The chart below shows the average monthly expenditure by British households in three years.
Sample Response
The bar chart illustrates how much money households in Britain spent in an average month on utility bills, transport, rent, entertainment and groceries in 1990, 2000 and 2010. Units are measured in pounds sterling.
Overall, the largest expenditure by far was on rent, whereas the least amount of money spent was on utility bills and entertainment. Although there was a significant rise in spending on rent, transport and utility bills, there was little change in the amount spent on the two other items.
Expenditure on rent increased from around £450 per month in 1990 to £600 by 2010. Likewise, money spent on transport and utility bills climbed by almost £100 to about £250 and £150 respectively.
On the other hand, the typical amount of money spent on groceries in the UK barely changed, remaining at just over £300 over the three year period. The money spent on entertainment showed marginal change dropping only by approximately £10 to £100 in the final year.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use concise time phrase Original: in an average month Suggested revision: per month Why it matters: Per month expresses the measurement more directly and concisely.
- 2. Match plural categories Original: the least amount of money spent was Suggested revision: the smallest amounts were spent Why it matters: The sentence identifies two categories, so a plural subject and verb are required.
- 3. Name categories clearly Original: the two other items Suggested revision: entertainment and groceries Why it matters: Naming the categories removes an unnecessary vague reference.
- 4. Use precise increases Original: climbed by almost £100 Suggested revision: climbed by approximately £80 and £70 Why it matters: Transport rose from about £170 to £250, while utility bills rose from about £80 to £150.
- 5. Hyphenate compound adjective Original: three year period Suggested revision: three-year period Why it matters: The compound modifier before period requires hyphens.
- 6. Correct entertainment change Original: showed marginal change dropping only by approximately £10 to £100 Suggested revision: decreased marginally by approximately £20 to £100 Why it matters: Entertainment falls from about £120 in 1990 to £100 in 2010.
- 7. Include middle-year values Suggested revision: Add the 2000 figures for rent, transport, and utility bills so that each upward trend is supported across all three years. Why it matters: This paragraph compares only the first and final years despite the chart providing a meaningful middle-year point.
- 8. Clarify grocery movement Suggested revision: State that grocery spending rose slightly from about £320 to around £340-£350 rather than implying a completely flat pattern. Why it matters: The bars show a small increase across the period, with 2000 and 2010 slightly above 1990.
Suggested Rewrites
- in an average month per month
- the least amount of money spent was the smallest amounts were spent
- the two other items entertainment and groceries
- climbed by almost £100 climbed by approximately £80 and £70
- three year period three-year period
- showed marginal change dropping only by approximately £10 to £100 decreased marginally by approximately £20 to £100
Why this response received Band 8.5
The response is clear, concise, and very well organized, with an effective overview and accurately selected comparisons supported by relevant figures. The only limitations are minor: the reference to a three-year period is imprecise because the chart spans twenty years, and a few phrases could be polished. Maintain this strong selective approach while checking time-span wording and punctuation for complete precision.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The report presents a clear overview and accurately selects the principal trends and figures across all five expenditure categories.
Refine the time-span reference by describing the three data years as points within a twenty-year period.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is sequenced logically from overview to rising categories and then stable or falling categories, with cohesive devices used naturally.
Keep this structure while making the final contrast between groceries and entertainment even more explicit.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, precise, and well suited to quantitative comparison, with only slight repetition and occasional less exact phrasing.
Polish minor phrasing by varying repeated references to money spent without sacrificing precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is controlled accurately, and the few punctuation or phrasing lapses do not impede communication.
Add punctuation around the participial phrase in the final sentence and proofread for similarly minor refinements.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The chart below shows the average monthly expenditure by British households in three years.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.