The graph below shows the consumption of fish and some different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979 and 2004. Fish and Meat consumption
Same question Compare 6 different answers
Sample Response
The line graph compares the average consumption of various non-vegetarian delights namely chicken, beef, lamb and fish, over a 25 years period in a European country. A glance at the line graph reveals that the consumption of chicken over time increased noticeably while the fish was the least consumed item during the period. Now getting back to the details, in 1979 beef was the highly consumed meat with an average intake of 220 grammes per person per week. Thereafter the beef consumption varied for the next 10 years before a steady drop and it halved in 2004. The similar trend was seen in the intake of lamb which was consumed 150 grammes by a person per week and reduced to half of that in the year 2004. Fish consumption by people was the lowest throughout the 25 years period and dropped from an average weekly consumption of 60 grammes in 1979 to 40 grammes in 2004. In contrast, the consumption of chicken grew over the 25 years period and people ate 150 grams of chicken on a weekly basis in 1979 which increased up to 250 grammes in 2004.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use neutral category Original: non-vegetarian delights Suggested revision: types of meat and fish Why it matters: This neutral phrase describes the chart categories more precisely.
- 2. Fix compound adjective Original: over a 25 years period Suggested revision: over a 25-year period Why it matters: A number-plus-noun modifier takes a singular hyphenated form.
- 3. Remove article Original: the fish was Suggested revision: fish was Why it matters: The uncountable food noun does not take “the” in this general comparison.
- 4. Add superlative Original: the highly consumed meat Suggested revision: the most highly consumed meat Why it matters: A superlative is required because beef is being ranked against all categories.
- 5. Fix transition phrase Original: Thereafter the beef consumption Suggested revision: Thereafter, beef consumption Why it matters: The introductory adverb needs a comma, and the general noun phrase needs no article.
- 6. Fix article Original: The Suggested revision: A Why it matters: The first mention of this comparison requires the indefinite article.
- 7. Fix quantity structure Original: was consumed 150 grammes by a person per week Suggested revision: was consumed at 150 grammes per person per week Why it matters: The rate needs “at” and the standard “per person” construction.
- 8. Use intransitive verb Original: and reduced to half of that Suggested revision: and fell to half that amount Why it matters: The quantity itself fell, so the passive verb “was reduced” is not appropriate here.
- 9. Hyphenate time span Original: throughout the 25 years period Suggested revision: throughout the 25-year period Why it matters: The duration functions as a singular compound modifier before “period”.
- 10. Use formal transition Original: Now getting back to the details Suggested revision: Turning to the details Why it matters: This transition is more concise and appropriately formal for a report.
- 11. Describe fluctuation Original: varied for the next 10 years Suggested revision: fluctuated over the next 10 years Why it matters: “Fluctuated” precisely describes the intervening rises and falls.
- 12. Fix trend clause Original: before a steady drop and it halved in 2004 Suggested revision: before dropping steadily to half its 1979 level in 2004 Why it matters: The participle construction links the final decline clearly to the earlier fluctuation.
Suggested Rewrites
- non-vegetarian delights types of meat and fish
- over a 25 years period over a 25-year period
- the fish was fish was
- the highly consumed meat the most highly consumed meat
- Thereafter the beef consumption Thereafter, beef consumption
- The A
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response identifies the clearest overall patterns and supports them with mostly accurate start and end figures, making the report easy to follow. Its main limitation is that it gives only a narrow selection of comparisons and uses several awkward grammatical and lexical forms. Prioritise a fuller overview of the declining meat trends and chicken's crossover with beef, then edit article use and measurement phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview identifies chicken's rise and fish's consistently low consumption, while the main start and end values are mostly accurate.
Add the shared decline in beef and lamb and the point at which chicken overtook beef to make the key comparisons more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the overview to each category, although presenting the entire report as one paragraph weakens the structure.
Separate the overview from the detailed comparisons and group the declining series together before contrasting them with chicken.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a sufficient range of trend and measurement vocabulary, but phrases such as "non-vegetarian delights" and "highly consumed meat" are imprecise.
Use neutral chart-reporting collocations such as "the most widely consumed meat" and "grams per person per week" consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex sentences communicates the data clearly, but article, agreement, and noun-phrase errors recur.
Correct forms such as "a 25-year period," "beef consumption," and "a similar trend" through a focused final edit.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows the consumption of fish and some different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979 and 2004. Fish and Meat consumption
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