The graph below shows the number of complaints made about noise to Environmental Health authorities in the city of Newtown between 1980 and 1996.
Sample Response
The line graph shows the number of complaints received by the Environmental Health authoritiesDepartment according to the types of noisetype of noises heard in the city of Newtown. Overall, the number of complaints lodged about four noise sources increased over the period except for domestic noise, which declinedwhich, in fact, declined. The four types of noisecommotions the authorities received complaints aboutauthorities have received the most complaints about are 'road works', 'traffic noise', 'factory noise''factories' and 'domestic/household noise''domestic or household disturbances'. In 1980, the authorities received about 650 complaintsover 600 complaints about domestic noiseconcerning domestic disturbances which thenhave steadily decreased over the years. Factory noise also increased steadilywas also on a steady increase from 1980 untiltill it stabilised between 600 and 800 complaints per year from 1986 to 1996from 1986 onwards. The two most noise complaints the authorities have received are from road works and traffic noise as both have either doubled or tripled from 1980 onwards. Noise complaints from residents in Newtown had steadily increased and reached to highest in 1986 with around 2600 complaints.
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response gives a clear overview and correctly captures the broad rise in road works, factory and traffic complaints alongside the fall in domestic complaints. Its main weakness is incomplete and occasionally inaccurate detail, especially the claim that complaints peaked at about 2,600 in 1986; the priority is to report accurate endpoints and turning points for each series, including the road-works surge after 1988.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview identifies the main directions correctly, but supporting figures are sparse and the final claim places an approximate combined peak in the wrong year.
Report accurate start and end values and key turning points, especially road works rising from about 400 in 1988 to over 1,200 in 1996.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response moves logically from the overview to individual sources, but the single-block presentation and abrupt final aggregate claim weaken the structure.
Use separate overview and detail paragraphs, grouping the rising series together and contrasting them with declining domestic complaints.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a reasonable range for change, but awkward phrases such as types of commotions and two most noise complaints reduce precision.
Use standard graph vocabulary such as sources of noise, number of complaints, rose steadily, levelled off, and declined.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is generally clear, but tense control, comparative forms, articles, and structures such as reached to highest contain recurring errors.
Use past tense consistently and revise comparison patterns, for example reached its highest point and the two largest increases.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows the number of complaints made about noise to Environmental Health authorities in the city of Newtown between 1980 and 1996.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.