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 compares the number of noise complaints to Environment Health authorities made by people in Newtown city between 1980 and 1996. Generally speaking, the highest number of complaints to Environments Health authorities were related to road works.
In 1980, the traffic noise started from 300 complaints per year and it stabilises until it plummeted to a low point of 200 in 1986 till 1988, then it made a peak in 1992 and continued to rose steadily until the end of 1996. On the other hand, the number of complaints about heavy industries started its growth from 400 complaints in 1980 and had steeply increased three years on, since that time it remained reasonably stable during the next 13 years.
Although road works started at a high point of 600 at the beginning of 1980, from 1980 onwards it declined steadily to a point of 70, respectively. However, it fluctuated slightly through the time between 1982 and 1996. It can be seen that the domestic household had a bigger complaints amount at the end of 1996 of point 1200, even though it began at 500 in 1980.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct authority name Original: Environment Suggested revision: Environmental Why it matters: The adjective 'Environmental' is required in the authority's name.
- 2. Use natural place name Original: Newtown city Suggested revision: the city of Newtown Why it matters: This is the natural form for referring to the location in the task.
- 3. Correct authority name Original: Environments Suggested revision: Environmental Why it matters: 'Environments' is the wrong word form here.
- 4. Match singular subject Original: were Suggested revision: was Why it matters: The singular subject 'number' requires the singular verb 'was'.
- 5. Name the measure Original: the traffic noise started from 300 complaints per year Suggested revision: traffic-noise complaints stood at 300 Why it matters: This accurately names and reports the series rather than describing noise itself as starting.
- 6. Keep past tense Original: it stabilises Suggested revision: this figure remained stable Why it matters: Past tense is needed for the historical data.
- 7. Avoid exaggeration Original: plummeted Suggested revision: fell Why it matters: The decrease from 300 to 200 is clear but does not warrant this highly dramatic verb.
- 8. Clarify duration Original: in 1986 till 1988 Suggested revision: in 1986 and remained there until 1988 Why it matters: This distinguishes the year of the fall from the period at the low level.
- 9. Correct 1992 value Original: made a peak in 1992 Suggested revision: reached 500 in 1992 Why it matters: The traffic-noise series continued rising after 1992 and peaked at about 600 in 1996.
- 10. Use infinitive form Original: rose Suggested revision: rise Why it matters: 'To' must be followed by the base form 'rise'.
- 11. Use chart category Original: complaints about heavy industries Suggested revision: complaints about factories Why it matters: The series in the chart is labelled 'factories'.
- 12. Report starting value Original: started its growth from 400 complaints Suggested revision: stood at 400 complaints Why it matters: This is the standard construction for describing an initial chart value.
Suggested Rewrites
- Environment Environmental
- Newtown city the city of Newtown
- Environments Environmental
- were was
- the traffic noise started from 300 complaints per year traffic-noise complaints stood at 300
- it stabilises this figure remained stable
Why this response received Band 5.5
The response attempts to cover all four sources and uses separate paragraphs to organise the description, which gives the report a basic structure. Its main limitation is serious data accuracy: the road-works and domestic/household trends are effectively reversed, and several other values and turning points are misstated. The priority is to match each line to its legend carefully and build the overview from the graph's true contrasting trends.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All four complaint sources are mentioned, but the road-works and domestic trends are reversed and the overview and several details are inaccurate.
Trace each labelled line separately and report the dominant contrast: road works rose sharply while domestic complaints fell steeply.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing provides a basic progression, but long sentence chains and misused linking expressions make relationships between details difficult to follow.
Use one controlled sentence for each main trend and reserve contrast linkers for genuinely opposing movements.
Lexical Resource
The response attempts a range of trend vocabulary, but frequent awkward collocations reduce precision and naturalness.
Replace phrases such as made a peak and bigger complaints amount with peaked and a higher number of complaints.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are attempted, but frequent errors in tense, verb form, agreement, and sentence boundaries weaken control.
Keep time-series descriptions consistently in the past tense and split run-on sentences into shorter accurate units.
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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
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