The chart below shows the percentage of people in the UK who ate five portions of fruit and vegetables per day between 2001 and 2008.
Sample Response
The bar chart provides information on the percentage of men, women, and children that ate at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day from 2001 to 2008.
Overall, it can be seen that across the entire period women were the most likely group to have the necessary amount of fruit and vegetables in their diet, and children – the least. Still, by the end of the period the popularity of fruit and vegetables increased among all the participants in the survey.
A closer look at the chart reveals that women had the highest percentage overall, starting at 21% in 2001 and reaching a high of 35% in 2006 after a steady rise in the previous years. By 2008, the figure had declined slightly to 30%.
The ratio of men who had 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day was lower than that of women throughout the period. It remained steady at 17% for the first three years, from 2001 to 2003, but then rose to 27% by 2006 and declined slightly to 26% by 2008.
Children, whose figures were below those of men and women, started relatively low at 12% in 2001. The figure remained the same until 2003, and thereafter there was a noticeable increase to 17% in 2004. From then on, the figures continued to rise until they reached a high of 26% in 2007 before falling back slightly to 24% in 2008.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use who for people Original: that Suggested revision: who Why it matters: Who is the more appropriate relative pronoun for groups of people.
- 2. Name the measured intake Original: have the necessary amount of fruit and vegetables in their diet Suggested revision: eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day Why it matters: The chart measures a specific daily intake rather than a general necessary amount.
- 3. Complete the comparison Original: children – the least Suggested revision: children were the least likely Why it matters: The second part of the comparison needs its own verb phrase.
- 4. Report the metric accurately Original: the popularity of fruit and vegetables increased among all the participants in the survey Suggested revision: the percentage eating five portions increased across all three groups Why it matters: The chart reports percentages for three groups, not the popularity of the foods among individual participants.
- 5. State the time span Original: highest percentage overall Suggested revision: highest percentage throughout the period Why it matters: Throughout the period precisely captures that women led in every year shown.
- 6. Make the reference precise Original: in the previous years Suggested revision: over the preceding five years Why it matters: The replacement makes the duration of the rise explicit.
- 7. Use the chart measure Original: ratio Suggested revision: percentage Why it matters: The bars show percentages, not ratios.
- 8. Use the task verb Original: had 5 portions Suggested revision: ate five portions Why it matters: Ate is the precise verb for the daily consumption measured by the chart.
Suggested Rewrites
- that who
- have the necessary amount of fruit and vegetables in their diet eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day
- children – the least children were the least likely
- the popularity of fruit and vegetables increased among all the participants in the survey the percentage eating five portions increased across all three groups
- highest percentage overall highest percentage throughout the period
- in the previous years over the preceding five years
Why this response received Band 8.0
The report accurately identifies the dominant patterns and supports them with well-selected figures for all three groups, while maintaining a clear, logical progression. Its main limitation is occasional imprecision in word choice, such as describing percentages as a ratio or popularity. Refine these few lexical choices and make one or two direct cross-group comparisons to increase precision further.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and accurate, well-selected figures fully describe the ranking, rises, peaks, and final declines across all three groups.
Add a concise direct comparison of the size of the gaps between groups at a key point to sharpen the analysis.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically organised by group, with effective paragraphing and cohesive progression from overview to supporting detail.
Vary a small number of repeated transitions such as "from then on" while preserving the report's clear structure.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and precise overall, although "ratio" and "popularity" are slightly less exact than "percentage" and "consumption."
Use consistently statistical wording for proportions and trends to remove the few remaining imprecisions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used accurately, with only minor stylistic awkwardness that does not impede communication.
Refine the elliptical phrase about children being the least likely group into a fully balanced comparative clause.
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 chart below shows the percentage of people in the UK who ate five portions of fruit and vegetables per day between 2001 and 2008.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.