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 depict the amount spent by a school in the UK annually for the years 1981, 1991 and 2001.
As is observed from the pie charts, teachers’ salaries accounted for the highest percentage for both the years and insurance had the smallest proportion of money spent by the UK school in both three selected years.
In 1981, 40% of the total school spending was used for teachers’ salaries and it has increased to 50% of the total amount in 1991. In 2001, the percentage dropped a little, which was 45% which was 5% higher than that in 1981. The money spent on other workers’ salaries decreased gradually from 1981 to 2001. It was initially 28% in 1981, declined to 22% in 1991 and eventually dropped to 15% in 2001.
The spending on furniture and equipment and resources such as books were the same in 1981, which was 15% of the total amount. Whereas in 1991, more money spent on resources than furniture and equipment, 20% and 5% respectively, but the reverse is true for the year 2001. 23% of the spending was for the purpose of buying furniture and equipment and only 9% of the amount for the resources like books. Starting from the year 1981 to 2001, the amount spent on insurance increased steadily. Only a small proportion of money allocated for insurance in 1981, which was 2 %, increased to 3% in 1991 and 8% in 2001.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Describe proportions Original: the amount spent by a school Suggested revision: the proportions of a school's spending Why it matters: The charts show percentage allocations rather than absolute amounts.
- 2. Use past tense Original: it has increased Suggested revision: it increased Why it matters: A completed change between 1981 and 1991 requires the simple past.
- 3. Use formal trend verb Original: dropped a little Suggested revision: fell slightly Why it matters: “Fell slightly” is a more concise academic description of the change.
- 4. Remove repeated clause Original: which was 45% which was Suggested revision: to 45%, which was Why it matters: The original repeats “which was” and fails to connect the fall to its endpoint.
- 5. Fix agreement Original: The spending on furniture and equipment and resources such as books were Suggested revision: Spending on furniture and equipment and on resources such as books was Why it matters: The singular head noun “spending” requires “was,” and the repeated preposition clarifies the two categories.
- 6. State equal value Original: which was 15% Suggested revision: at 15% Why it matters: “At 15%” attaches the shared figure cleanly to both categories.
- 7. Remove sentence fragment Original: Whereas in 1991 Suggested revision: In 1991 Why it matters: “Whereas” creates a dependent clause that cannot stand as a separate sentence here.
- 8. Add passive auxiliary Original: more money spent Suggested revision: more money was spent Why it matters: The passive construction requires the auxiliary verb “was.”
- 9. Keep past tense Original: is Suggested revision: was Why it matters: The report describes figures from 2001, so the verb should remain in the past.
- 10. Use time preposition Original: for the year 2001 Suggested revision: in 2001 Why it matters: “In 2001” is the concise standard expression for a year.
- 11. Use concise category Original: for the purpose of buying furniture and equipment Suggested revision: on furniture and equipment Why it matters: The shorter phrase names the spending category directly.
- 12. Use formal example Original: for the resources like books Suggested revision: on resources such as books Why it matters: “Such as” is more appropriate for the chart's formal category example.
Suggested Rewrites
- the amount spent by a school the proportions of a school's spending
- it has increased it increased
- dropped a little fell slightly
- which was 45% which was to 45%, which was
- The spending on furniture and equipment and resources such as books were Spending on furniture and equipment and on resources such as books was
- which was 15% at 15%
Why this response received Band 7.0
The report is strongest in its complete, accurate coverage of all five spending categories and the main changes across the three years. Its main limitation is grammatical control, with fragments, missing auxiliaries and inconsistent tense weakening otherwise clear comparisons. Prioritise revising sentence boundaries and verb forms, especially around the furniture-and-resources reversal and the insurance trend, while sharpening the overview to mention the strongest increases and decreases.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All categories and years are covered accurately, with a valid overview of teachers' salaries as the largest share and insurance as the smallest.
Strengthen the overview by also highlighting the steady fall in other workers' salaries and the sharp reversal between resources and equipment.
Coherence and Cohesion
Clear paragraphing and logical grouping make the changes easy to follow, although a fragment and some repeated relative clauses interrupt the flow.
Integrate the sentence beginning "Whereas" into the following comparison and remove repeated wording such as "which was 45% which was."
Lexical Resource
A good range of trend and comparison vocabulary is used accurately enough, with only occasional awkward phrases such as "both three selected years."
Use more natural quantifier and category phrases, including "all three years," "spending on books" and "the proportion allocated to insurance."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are attempted successfully, but recurring tense, agreement, auxiliary and sentence-boundary errors reduce control.
Keep chart descriptions consistently in the past tense and check every clause for a finite verb, especially "more money was spent" and "money was allocated."
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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.