The Bar Chart shows CO2 emissions for different forms of transport in the European Union. The Pie Chart shows the percentage of European Union funds being spent on different forms of transport.
Sample Response
The chart shows CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre for variuos methods of transport in the European Union while the pie chart shows European Union spending on transport. Flying by air produces by far the greatest CO2 emissions, approximately three times as much as passenger cars which are the next largest producers. Very little is spent by the EU on air travel while roads make up more than half of the EU transport budget. Trains produce about three times less CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre than passenger cars and eight times less than air travel. Nearly a third of EU transport funds are spent on railways. Ships are a clean form of transport and produce about the same amount of CO2 per passenger kilometre as trains do. However, only 2 percent of EU funds are spent on ports. A further one percent is spent on inland waterways. Coaches are the cleanest form of transport. Emissions of CO2 per passenger kilometre from coaches are half those of buses. Buses emit less than half as much CO2 per passenger kilometre as cars. The European Union spends 10 percent of its transport budget on public transport, such as buses and coaches.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct the spelling Original: variuos Suggested revision: various Why it matters: Various is misspelled.
- 2. Remove redundancy Original: Flying by air Suggested revision: Air travel Why it matters: Flying by air is redundant because flying already implies air travel.
- 3. Add a comma Original: passenger cars which Suggested revision: passenger cars, which Why it matters: The non-defining clause identifying cars as the next-largest producers requires a comma.
- 4. Use the chart category Original: on air travel Suggested revision: on airports Why it matters: The funding chart labels this category as airports rather than air travel.
- 5. Clarify the ratio Original: three times less CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre than passenger cars Suggested revision: about one-third as much CO2 per passenger kilometre as passenger cars Why it matters: One-third as much expresses the intended ratio unambiguously.
- 6. Clarify the ratio Original: eight times less than air travel Suggested revision: about one-eighth as much as air travel Why it matters: One-eighth as much is the clear form for this proportional comparison.
- 7. Use a measured description Original: Ships are a clean form of transport Suggested revision: Ships are a relatively low-emission form of transport Why it matters: Low-emission describes the charted measure more precisely than the broad term clean.
- 8. Correct the port share Original: only 2 percent of EU funds are spent on ports Suggested revision: only 1 percent of EU funds is spent on ports Why it matters: The pie chart allocates 1% of funds to ports.
- 9. Complete the ratio phrase Original: half those of buses Suggested revision: half of those of buses Why it matters: The proportional construction requires half of before the comparison noun phrase.
- 10. Name the measured rate Original: the greatest CO2 emissions Suggested revision: the highest CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre Why it matters: The bar chart compares emissions per passenger kilometre rather than total emissions.
- 11. Use the exact share Original: roads make up more than half Suggested revision: roads account for 52% Why it matters: The pie chart shows that roads receive 52% of EU transport funding.
- 12. Give the chart value Original: Nearly a third Suggested revision: Thirty-one percent Why it matters: The railways slice is labelled 31%, so the exact percentage is available.
Suggested Rewrites
- variuos various
- Flying by air Air travel
- passenger cars which passenger cars, which
- on air travel on airports
- three times less CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre than passenger cars about one-third as much CO2 per passenger kilometre as passenger cars
- eight times less than air travel about one-eighth as much as air travel
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response provides a detailed, logically sequenced set of comparisons and accurately highlights the largest emission and spending categories as well as cleaner transport modes. Its chief limitation is the absence of a distinct overview and paragraphing, which makes the report read as one extended block and leaves the cross-chart message implicit. Add a concise overview, then group emissions and funding comparisons into clear paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
Key features from both charts are selected and compared accurately, though the overall relationship is not explicitly synthesised.
Add an overview contrasting high road funding with air travel's highest emissions and coaches' lowest emissions.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas progress coherently through linked transport comparisons, but the single-paragraph presentation limits structural clarity.
Organise the report into an introduction, overview, and two focused detail paragraphs for emissions and expenditure.
Lexical Resource
A sufficiently varied range of transport and comparison vocabulary is used precisely, apart from a spelling slip and a few imprecise forms.
Correct variuos and prefer clearer proportional wording such as one third as much rather than three times less.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex clauses and comparative structures are generally accurate, with only occasional minor awkwardness.
Vary sentence openings and tighten long comparative sentences to make relationships easier to process.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The Bar Chart shows CO2 emissions for different forms of transport in the European Union. The Pie Chart shows the percentage of European Union funds being spent on different forms of transport.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.