The bar charts below give information on road transport in a number of European countries.
Sample Response
The bar charts give information about methods of travel and commuting times for six European countries, as well as the average figure for the European Union. From the information, we can see that car use is highest in Denmark at about 12,500 kilometres per person a year, and lowest in Spain and Germany. Perhaps surprisingly, the Danish also make far greater use of alternative transport than people in other countries, travelling over 3,000 kilometres a year by bus, tram, metro or bike, which is more than double the EU average. By comparison, the British and French travel less than a third of that distance by public transport. When it comes to commuting times, British drivers spend about 47 minutes each day travelling to work, which is more than any other country. In Denmark and Italy, on the other hand, where many more people use public transport, commuting times are significantly lower.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Describe measured distances Original: methods of travel Suggested revision: annual travel distances Why it matters: The charts measure distances travelled by different modes rather than simply listing travel methods.
- 2. Use plural noun Original: figure Suggested revision: figures Why it matters: Each of the three charts provides a separate EU average.
- 3. Avoid subjective framing Original: Perhaps surprisingly, Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: A Task 1 report should present the visual evidence without expressing personal surprise.
- 4. Correct the value Original: over Suggested revision: about Why it matters: The chart shows Denmark at approximately 3,000 kilometres, not above that level.
- 5. Name the correct mode Original: tram Suggested revision: train Why it matters: The chart category includes train travel, not tram travel.
- 6. Correct the comparison Original: less than a third Suggested revision: no more than a third Why it matters: France is at about 1,000 kilometres, exactly one third of Denmark's 3,000, while the UK is slightly below that.
- 7. Use accurate population Original: drivers Suggested revision: commuters Why it matters: The commuting chart covers all transport modes rather than drivers alone.
- 8. Avoid unsupported headcount Original: many more people use public transport Suggested revision: substantial distances are travelled by public transport Why it matters: The chart reports distance per person and does not show how many people use public transport.
- 9. Use a concise verb Original: give information about Suggested revision: compare Why it matters: 'Compare' states the relationship among the charts more directly.
- 10. Name the measure precisely Original: car use Suggested revision: distance travelled by car Why it matters: The first chart measures annual distance per person rather than car use in general.
- 11. Name the combined category Original: alternative transport Suggested revision: bus, train, metro and bicycle travel Why it matters: Naming the modes is more precise than the broad label 'alternative transport'.
- 12. Compare like with like Original: which is more than any other country Suggested revision: the highest figure among the countries shown Why it matters: The original wording incorrectly compares a commuting time with countries rather than with their figures.
Suggested Rewrites
- methods of travel annual travel distances
- figure figures
- Perhaps surprisingly, Delete
- over about
- tram train
- less than a third no more than a third
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is concise, fluent, and selects useful comparisons from all three charts, with especially strong control of vocabulary and complex sentences. Its main limitation is that the overview is narrow and some claims are slightly inaccurate or unsupported, particularly the public-transport comparison and the suggestion that British commuting data refer only to drivers. Prioritise a fuller overview that accurately highlights Germany’s near-peak commuting time and the main cross-chart patterns.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response covers all three charts and identifies several important extremes, but it omits Germany’s high commuting time and makes a few imprecise or unsupported claims.
Provide a broader overview of the main patterns across all charts and distinguish clearly between all-mode commuting data and car-specific travel.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically from car use to alternative transport and commuting time, although presenting the entire report as one paragraph weakens the grouping of information.
Separate the overview and the detailed comparisons into distinct paragraphs so each chart relationship is easier to follow.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and precise, with effective expressions for transport use, distance, and comparative trends, despite a small amount of imprecise wording.
Use neutral, data-specific phrasing and avoid expressions such as “Perhaps surprisingly” when the chart itself cannot support that interpretation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentence structures is used accurately and fluently, with strong control of clauses and punctuation.
Maintain this control while shortening the densest comparative sentences to make each factual relationship maximally clear.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The bar charts below give information on road transport in a number of European countries.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.