The table below gives information about changes in modes of travel in England between 1985 and 2000.
Sample Response
The table data outlines transportation preferences by British commuters between 1985 and 2000. As is obvious, cars were the most common means of transport in the two mentioned years in the UK. Interestingly, the British did not use taxis quite often back in 1985, only 13 miles per year was cut by every citizen which made the taxi the least common mode of transportation this year. However, this number increased to 42 miles per person in 2000. On the other hand, bicycles were one of the least used vehicles in 2000 covering only 41 passenger miles. It is clear that cars were still on top of preference among commuters, increasing from around 3000 miles in 1985 to over 4800 miles in 2000. Walking habits remained almost the same for the British while the use of local buses declined. Each passenger travelled around 290 miles per year in trains and that rose slightly after 15 years. The overall distance travelled by the English citizens went up from 4,740 to 6,475 miles in 15 years, and the car was the primary means of transportation for them. [Author - Malaa ]
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Describe measured data Original: transportation preferences Suggested revision: travel patterns Why it matters: The table reports distances travelled rather than subjective preferences.
- 2. Use accurate population Original: British commuters Suggested revision: people in England Why it matters: The figures apply to each person in England, not specifically to commuters.
- 3. Use concise wording Original: the two mentioned years Suggested revision: both years Why it matters: This is a more natural and concise reference to the two dates.
- 4. Show time reference Original: On the other hand Suggested revision: By 2000 Why it matters: The sentence shifts to the later year rather than presenting a logical contrast.
- 5. Fix plural agreement Original: one Suggested revision: among Why it matters: A plural subject cannot be described as one of the least-used items in this structure.
- 6. Use table category Original: least used vehicles Suggested revision: least-used modes of travel Why it matters: The table compares travel modes, and walking is not a vehicle.
- 7. State unit accurately Original: covering only 41 passenger miles Suggested revision: at only 41 miles per person Why it matters: The table gives annual miles travelled per person, not passenger miles covered by bicycles.
- 8. Use natural comparison Original: still on top of preference Suggested revision: still the most widely used mode Why it matters: The original collocation is unnatural and does not clearly express the ranking.
- 9. Report precise figure Original: around 3000 miles in 1985 Suggested revision: 3,199 miles in 1985 Why it matters: The table supplies an exact value that can be reported accurately.
- 10. Report precise figure Original: over 4800 miles in 2000 Suggested revision: 4,806 miles in 2000 Why it matters: Using the displayed figure makes the comparison more precise.
- 11. Describe distance travelled Original: Walking habits Suggested revision: The distance travelled on foot Why it matters: The table measures mileage rather than people's habits.
- 12. Use correct denominator Original: passenger Suggested revision: person Why it matters: The figures are calculated per person, not per passenger.
Suggested Rewrites
- transportation preferences travel patterns
- British commuters people in England
- the two mentioned years both years
- On the other hand By 2000
- one among
- least used vehicles least-used modes of travel
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response identifies the dominant role of cars and the rise in total travel, and it supports these observations with several accurate figures. Its main limitation is selective coverage: long-distance buses and the sizeable other category are omitted, while some descriptions are imprecise. The highest-priority improvement is to organise the report into clear paragraphs and compare the largest increases and decreases using more natural, exact language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and several accurate figures cover the principal trends, but two categories and some useful comparisons are omitted.
Compare the strongest rises and falls explicitly, including long-distance buses and the other category.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information progresses sensibly from the overview to selected details, although the single-paragraph format and a few mechanical links weaken organisation.
Separate the overview from grouped detail paragraphs and use contrast markers only where the relationship is genuinely contrastive.
Lexical Resource
The response shows adequate range for transport and change, but awkward collocations such as miles was cut and on top of preference reduce precision.
Use standard data-reporting phrases such as travelled, remained the dominant mode, rose, and declined.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures conveys the meaning, but agreement, reference, and sentence-construction errors recur.
Check subject-verb agreement and recast overloaded sentences so each comparison has a clear subject and verb.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The table below gives information about changes in modes of travel in England between 1985 and 2000.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.