The charts below give information about different types of waste disposal in one country in 1960 and 2011.
Sample Response
The pie charts illustrate the proportions accounted for by various types of wasteproportions of various waste types disposed of in one country in the years 1960 and 2011.
Overall, while most categories declined, only plastic and food waste rose over the period. Moreover, in 1960, paper constituted the largest share of waste, whereas by 2011 food and plastic had become the largest waste categoriesmost prevalent materials.
In 1960, paper accounted for one quarter of all wasteone quarter of all waste (25%), followed by textiles at 17%. Food waste and the “other” category each accounted for 12%each contributed 12%, with green waste at 9%. Smaller shares were recorded forSmaller proportions comprised plastic and metal (both 8%), glass at 5%, and wood at just 4%.
By 2011, the distributionlandscape had shifted markedly: food waste surged to 21% and plastic increased to 18%, emerging as the leading categories. In contrast, paper fell back to 15% and textiles to 11%. Green waste held steady at 9%, while metal rose from 8% to 9%Green waste and metal each held steady at 9%; wood, doubling from 4% to 8%enjoying a modest uptick, edged up to 8%, and glass remained constant at 5%. Meanwhile, the “other” segment dwindled to just 4%, underscoring a clear shift away from paper and textile wasteconventional paper and textile disposal toward food and plastic.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is well organised and uses varied, precise language to present virtually every category with clear comparisons. Its main limitation is factual: the overview says only food and plastic rose and the final paragraph says metal was stable, although the chart also shows increases in wood and metal. The highest-priority improvement is to verify each trend against the visual before formulating the overview so the central summary is fully accurate.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response covers all categories with extensive accurate figures, but its overview misrepresents the overall pattern of change and the account of metal is internally inconsistent.
Check the direction of change for every category and revise the overview to acknowledge the rises in wood and metal alongside those in food and plastic.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is grouped logically into an overview and two time-based detail paragraphs, with comparisons connected smoothly throughout.
Keep the same clear structure while trimming the final interpretive phrase so the closing sentence remains focused on the chart evidence.
Lexical Resource
A broad and precise vocabulary supports nuanced description of proportions and changes, with only slightly interpretive wording near the end.
Prefer strictly descriptive phrasing over expressions such as conventional disposal when the visual provides no basis for that characterisation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is handled accurately, and the response is consistently easy to read.
Maintain this control while favouring slightly shorter sentence architecture when several comparisons and qualifications appear together.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The charts below give information about different types of waste disposal in one country in 1960 and 2011.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.