The table below gives information about changes in modes of travel in England between 1985 and 2000.
Sample Response
The table illustrates how the mode of travel changed in England between 1985 and 2000. Generally, compared to 1985, English travelled more in 2000, and they heavily relied on private cars for commuting. Cars were by far the most popular modes of transport in both years in England. In 1985, the average distance travelled by English in a car was 3,199 miles, and 4806 miles in 2000. On the other hand, we can see that taxi was the least popular vehicle. Although the travelling distance in 2000 using taxi was above three times than that of 1985, only 42 miles were travelled per person this year, which was almost the same for the bicycle rides. No significant changes happened to some modes of travel, like walking and bicycle between 1985 and 2000.
According to the table, in 2000 local bus was used less than that of 1985. Only 274 miles were travelled in 2000 by buses, which was 55 miles fewer than that of 1985. In contrast, the long-distance bus became more popular over time. Each person travelled 124 miles by long-distance buses in 2000 while only 54 miles in 1985. In summary, English people travelled more distance in 2000 than in 1985. It is obvious that cars were the most popular mode of travelling.
Useful Resources for IELTS Graph Writing:
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use plural noun Original: the mode of travel changed Suggested revision: modes of travel changed Why it matters: The table compares several modes, so the plural noun is required.
- 2. Name people correctly Original: English travelled Suggested revision: people in England travelled Why it matters: 'English' cannot stand alone as a plural noun for the population in this sentence.
- 3. Avoid unsupported purpose Original: commuting Suggested revision: travel Why it matters: The table reports all travel and does not specify that the distances were for commuting.
- 4. Correct number agreement Original: modes Suggested revision: mode Why it matters: Cars represent one mode, so the singular form is required.
- 5. Clarify population measure Original: travelled by English Suggested revision: travelled per person in England Why it matters: The table reports an average distance per person, and this phrasing states the measure accurately.
- 6. Complete comparison Original: and 4806 miles in 2000 Suggested revision: and this rose to 4,806 miles in 2000 Why it matters: The second figure needs a verb, and the thousands separator improves numerical clarity.
- 7. Describe distance measure Original: taxi was the least popular vehicle Suggested revision: travel by taxi covered the shortest distance Why it matters: The table compares miles travelled by mode rather than popularity or individual vehicles.
- 8. Fix multiplier form Original: above three times than Suggested revision: more than three times Why it matters: The correct comparative construction is 'more than three times'.
- 9. Use natural collocation Original: using Suggested revision: by Why it matters: Travel distances by transport mode are naturally expressed with 'by'.
- 10. Clarify comparison Original: almost the same for the bicycle rides Suggested revision: close to the distance travelled by bicycle Why it matters: The revision makes the compared measure explicit and grammatically complete.
- 11. Use formal collocation Original: happened Suggested revision: occurred Why it matters: 'Changes occurred' is the standard formal collocation for describing data.
- 12. Use parallel categories Original: bicycle Suggested revision: cycling Why it matters: Both items should name travel activities in parallel form.
Suggested Rewrites
- the mode of travel changed modes of travel changed
- English travelled people in England travelled
- commuting travel
- modes mode
- travelled by English travelled per person in England
- and 4806 miles in 2000 and this rose to 4,806 miles in 2000
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response effectively establishes the overall rise in travel and the dominance of cars, then supports these points with several relevant comparisons. Coverage is nevertheless uneven: train, other modes, and the total figures are omitted, while the local-bus decrease is incorrectly stated as 55 rather than 155 miles. The highest priority is to select a more complete set of key figures and verify every numerical comparison.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview identifies the main trends and several figures are accurate, but key categories and totals are omitted and the local-bus decrease is miscalculated.
Include the totals and representative figures for all major patterns, then check differences such as the 155-mile fall in local-bus travel.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the overview to selected comparisons, though the conclusion repeats the opening and the first paragraph is overloaded.
Separate the overview from two balanced detail paragraphs, grouping decreases together and increases together.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary covers transport and comparison adequately, but recurring phrases such as 'English travelled,' 'above three times than,' and 'more distance' are inaccurate.
Use precise forms such as 'people in England,' 'more than three times as far,' and 'travelled farther.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are used and meaning remains clear, but agreement, article, comparative, and reference errors occur regularly.
Focus on accurate comparative structures and noun phrases, especially 'three times as much as' and 'the distance travelled by taxi.'
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
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.