The diagrams below show a comparison between two road tunnels in two Australian cities.

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Sample Response

1

The diagrams illustrate two road tunnels located in separate Australian cities by comparingcities, by comparing their construction periods, expenditure, size, ground composition, cross-section design, and surroundings.cross-section design and surroundings.

2

Overall, Tunnel B is longer, deeper, and fardeeper and far more costly than Tunnel A. While both tunnels use a twin-tube structure, Tunnel B has more lanes within each tube and was built through harder ground material, under an urban area rather than a river.

3

Tunnel A was constructed from 1997 to 2002 at a cost of 555 million AUDAustralian dollars. It is 2.2 kilometres long, with a maximum depth of 15 metres, and was excavated through sand. ByIn comparison, Tunnel B’s construction took place between 2002 and 2006, costing 1.1 billion Australian dollars.costing $1.1 billion. This tunnel stretches for 3.6 kilometres and reaches a maximum depth of 25 metres, passing through stone and clay.

4

Both tunnels feature twin-tube cross-sections. Tunnel A has two traffic lanes in each tube, whereas each tube of Tunnel B contains three lanes. In terms of the landscape above, Tunnel A runs underneath a river, with a suspension bridgebridge towers visible on the surface. By contrast, Tunnel B lies beneath a busy city area with many multi-storey buildings.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 8.0

The response provides a comprehensive and highly accurate comparison of both road tunnels, highlighting key dimensions, costs, and surrounding features effectively. Paragraph organization is logical, and the commentary uses precise vocabulary along with a strong range of grammatical structures. To improve further, the writer could incorporate more sophisticated cohesive phrasing to seamlessly link complex comparative sentences.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

8.0
Scoring rule

All key features from the diagrams are clearly selected, accurately reported, and effectively contrasted with a well-developed overview.

Next step

Maintain this thoroughness while ensuring complex visual details are synthesized even more concisely.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

8.0
Scoring rule

Information is logically structured into well-defined paragraphs with clear internal progression and appropriate linking words.

Next step

Vary cohesive devices further to connect comparative data points across paragraphs even more fluidly.

LR

Lexical Resource

8.0
Scoring rule

A wide and flexible range of vocabulary is used accurately to describe technical specifications and geographical settings.

Next step

Incorporate a few more advanced academic collocations related to structural and comparative descriptions.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

8.0
Scoring rule

Grammatical structures are varied, flexible, and accurate throughout the entire response without noticeable errors.

Next step

Experiment with more sophisticated complex clauses to connect multiple statistical facts within single sentences smoothly.