The graph below shows the different modes of transport used to travel to and from work in one European city in 1960, 1980 and 2000.
Sample Response
The given bar graph shows data on the type of transportation used to go to work and to return from workthe work in three different years. As the data showAs is noticed from the given data, private cars becameprivate car has become the most popular mode of transportation for the commutersoffice goers and over time the popularity of busesbus has decreased. Initially, in 1960, around 20% of peoplearound 20% people used trains, 7% of people7% people used cars, 28% of people28% people used tubes and around 40% of peoplearound 40% people used buses to go to work or to return from work. By 1980After 20 years, the popularity of trains and carsthe popularity of train and car increased while the popularity of tubes and busesthe popularity of tube and bus decreased. In this year, more people used train than any other transportation as their mode of office transportation. The least used type of transportation was the tube and personal car in 1980. Finally, in 2000, the scenario changed and the car became the most popular mode of transportation which was used by about 37% of commutersmore than 37% people. The second most popular transportation was tube while train and bus became the least preferred mode of transportation. As is observed, people started preferring private cars over the public bus and train over timeover the time.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response presents a clear overall picture of the shift from buses to cars and follows the three years in an easy-to-understand sequence. Its main limitation is uneven precision: the 1980 comparison is slightly inaccurate and several later figures are omitted, while recurring article and preposition errors reduce polish; prioritise fuller, more exact comparisons supported by the chart.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and mostly accurate key trends address the task well, although the 1980 ranking is imprecise and some important figures are omitted.
Compare all four modes more precisely in 1980 and 2000, noting that train and bus were level at about 27% in 1980 and that bus alone was lowest in 2000.
Coherence and Cohesion
The chronological organisation creates clear progression, but presenting the entire report as one paragraph and repeating similar linking patterns weakens the structure.
Separate the overview from two focused detail paragraphs and group the comparisons by time period or by rising and falling modes.
Lexical Resource
The response uses an adequate range of trend vocabulary, though repetition and awkward collocations such as office transportation and 20% people reduce precision.
Use more natural data-reporting phrases such as 20% of commuters, travel by car, and the proportion using each mode.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex sentences communicates the data clearly, despite recurring errors with articles, prepositions, agreement, and percentage expressions.
Proofread noun phrases and time expressions, especially from work, in 1980, over time, and percentage of people constructions.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows the different modes of transport used to travel to and from work in one European city in 1960, 1980 and 2000.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.