The charts below show the levels of participation in education and science in developing and industrialised countries in 1980 and 1990.

Same questionCompare 2 different answers (Band 6–6.5)

Sample Response

1

The given bar graphs compare the educational involvements of students in term of total years of education and their participation in science-related subjects in developing and industrial countries from the year 1980 to 1990. As shown in the first bar chartAs is presented in the first bar graph, average years of schooling in developing countries waswere approximately 2 years while in industrialised countries the average wasin industrial countries schooling years were over 8 years in 1980. Interestingly after one decade schooling years in developing countries increasedmagnified to over 3 years while it surged to over 10 years in industrial countries. As is observed from the second bar graph, the number of scientists and technicians waswere much higher in industrial countries than in developing countries. The number of scientists and technicians per 1,000 people wasPercentage of scientists and technicians were fewer than 20 per 1,000 peopleless than 20 percent in developing countries from 1980 to 1990 while it was about 45 per 1,000 peoplejust over 40 percent in 1980 which soared to approximately 75 per 1,000 people70 percent in 1990. According to the third bar graph, it can be seen clearly, spending on research and development in industrial countries was far higher than developing countries. Spending in 1980The spending in 1980 in developing countries was around 50 billion US dollars while it was 150 billion dollars in industrial countries. Ultimately, after a decade, spendingafter a decade spending on research and development fell significantly by almost 50 percentslumped significantly almost 50 percent while spending in industrial countries rosepeaked to approximately 350 billion US dollarsUS dollars respectively.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 6.5

The response covers all three charts and generally selects relevant comparisons, with the contrasts between developing and industrialised countries communicated clearly. Its main limitation is precision: scientists and technicians are incorrectly described as percentages, and several data descriptions and word choices are awkward. Prioritise an explicit overview of the main patterns and use each chart's units and figures exactly.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

6.5
Scoring rule

The response addresses all three charts and captures the major disparities and trends, but it misstates the scientists-and-technicians unit as a percentage.

Next step

Provide a distinct overview and report the second chart as scientists and technicians per 1,000 people.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.5
Scoring rule

Information progresses chart by chart and comparisons are easy to follow, although the single paragraph and repetitive linking make the organisation less polished.

Next step

Separate the overview from grouped details and vary linking devices without over-signposting each chart.

LR

Lexical Resource

6.0
Scoring rule

There is sufficient range for comparisons and change, but inaccurate choices such as 'magnified' and 'peaked to' weaken precision.

Next step

Use natural data-reporting collocations such as 'rose to,' 'fell by,' and 'was higher than.'

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.0
Scoring rule

A mix of sentence forms conveys the comparisons clearly, though agreement, article, and punctuation errors recur.

Next step

Proofread subject-verb agreement and sentence boundaries, especially around long clauses containing figures.

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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The charts below show the levels of participation in education and science in developing and industrialised countries in 1980 and 1990.

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