The number of tourists visiting Malaysia and Dubai from 1995 to 2003 is presented below. Tourist Visit in Malaysia and Dubai (in ‘000)
Sample Response
The line graph compares the number of travellers who visited Malaysia and Dubai from 1995 to 2003. Overall, more tourists visited Malaysiawent to visit Malaysia from 1995 to 2000, but after 2001, Dubai received more visitorsafterwards, Dubai got more visitors. Turning to the detailsGetting back to the details, 100 thousand tourists visited Malaysia in 1995 and it was more than doublemore than double than the number of tourists in Dubai in the same yearat the same time. Next year, visitors to Malaysia increasedincreases while the figure for Dubai declinedwhile declined in Dubai. Afterwards, the number of tourists in Malaysia and Dubai rapidly increased , and in 1998and in 1998, 200 thousand people went to Malaysia compared to about 175 thousandover 150 thousand in Dubai. Interestingly, the number of holidaymakersholidaymakers’ number visiting both destinationsto both these places were closebecame identical and reachedreached to over a quarter million in 2000. Next year, both countries recorded increases in visitor numberswitnessed a hike in their tourists’ number which stood at around 325 thousand. A reverse trend during the next few years followed with more tourists in Dubai than in Malaysia. In 2002 Dubai got more trippers and this trend continued in the next year when 0.4 million vacationers visited Dubai compared to less than 0.25 million in Malaysia.
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response identifies the overall shift from Malaysia leading early to Dubai finishing well ahead, and it supports this with several useful figures. Its main weakness is uneven accuracy, especially the claim that the totals were identical in 2000, while language errors and a single-block structure reduce precision and flow. Prioritise exact comparisons from the graph, then group the overview and chronological details into clear paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A relevant overview and several key figures describe the broad trends, but the 2000 equality and post-2000 comparison are imprecise and some fluctuations are omitted.
Check each comparison against the graph and state that the figures were close in 2000, equal in 2001, and diverged thereafter.
Coherence and Cohesion
The report follows the timeline clearly, although all information is presented in one block and some transitions are mechanical or awkward.
Separate the introduction, overview, and chronological detail into distinct paragraphs with fewer formulaic linking phrases.
Lexical Resource
There is a useful range of trend and visitor vocabulary, but collocations such as ‘holidaymakers’ number’ and ‘got more trippers’ are unnatural.
Use precise forms such as ‘the number of tourists rose’ and avoid varying common nouns with less suitable synonyms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the main message, but agreement, comparison, tense, and preposition errors recur.
Review subject-verb agreement and comparative structures, especially ‘more than double’ and consistent past-tense reporting.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The number of tourists visiting Malaysia and Dubai from 1995 to 2003 is presented below. Tourist Visit in Malaysia and Dubai (in ‘000)
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.