The bar chart gives information about the number of car journeys into the city centre made by residents and non-residents.

Same questionCompare 4 different answers (Band 7.5–8)

Sample Response

1

The bar chart illustrates the number of car journeys into the city centre made by residents and non-residents from 1996 to 2005.

2

Overall, daily car journeys into the city centre by residents decreased markedly over the period, while journeys by non-residents fluctuated before finishing near their starting levelOverall, daily car journeys by both residents and non-residents decreased throughout the period, with significant drops corresponding to key traffic interventions in 2000 and 2003.

3

In 1996, residents made nearly 10,00010000 car journeys into the city centre, which was almost twice the figure for non-residents, at 5000. Since then, residents' car trips remained relatively stable until a drastic drop to 5,000 in 20005000 in 2000 after the introduction of parking meters into the city centre. By contrast, journeys by non-residents rose steadily to around 8000 over the same period and were unaffected by that measure.

4

From 2000 to 2002, both categories remainedkept stable, with the figure for non-residents, roughly 8000, always higher than that of residents, which was about 5,000.that of residents which was about 5000. However, after Westgate Street and Park Lane were closed to traffic in early 2003, non-residents' car journeys more than halved to 3000 before rising steadily to nearly 5,000 in 2005and rose steadily to nearly 5000. At the same time, the figure for residents also dropped in 2003 by about 1000 and hovered between 3500 and 4000 over the following two years.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 8.0

The response presents an exceptionally accurate and well-structured analysis of the data, seamlessly integrating key contextual interventions from the visual prompt into the narrative. The report demonstrates sophisticated sentence structures and precise vocabulary with fluent visual descriptions throughout. To refine the writing further, the candidate could strengthen the overview by highlighting the shifting dominant group across the timeframe alongside overall net trends.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

8.0
Scoring rule

Key trends, exact data points, and interventions are highlighted clearly and accurately without unsupported claims.

Next step

Enhance the overview by explicitly stating which group predominated at the beginning versus the end of the period.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

8.0
Scoring rule

Information is organized logically chronologically, featuring smooth transition words and cohesive paragraph structuring.

Next step

Vary sentence openers across body paragraphs to avoid repeating time markers at the start of clauses.

LR

Lexical Resource

8.0
Scoring rule

A wide range of precise vocabulary and flexible trend language is deployed appropriately.

Next step

Incorporate a few additional academic synonyms for key terms to avoid minor repetitions.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

8.0
Scoring rule

Grammar and sentence structures display excellent control with complex clauses used accurately throughout.

Next step

Maintain this high standard of accuracy while experimenting with advanced participle phrases to further vary clause structure.

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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The bar chart gives information about the number of car journeys into the city centre made by residents and non-residents.

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