The pie charts show the destination of export goods in three countries in 2010.
Sample Response
The given pie charts illustrate the percentage breakdown of goods exported from three South American countries, in 2010.
It is clear that while Argentina and Chile’s exports were distributed more evenly amongst other nations, the large majority of Mexico’s exports were to the USA.
From the charts it can be seen that Argentina and Chile’s export trends were almost identical, with the majority of their exports going to other Latin American countries, at 38% for Argentina, and 31% for Chile. Meanwhile, 26% of Argentina’s exports went to Europe, 16% to the USA, and 20% to other countries. Similarly, Chile’s exports consisted of 30% to Europe, 18% to the USA, and 21% to other countries.
In contrast, the large majority of Mexico’s exports were to the USA, at 82%. The remaining exports from Mexico were to Europe, at 6%, other Latin American countries, at 6%, and other countries, also receiving 6%.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct the geography Original: three South American countries Suggested revision: Argentina, Mexico and Chile Why it matters: Mexico is not a South American country, so naming the three countries avoids the factual error.
- 2. Name the chart categories Original: amongst other nations Suggested revision: across the four destinations Why it matters: The charts classify destinations by regions and the USA rather than simply by nations.
- 3. Use a precise noun Original: trends Suggested revision: destinations Why it matters: The charts compare destinations at one point in time, not trends over time.
- 4. Avoid overstatement Original: almost identical Suggested revision: broadly similar Why it matters: The countries share the same ordering, but several category percentages differ noticeably.
- 5. Distinguish largest from majority Original: the majority of their exports going to other Latin American countries Suggested revision: their largest shares going to other Latin American countries Why it matters: The shares of 38% and 31% are the largest categories but remain below half.
- 6. Correct Chile's figure Original: 21 Suggested revision: 22 Why it matters: The chart labels Chile's other-destinations share as 22%.
- 7. Correct Mexico's figure Original: 82 Suggested revision: 62 Why it matters: The chart shows that 62% of Mexico's exports went to the USA.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: The remaining exports from Mexico were to Europe, at 6%, other Latin American countries, at 6%, and other countries, also receiving 6%. Suggested revision: The remaining 18% was divided equally among Europe, other Latin American countries and other destinations, at 6% each. Why it matters: Grouping the three equal shares makes the distribution clearer and more concise.
- 9. Add a direct comparison Suggested revision: Contrast Argentina and Chile directly, noting that Chile sent higher shares to Europe and the USA while Argentina sent more to other Latin America. Why it matters: A direct cross-country comparison would make the similarities and differences more explicit.
Suggested Rewrites
- three South American countries Argentina, Mexico and Chile
- amongst other nations across the four destinations
- trends destinations
- almost identical broadly similar
- the majority of their exports going to other Latin American countries their largest shares going to other Latin American countries
- 21 22
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is concise, logically organised, and uses comparisons effectively to distinguish Mexico from Argentina and Chile. Its main limitation is a major data error: Mexico's share exported to the USA is 62%, not 82%, and the largest shares in Argentina and Chile are not numerical majorities. The priority is to verify headline figures and describe proportions with exact language before finalising the report.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview captures the main contrast and nearly all categories are covered, but the central Mexican figure is seriously inaccurate and two largest shares are overstated as majorities.
Report Mexico's USA share as 62% and call the 38% and 31% Latin American shares the largest proportions rather than majorities.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is grouped logically by similar and contrasting countries, with clear progression and well-controlled cohesive devices.
For even tighter cohesion, avoid repeating the phrase large majority and let the numerical contrast carry the comparison.
Lexical Resource
A flexible range of chart vocabulary conveys comparisons precisely, with only occasional imprecision in wording and geographical description.
Prefer neutral labels from the chart and precise proportion terms, avoiding the inaccurate description of all three countries as South American.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with strong accuracy and consistently clear sentence control.
Refine punctuation by removing the unnecessary comma before in 2010 and maintain this level of control in longer reports.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The pie charts show the destination of export goods in three countries in 2010.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.