are imprecise or malformed, including ‘44/%’ and ‘more than three cars (included three)’.
Use exact category wording from the graph and proofread trend expressions and percentage notation before finishing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses both simple and complex structures, but recurring article, agreement, and clause-control problems reduce accuracy.
Revise sentences with participle clauses and coordinated comparisons so subjects, articles, and verb forms remain consistent.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below gives information about car ownership in Britain from 1971 to 2007.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.