The graph shows Underground Station passenger numbers in London.
Sample Response
The provided line graph shows information about the numbers of people who use the underground station in London around the clock of a typical day. As is observed from the graph, the busiest times at the underground station are 8:00 am and 6:00 pm.
The highest numbers of people use the station in the morning and more specifically at around 8:00 in the morning. A rapid growth can be observed between 6:00 am and 8:00 am in the morning when around 400 people use the station at around 7:30 am. This number then quickly drops to below 200 at around 10:00 am. Again this number rises between 11:00 and 3:00 pm when around 300 people use the underground station with some fluctuations. In the afternoon, this number decline, with less than 100 people using the station at 4:00 pm. At 6:00 pm this number reaches at 380. After 7:00 pm, the total number of passengers declines significantly and fluctuates for the last two hours from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. In summary, London underground station remains busy in the starting of the day at morning and in the early evening.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use singular number Original: numbers Suggested revision: number Why it matters: 'Number' is singular when referring to one passenger total at each time.
- 2. State shown time span Original: around the clock of a typical day Suggested revision: from 6:00 to 22:00 on a typical day Why it matters: The graph covers sixteen hours rather than a full twenty-four-hour period.
- 3. Use direct framing Original: As is observed from the graph Suggested revision: As the graph shows Why it matters: The direct active structure is clearer and more natural.
- 4. Describe the peak Original: The highest numbers of people use the station Suggested revision: Passenger numbers peak Why it matters: The revised phrase accurately describes a maximum in the plotted figure.
- 5. Remove repetition Original: more specifically at around 8:00 in the morning Suggested revision: specifically at 8:00 am Why it matters: The revision removes redundant time wording and reports the marked time precisely.
- 6. Use graph vocabulary Original: A rapid growth Suggested revision: A sharp rise Why it matters: 'Rise' describes a short-term increase in a line graph more accurately than 'growth'.
- 7. Remove time redundancy Original: 6:00 am and 8:00 am in the morning Suggested revision: 6:00 am and 8:00 am Why it matters: The 'am' labels already show that both times are in the morning.
- 8. Correct peak time Original: around 400 people use the station at around 7:30 am Suggested revision: the figure reaches 400 passengers at 8:00 am Why it matters: The graph places the morning peak of 400 at 8:00, not 7:30.
- 9. Clarify progression Original: Again this number rises Suggested revision: The figure then rises Why it matters: 'Then' links this movement clearly to the preceding fall.
- 10. Correct rising interval Original: between 11:00 and 3:00 pm Suggested revision: between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm Why it matters: The line rises to 300 by 14:00 and has already fallen by 15:00.
- 11. Locate midday high Original: when around 300 people use the underground station with some fluctuations Suggested revision: with the figure reaching 300 passengers at 2:00 pm Why it matters: The chart shows a gradual rise to 300 at 14:00 rather than an extended period around 300.
- 12. Fix verb agreement Original: this number decline Suggested revision: the figure declines Why it matters: The singular subject requires the third-person verb 'declines'.
Suggested Rewrites
- numbers number
- around the clock of a typical day from 6:00 to 22:00 on a typical day
- As is observed from the graph As the graph shows
- The highest numbers of people use the station Passenger numbers peak
- more specifically at around 8:00 in the morning specifically at 8:00 am
- A rapid growth A sharp rise
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response identifies the two rush-hour peaks and traces the day's main rises and falls in a logical sequence, with useful supporting figures. The principal limitation is precision: the morning peak is placed around 7:30 rather than 8:00, and several descriptions are grammatically or idiomatically awkward. Focus on matching every time and value exactly while expressing trends in cleaner, more natural sentences.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and well-selected details cover the major peaks, troughs, and fluctuations, despite a few inaccurate time or value references.
Check plotted points carefully so the morning maximum is reported at 8:00 and the 16:00 low as about 100 passengers.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response progresses chronologically and uses referencing effectively, though repeated phrases such as 'this number' make cohesion slightly mechanical.
Vary reference and transition choices while keeping the clear chronological grouping of morning, afternoon, and evening changes.
Lexical Resource
There is sufficient range for trends and quantities, but awkward collocations and repetition occasionally reduce precision.
Replace unnatural phrases such as 'around the clock of a typical day' and 'in the starting of the day at morning' with concise idiomatic wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses both simple and complex structures with generally clear meaning, but agreement and preposition errors recur.
Correct forms such as 'this number declines' and 'reaches 380', and remove redundant time prepositions.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph shows Underground Station passenger numbers in London.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.