The charts below show the differences in how people in 3 countries learned English in 2010 and 2015.
Sample Response
The pie charts illustrate the proportions of people learning English in different countries in 2010 and 2015.
In general, the percentage of people learning English online increased in all countries while the opposite was true for those attending evening classes, especially in country B. In addition, no one went abroad to learn English in country C in 2010 while this choice was fairly popular in the other two countries.
In 2010, 94% of English learners in country C attended evening English classes, compared to 70% in country A and 72% in country B. In contrast, no English learners in country C chose to study abroad while the figures in country A and B were 25% and 20%, respectively. The proportions of people learning English online were under 10% in all countries (5% in country A, 8% in country B and 6% in country C).
After 5 years, there were significant changes in the percentage of people learning online, with the most noticeable being a fourfold increase to 32% in country B. The figures for country A and C also rose to 10% and 15%, respectively. Conversely, the percentage of people going to evening classes saw a downward trend, with a drop of 3% in country A, 24% in country B and 12% in country C. The figures for people learning English abroad did not change much as they remained at around 20% and higher in country A and B while country C saw a small increase of just 3%.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Specify the countries Original: different countries Suggested revision: the three countries Why it matters: The task compares three unnamed countries, so this wording is more precise.
- 2. State the comparison Original: especially in country B Suggested revision: with the largest fall in country B Why it matters: The visual shows that country B had the greatest decrease in evening-class participation.
- 3. Use plural countries Original: country Suggested revision: countries Why it matters: The plural noun is required because two countries are named.
- 4. Spell out number Original: 5 Suggested revision: five Why it matters: Spelling out this short number is more appropriate in formal prose.
- 5. Clarify the change Original: most noticeable being Suggested revision: most notable change being Why it matters: Adding the noun makes the comparison clearer and more natural.
- 6. Use plural countries Original: country Suggested revision: countries Why it matters: Use the plural noun when referring to two countries.
- 7. Sentence rewrite Original: Conversely, the percentage of people going to evening classes saw a downward trend, with a drop of 3% in country A, 24% in country B and 12% in country C. Suggested revision: Conversely, the proportions attending evening classes fell by 3 percentage points in country A, 24 percentage points in country B and 12 percentage points in country C. Why it matters: Changes between percentages must be reported in percentage points, and the people rather than the percentage should attend classes.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: The figures for people learning English abroad did not change much as they remained at around 20% and higher in country A and B while country C saw a small increase of just 3%. Suggested revision: The proportion studying abroad fell slightly from 25% to 23% in country A, remained at 20% in country B, and rose from 0% to 3% in country C. Why it matters: The revision reports each country's distinct change precisely instead of grouping unlike trends together.
- 9. Complete the overview Suggested revision: Add that evening classes remained the dominant method in every country in both years, despite their decline. Why it matters: This is a major cross-chart feature that would make the overview more complete.
Suggested Rewrites
- different countries the three countries
- especially in country B with the largest fall in country B
- country countries
- 5 five
- most noticeable being most notable change being
- country countries
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response provides a clear overview and accurately compares the major shifts across all three countries, supported by a comprehensive and well-selected range of figures. Its main limitation is occasional imprecision in phrasing, particularly the broad description of overseas study in Countries A and B. The highest-priority improvement is to state the smaller changes in overseas study more exactly while maintaining the concise comparative structure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and accurate, comprehensive comparisons identify the important changes and support them with relevant figures.
Describe the modest changes in studying abroad for Countries A and B with the same numerical precision used elsewhere.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically sequenced into an overview and two well-focused detail paragraphs, with cohesive devices used naturally.
Vary the repeated figure-based referencing slightly to make the progression even smoother.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and precise, including effective language for proportions, contrasts, and changing trends.
Use more exact wording than the broad phrase around 20% and higher when values differ only slightly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is handled accurately, with only very minor lapses that do not affect clarity.
Maintain plural agreement in references to multiple countries, such as Countries A and B.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The charts below show the differences in how people in 3 countries learned English in 2010 and 2015.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.