The three pie charts below show the changes in annual spending by a particular UK school in 1981, 1991 and 2001.
Sample Response
The pie charts give information on the spending of a UK school in three different years with the 10 years interval starting from 1981. According to the given data, in 1981 the UK school’s 40% expense was for teacher’s salary while 15% expenses were both for the school equipment and for other resources like books. 2% of it expenses was made for the insurance and remaining 28% was for the other staff’s salary. After 10 years the expenses in teachers’ salary increased by10% while the expenses on school furniture reduced by 10%. Resources and books related expenses increased by 5% while other staffs’ salary decreased by 6% this year. Only one percent expenses increased for the insurance. In 2001, the expense of this school in this year was 45% for the teachers. The insurance cost increased to 8% while the furniture related expenses increased to 23% and staff salary and resource purchasing expenses decreased to 15% and 9% respectively.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct interval phrase Original: with the 10 years interval Suggested revision: at ten-year intervals Why it matters: The plural time span requires the standard at ten-year intervals construction.
- 2. Use direct time marker Original: According to the given data, in 1981 Suggested revision: In 1981 Why it matters: The direct year reference is clearer and avoids unnecessary framing.
- 3. Correct percentage structure Original: the UK school’s 40% expense was Suggested revision: the UK school spent 40% Why it matters: The active verb spent correctly links the school to the percentage allocation.
- 4. Use plural possessive Original: teacher’s salary Suggested revision: teachers’ salaries Why it matters: The category covers salaries for multiple teachers.
- 5. Separate equal allocations Original: 15% expenses were both for the school equipment and for other resources like books Suggested revision: 15% was spent on furniture and equipment, and another 15% on resources such as books Why it matters: The rewrite accurately distinguishes the two categories that each received 15%.
- 6. Repair expenditure phrase Original: 2% of it expenses was made for the insurance Suggested revision: 2% of its expenditure was allocated to insurance Why it matters: The possessive and passive allocation structure are required for a spending category.
- 7. Add definite article Original: and remaining 28% Suggested revision: and the remaining 28% Why it matters: Remaining requires the definite article when referring to the balance of the budget.
- 8. Correct salary category Original: other staff’s salary Suggested revision: other workers’ salaries Why it matters: The chart category refers to salaries for multiple other workers.
- 9. Use spending preposition Original: expenses in teachers’ salary Suggested revision: spending on teachers’ salaries Why it matters: Spending on is the natural construction for a budget category.
- 10. Use percentage points Original: increased by10% Suggested revision: increased by 10 percentage points Why it matters: The share rose from 40% to 50%, a change of ten percentage points.
- 11. Describe the fall accurately Original: expenses on school furniture reduced by 10% Suggested revision: spending on furniture and equipment fell by 10 percentage points Why it matters: This category declined from 15% to 5%, which is a ten-point fall.
- 12. Correct category wording Original: Resources and books related expenses Suggested revision: Spending on resources such as books Why it matters: The revised phrase matches the category label and uses a natural noun structure.
Suggested Rewrites
- with the 10 years interval at ten-year intervals
- According to the given data, in 1981 In 1981
- the UK school’s 40% expense was the UK school spent 40%
- teacher’s salary teachers’ salaries
- 15% expenses were both for the school equipment and for other resources like books 15% was spent on furniture and equipment, and another 15% on resources such as books
- 2% of it expenses was made for the insurance 2% of its expenditure was allocated to insurance
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response reports almost all percentages and year-to-year changes accurately, giving a reliable chronological account of the school's expenditure. Its main limitation is the absence of a clear overview identifying teachers' salaries as the largest category throughout and the contrasting trends in insurance, other staff, resources, and equipment; frequent language errors also weaken precision. Prioritise a comparative overview before presenting selected figures in grouped paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The detailed figures are largely accurate, but the response lacks an overview of the dominant category and the principal trends across the period.
State that teachers' salaries remained the largest expense, insurance rose steadily, and the other categories either declined overall or fluctuated.
Coherence and Cohesion
The chronological sequence is easy to follow, but a single dense paragraph and list-like reporting weaken grouping and comparison.
Add a separate overview, then group categories with similar trends instead of describing every year as a list.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is adequate for percentages and spending, but heavy repetition and inaccurate forms such as expense was for reduce precision.
Use standard phrases including accounted for, expenditure on, rose to, fell by, and remained the largest share.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is generally clear, but frequent errors in possessives, articles, agreement, spacing, and sentence structure limit control.
Check plural possessives and complete noun phrases, especially teachers' salaries, other workers' salaries, the school's expenditure, and its expenses.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The three pie charts below show the changes in annual spending by a particular UK school in 1981, 1991 and 2001.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.