The chart below shows the amount of money per week spent on fast foods in Britain. The graph shows the trends in consumption of fast foods. Expenditure (Pence per person per week) on fast foods, by income groups, UK 1990 Consumption of fast food per person in gram (1970-1990)
Sample Response
The bar chart compares the weekly expenditures of the British on three fast food items in 1990 while the line graph shows the consumption of these items from 1970 to 1990. Overall, expenditures on fast foods varied depending on people’s income class. Moreover, 'fish & chips' was the most consumed item in the 70’s, but in later decades, consumption of hamburgers increased remarkably - exceeding the consumption of the other two items. According to the bar graph, high-income class people spent more money on hamburgers (more than 40 Pence/person) than on fish & chips and pizza. Their spending was also higher than average and low-income class people on pizza. Besides, the average income group spent more on hamburgers but their spending on fish and chips (25 pence) was more than the other two income groups. Finally, the low-income class spent comparatively less on fast foods and fish & chips cost them the most (about 17 pence). They spent the least amount on purchasing pizza (around 7 pence/person). Moreover, the line graph shows the consumption of these items by the British from 1970 to 1990. Initially, fish & chips consumption in Britain was highest (300 gm/ person) in 1970. This year, less than 80 gm of hamburgers and pizza were consumed by an average person. Over time, fish & chips consumption declined and hamburgers became the most consumed item in 1990 with 500 gm consumption per person.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use uncountable noun Original: expenditures Suggested revision: expenditure Why it matters: “Expenditure” is uncountable when referring to spending as a measure.
- 2. Clarify consumer group Original: of the British Suggested revision: by British consumers Why it matters: This states clearly who spent the money.
- 3. Use chart category Original: class Suggested revision: group Why it matters: The bar chart categorises consumers by income group.
- 4. Correct decade form Original: 70’s Suggested revision: 1970s Why it matters: Decade plurals do not take an apostrophe.
- 5. Format expenditure unit Original: 40 Pence/person Suggested revision: 40 pence per person Why it matters: The unit should be written in lowercase words in the report.
- 6. Format expenditure unit Original: 7 pence/person Suggested revision: 7 pence per person Why it matters: Writing out “per person” gives the unit consistently.
- 7. Format weight unit Original: 300 gm/ person Suggested revision: 300 grams per person Why it matters: The graph’s consumption measure should be expressed as grams per person.
- 8. State final quantity Original: 500 gm consumption per person Suggested revision: 500 grams per person Why it matters: The revision removes the awkward noun sequence and gives the unit clearly.
- 9. Use singular expenditure Original: expenditures on fast foods Suggested revision: expenditure on fast food Why it matters: “Expenditure” and “fast food” are uncountable when used as general categories.
- 10. Join result phrase Original: increased remarkably - exceeding Suggested revision: increased remarkably, exceeding Why it matters: A comma correctly attaches the participial result phrase.
- 11. Name consumer group Original: high-income class people Suggested revision: high-income consumers Why it matters: This is a more concise and natural label for the group.
- 12. Match income label Original: class Suggested revision: group Why it matters: “Income group” matches the chart’s categorisation.
Suggested Rewrites
- expenditures expenditure
- of the British by British consumers
- class group
- 70’s 1970s
- 40 Pence/person 40 pence per person
- 7 pence/person 7 pence per person
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response provides a clear overview across both visuals and accurately selects many useful expenditure comparisons, including the contrasting preferences of high- and low-income groups. Its main limitation is incomplete coverage of the consumption graph: pizza's sharp rise to nearly 300 grams and the slight late recovery in fish and chips are omitted. Prioritize a balanced set of key trends from both graphics, then refine a few awkward comparisons.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
Both visuals are addressed with a clear overview and mostly accurate data, but the major rise in pizza consumption and the final fish-and-chips uptick are missing.
Include the rise of pizza from about 30 to 290 grams and note that fish and chips edged up after 1985.
Coherence and Cohesion
The report progresses logically from overview to expenditure and consumption, but the single-paragraph format and repeated use of 'Moreover' weaken grouping.
Place the overview, bar-chart comparisons and line-graph trends in separate paragraphs with distinct organizing functions.
Lexical Resource
A varied and generally precise range of vocabulary describes expenditure, consumption and change, despite a few awkward class and comparison phrases.
Use concise forms such as 'high-income consumers' and make comparison targets explicit when discussing spending on pizza.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of sentence structures is mostly controlled, with occasional article, comparison and phrasing errors that do not impede meaning.
Polish comparative clauses so spending by one income group is directly and grammatically compared with spending by the others.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The chart below shows the amount of money per week spent on fast foods in Britain. The graph shows the trends in consumption of fast foods. Expenditure (Pence per person per week) on fast foods, by income groups, UK 1990 Consumption of fast food per person in gram (1970-1990)
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.