The graph below shows the quantities of goods transported in the UK between 1974 and 2002 by four different modes of transport.
Sample Response
The line graph compares the supply of goods transported in the United Kingdom from 1974 to 2002 via road, water, rail and pipeline. Overall, road transportation and water transportation carried more quantity of goods in the UK than the amount carried by pipelines and rails. According to the given data, initially in 1974, more than 70 million tonnes of products were transported to the UK on the road while around 40 million tonnes was transported via water and rail transportations. Least quantity of supplies (around 5 million tonnes) was transported in pipelines in this same year. Over the year, the goods transported via road increased with some fluctuations and reached to about 100 million tons in 2002. The water transports were used more for transporting goods to the UK and except in 1998, the amount of goods transported in waterway kept on increasing and finally reached over 60 million tons in 2002. The use of rail transportation system for carrying goods to the UK got reduced as less quantity of goods were transported in rails later years but finally, the quantity reached to 40 million tons in 2002. Finally, goods carried by pipelines increased over the year reached over 20 million tons in 2002.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise quantity term Original: supply Suggested revision: quantities Why it matters: The graph measures amounts transported rather than the supply available.
- 2. Avoid repetition Original: road transportation and water transportation Suggested revision: road and water transport Why it matters: This is a more concise way to name the two modes.
- 3. Use plural comparison Original: more quantity of goods Suggested revision: greater quantities of goods Why it matters: Countable quantities require a plural noun and a comparative form such as greater.
- 4. Name transport modes Original: pipelines and rails Suggested revision: pipeline and rail Why it matters: The chart labels transport modes, so the singular mass-noun forms are appropriate.
- 5. Add article Original: Least quantity Suggested revision: The smallest quantity Why it matters: The superlative noun phrase needs the definite article.
- 6. Keep data term consistent Original: supplies Suggested revision: goods Why it matters: Goods is the chart's measured category and is more precise here.
- 7. Use transport preposition Original: in pipelines Suggested revision: by pipeline Why it matters: By is used to identify a mode of transport.
- 8. Use natural determiner Original: this Suggested revision: the Why it matters: The definite article is the natural determiner for a previously specified year.
- 9. Refer to full period Original: year Suggested revision: period Why it matters: The graph covers twenty-eight years, so year gives the wrong time span.
- 10. Remove extra preposition Original: reached to about Suggested revision: reached about Why it matters: Reach takes a direct object and does not use to before a figure.
- 11. Match chart unit Original: tons Suggested revision: tonnes Why it matters: Tonnes matches the unit shown on the vertical axis.
- 12. Use concise mode name Original: rail transportation system Suggested revision: rail transport Why it matters: Rail transport is the standard concise name for this mode.
Suggested Rewrites
- supply quantities
- road transportation and water transportation road and water transport
- more quantity of goods greater quantities of goods
- pipelines and rails pipeline and rail
- Least quantity The smallest quantity
- supplies goods
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response’s strongest feature is its broad coverage of all four transport modes, with generally accurate starting and finishing values and a clear sense of their relative importance. Its main limitation is imprecise reporting of several intermediate movements, especially for water, rail, and pipeline transport. The highest-priority improvement is to organise the data into clearer comparison groups and describe each fluctuation with more exact figures and time references.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response gives a clear overview and accurately describes the broad rankings and end-point trends, although several intermediate movements and figures are imprecise.
Describe the water, rail, and pipeline fluctuations more precisely and distinguish approximate values from exact end points.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information progresses logically from an overview to mode-by-mode details, but the single dense paragraph and repetitive linking weaken organisation.
Use separate detail paragraphs to group the higher-volume modes and the lower-volume modes, with clearer comparisons between them.
Lexical Resource
A sufficient range of transport and trend vocabulary is used, but awkward collocations and word forms reduce precision.
Improve countability and transport collocations, using forms such as quantities of goods, by road, and reached rather than reached to.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses both simple and complex structures, but recurring errors with articles, agreement, prepositions, and plurals reduce control.
Check each sentence for subject-verb agreement and article use, especially around quantities, modes of transport, and time expressions.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows the quantities of goods transported in the UK between 1974 and 2002 by four different modes of transport.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.