The table below gives information on consumer spending on different items in five different countries in 2002. Percentage of national consumer expenditure by category - 2002
Sample Response
The provided table shows the cost percentage of the items that the consumers in five different countries, including Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Turkey, spent on in 2002. In the table, we can see that food, drinks and tobacco held the highest percentage of consumer expenditure and the numbers are all higher than 15% whereas the percentage in the leisure/education category are all below 5% in the above countries. In Ireland and Turkey, the percentages in food/drinks/tobacco are both around 30% and are nearly five times higher than the category of clothing and footwear. In comparison, consumers in Spain and Sweden spent only three times more of their expense in food rather than in clothing. Italy, however, is the only country that the percentages between food/drinks/tobacco and clothing/footwear are only one and a half times higher. In observation of this table, we can also grab the information about how much people spent on leisure time activities and education. There was a surprisingly common trend in Ireland, Italy and Spain. Their expense in clothing/footwear tripled over the one in leisure/education. On the contrary of this coherent pattern, the multiples between these two categories are less than two times in Sweden and Turkey.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use spending collocation Original: held the highest percentage Suggested revision: accounted for the largest share Why it matters: Expenditure categories account for shares rather than hold percentages.
- 2. Use data term Original: the numbers are all Suggested revision: the figures were all Why it matters: Figures is the more precise term for percentages in a table.
- 3. Fix number agreement Original: the percentage in the leisure/education category are all Suggested revision: the percentages for leisure and education were all Why it matters: The plural subject percentages requires were, and for is the natural preposition.
- 4. Use clear reference Original: above Suggested revision: five Why it matters: This reference identifies the comparison group directly.
- 5. Use category preposition Original: the percentages in food/drinks/tobacco Suggested revision: the percentages for food, drinks and tobacco Why it matters: Percentages for a category is the natural construction.
- 6. Keep past tense Original: are Suggested revision: were Why it matters: The table reports expenditure in 2002, so the past tense should remain consistent.
- 7. State ratio accurately Original: nearly five times higher than Suggested revision: nearly five times as high as Why it matters: The Irish and Turkish food figures were about 4.5 and 4.8 times their clothing figures.
- 8. Use natural opener Original: In observation of this table Suggested revision: From the table Why it matters: The original phrase is not idiomatic English.
- 9. Use formal reporting Original: grab the information Suggested revision: see Why it matters: Grab the information is informal and unnatural in a data report.
- 10. Match category label Original: leisure time activities Suggested revision: leisure Why it matters: The table labels the category as leisure and education.
- 11. Keep objective tone Original: surprisingly common trend Suggested revision: similar pattern Why it matters: Surprisingly is subjective and unsupported by the table.
- 12. Use expenditure noun Original: expense Suggested revision: expenditure Why it matters: Expenditure is the appropriate uncountable noun for spending data.
Suggested Rewrites
- held the highest percentage accounted for the largest share
- the numbers are all the figures were all
- the percentage in the leisure/education category are all the percentages for leisure and education were all
- above five
- the percentages in food/drinks/tobacco the percentages for food, drinks and tobacco
- are were
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response gives a clear category-wide overview and builds several useful cross-country ratio comparisons, most of which accord with the table. Its main limitation is selective coverage: the national highs and lows are not identified, and Italy’s food-to-clothing relationship is understated. Prioritise a sharper overview naming the leading countries in each category, then support comparisons with exact percentages rather than relying mainly on loosely worded multiples.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The broad hierarchy and most ratio comparisons are accurate, but important country extremes are omitted and the Italian comparison is imprecise.
Highlight Turkey’s highest food and leisure shares, Italy’s highest clothing share, and the relevant lows, using exact percentages for support.
Coherence and Cohesion
The report progresses logically from the overall category pattern to detailed comparisons, but the single paragraph and some abrupt transitions weaken organisation.
Separate the overview from two focused detail paragraphs, grouping food comparisons first and clothing-versus-leisure comparisons second.
Lexical Resource
There is sufficient comparative vocabulary, although frequent unnatural collocations such as "grab the information" and "expense tripled over" reduce precision.
Use standard expressions such as "accounted for", "expenditure was three times as high", and "in contrast to this pattern".
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence structures is attempted and meaning remains clear, but agreement, article, preposition, and relative-clause errors recur.
Check subject-verb agreement and rebuild comparative clauses so that countries, percentages, and spending categories are compared in parallel forms.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The table below gives information on consumer spending on different items in five different countries in 2002. Percentage of national consumer expenditure by category - 2002
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.