The graph below shows the amount in grams of potatoes, pasta and rice eaten in a European country between 1976 and 2006.
Sample Response
The line graph compares the intake of three food items – potatoespotato, pasta and rice in a European country between 1976 and 2006. The unit is given in grams and it represents the consumption by each person in a week. Overall, potato consumption was higher than rice and pasta consumption in 1976in the 1970s but by 2006after three decades, pasta became the most widely consumedmost popular. In detailGetting back to the details, just over 400 grams of potatoesaround 400 grams of potato was consumed by each person in a week in 1976in 1976 in this country. At that time, the consumption of rice was exactly 300 grams, which was slightly higher than that of pasta. After ten years, pasta consumption rose steadilyskyrocketed while rice consumption fell steadilyplummeted and potato intake slightly dropped. In 1996, pasta became the mosthighest consumed food at 500 grams while potato intake dropped to around 300 grams and rice at about 175 gramsrice below 20 grams. Finally, in 2006, pasta intake stood at 500 grams the same as 10 years earlieras it was 10 years earlier while potato consumptioneating per person fell furtherfurther dipped and reached its lowest pointreached the nadir at only 100 grams. With a slight increase in potato consumption than 5 years earlier, potato remained as the second most preferred food in this country.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response presents a clear overview of the main shift from potatoes to pasta and uses generally effective language to describe trends. Its main weakness is data accuracy: rice is seriously understated in 1996, the final potato movement is reversed, and potatoes are incorrectly ranked second in 2006. The priority is to verify each final value and describe the late rice recovery accurately.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A relevant overview and several correct comparisons are provided, but major errors in the 1996 rice figure and the 2006 trends and rankings weaken accuracy.
Check the plotted values carefully and report that rice recovered to about 210 grams while potatoes fell to about 100 grams by 2006.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response follows a logical movement from introduction and overview to chronological detail, although it is presented as one dense paragraph and some linking is mechanical.
Separate the overview from the detail paragraph and group the three series more clearly around their contrasting trends.
Lexical Resource
There is a good range of trend vocabulary, but expressions such as "potato eating" and "most preferred food" are imprecise for measured consumption.
Use precise chart language such as "potato consumption" and "the most widely consumed item" while avoiding overstated verbs where changes are gradual.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of sentence structures is used with generally clear meaning, though awkward comparison forms and article or singular-plural choices recur.
Refine comparative structures, for example by writing "a slight increase compared with five years earlier" and consistently using plural food names where appropriate.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows the amount in grams of potatoes, pasta and rice eaten in a European country between 1976 and 2006.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.