The table below shows the sales at a small restaurant in a downtown business district.
Sample Response
The table shows daily sales at a restaurant in the downtown business district during an October week. The data is split into two parts, the first being sale generated for lunch and the second for dinner.
Overall, the restaurant’s dinner sales amount was higher than that of lunch and sales during weekends was lower than that of a regular weekday.
Firstly, in lunch, there is a maximum sale of $2595 on Wednesday and a minimum on Sunday, which is $1550. The sale on Monday, Tuesday and Friday are almost similar as there is only a $50 difference between Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, respectively. Further, the sale is declined on weekdays.
At dinner, the sale is maximum on Friday and minimum on Sunday, $4350 and $2450 respectively. There is a slight gap in sales on Tuesday and Thursday, and the gap is only $50 on these days. Besides, the sales figure is above $3445 during weekdays but declined rapidly on weekends.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Specify the week Original: during an October week Suggested revision: during the week of October 7–13 Why it matters: The table identifies the precise seven-day period, so state it directly.
- 2. Use plural agreement Original: data is split Suggested revision: data are divided Why it matters: In formal academic usage, “data” takes a plural verb here.
- 3. Clarify the structure Original: the first being Suggested revision: with the first showing Why it matters: This creates a clearer grammatical link between the two parts and their contents.
- 4. Use plural sales Original: sale generated for lunch Suggested revision: sales generated at lunch Why it matters: The table reports multiple daily sales figures, so the plural noun is required.
- 5. Complete the parallel phrase Original: the second for dinner Suggested revision: the second showing dinner sales Why it matters: The second half should match the grammatical structure used for the first.
- 6. Remove awkward wording Original: dinner sales amount Suggested revision: dinner sales Why it matters: “Dinner sales” expresses the measure naturally without the redundant noun “amount.”
- 7. Match the plural subject Original: was higher than that of lunch Suggested revision: were higher than lunch sales Why it matters: The plural subject “sales” requires “were,” and the comparison needs a clear plural referent.
- 8. Fix subject agreement Original: sales during weekends was Suggested revision: weekend sales were Why it matters: The plural noun “sales” requires the plural verb “were.”
- 9. Use a plural comparison Original: that of a regular weekday Suggested revision: those on regular weekdays Why it matters: The response compares plural sales figures across several days, so a plural referent is needed.
- 10. Use the correct phrase Original: Firstly, in lunch Suggested revision: For lunch Why it matters: “For lunch” is the natural phrase for introducing the lunch figures.
- 11. Use past plural form Original: there is a maximum sale Suggested revision: the highest sales were Why it matters: The description should use a plural sales measure and consistent past tense.
- 12. Use consistent tense Original: which is $1550 Suggested revision: at $1,550 Why it matters: This concise replacement avoids the unnecessary present-tense relative clause.
Suggested Rewrites
- during an October week during the week of October 7–13
- data is split data are divided
- the first being with the first showing
- sale generated for lunch sales generated at lunch
- the second for dinner the second showing dinner sales
- dinner sales amount dinner sales
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response gives a clear overview and identifies the main lunch and dinner extremes, with generally logical organization. Its main weakness is precision: the claimed $50 Thursday-Friday lunch difference and the statement that weekday lunch sales declined do not match the table, while several grammar and collocation errors recur. Prioritize checking every numerical comparison against the visual and describing the weekday fluctuations accurately.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and several correct extrema address the task, but some weekday trends and comparisons are inaccurate.
Verify each comparison against the table and describe lunch as fluctuating before falling at the weekend.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response follows a clear overview-to-detail structure, though a few comparisons are linked unclearly.
Group lunch and dinner details consistently and make each comparison refer to an unmistakable pair of days.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is adequate for reporting sales, but repeated use of 'sale' and awkward collocations reduce precision.
Use accurate combinations such as 'lunch revenue,' 'sales peaked,' and 'figures fell' to vary the description naturally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of sentence forms communicates the main information, despite recurring agreement, article, and verb-form errors.
Check plural agreement and verb forms, especially in phrases such as 'sales were' and 'sales declined.'
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The table below shows the sales at a small restaurant in a downtown business district.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.