The table below shows the amount of waste production (in millions of tonnes) in six different countries over a twenty-year period.
Sample Response
The given table illustrates how much waste is generated in Ireland, Japan, Korea, Poland, Portugal and The Us between 1980 and 2000. The quantity of waste produced is expressed in millions of tonnes.
Overall, The US stood at the top in waste production; Whilst Ireland was at the bottom place as it generated less waste over the given period.
Regarding the US waste production, in 1980, 131 million tonnes of waste had been generated, which rose gradually and reached a peak of 192 million tonnes at the end of the period. Likewise, an increasing trend was also seen in the quantity of waste produced in Japan. However, the quantities were less in comparison to the US quantities.
Concerning Ireland and Korea, these countries had no recorded amounts of waste produced in 1990 and 1980 respectively. 0.6 million tonnes of waste was produced in Ireland’s initial year, and then it skyrocketed to 5 million tonnes in 2000.
In contrast, Korea experienced a decline in waste production from 31 million tonnes in 1990 to 19 million in 2000.
As far as Portugal and Poland were concerned, both the countries had a gradual increment over the 20-year period by starting with deficient amounts (4 and 2 million tonnes) respectively of waste production. They ended up producing 6.6 and 5 million tonnes at the end of the period.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use concise wording Original: The given table Suggested revision: The table Why it matters: 'Given' is unnecessary because the table is already the stated subject.
- 2. Use formal data wording Original: how much waste is generated Suggested revision: the amount of waste produced Why it matters: This phrasing is more precise for describing historical quantities in a table.
- 3. Correct country capitalization Original: Portugal and The Us Suggested revision: Portugal and the US Why it matters: The article remains lowercase within the list and the abbreviation is fully capitalized.
- 4. State the comparison directly Original: stood at the top in waste production Suggested revision: produced by far the most waste Why it matters: The revision gives a clearer and more natural comparison of the highest figures.
- 5. Join the contrast correctly Original: ; Whilst Suggested revision: , while Why it matters: A dependent 'while' clause should be joined with a comma and lowercase conjunction.
- 6. Use natural ranking language Original: at the bottom place Suggested revision: recorded the lowest reported amount Why it matters: The original expression is not idiomatic and overlooks the table's missing value.
- 7. Use simple past Original: had been generated Suggested revision: was generated Why it matters: Simple past is appropriate for the value recorded in 1980.
- 8. Remove redundant linking Original: Likewise, an increasing trend was also seen Suggested revision: Similarly, an upward trend was seen Why it matters: 'Likewise' and 'also' duplicate the same linking function.
- 9. Compare figures precisely Original: the quantities were less Suggested revision: the figures were lower Why it matters: 'Lower' is the appropriate comparative adjective for numerical figures.
- 10. Avoid repetition Original: in comparison to the US quantities Suggested revision: than those for the US Why it matters: This concise comparison avoids repeating 'quantities' and completes the comparative structure.
- 11. Describe missing data clearly Original: had no recorded amounts of waste produced Suggested revision: had no recorded waste-production figures Why it matters: The revision makes clear that the table lacks data rather than showing zero waste.
- 12. Use an active subject Original: 0.6 million tonnes of waste was produced Suggested revision: Ireland produced 0.6 million tonnes of waste Why it matters: An active construction makes the country-value relationship clearer.
Suggested Rewrites
- The given table The table
- how much waste is generated the amount of waste produced
- Portugal and The Us Portugal and the US
- stood at the top in waste production produced by far the most waste
- ; Whilst , while
- at the bottom place recorded the lowest reported amount
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response is well organized and selects several important changes accurately, including the United States’ dominance and Korea’s decline. The overview is incomplete, and the Poland and Portugal figures are reversed in the final paragraph. Prioritize a fuller overview of the shared upward trend and Korea’s exception, then verify that each country remains matched to its data.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response covers all six countries and several key changes, but the overview omits Korea’s contrasting decline and Poland and Portugal are assigned each other’s figures.
State that five countries increased while Korea declined, and cross-check each figure against the correct row.
Coherence and Cohesion
The report has clear progression, effective paragraphing, and generally well-managed referencing across grouped countries.
Make the grouping principle even clearer by organizing countries around rising trends and the single declining trend.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally clear, though choices such as bottom place, deficient amounts, and increment are occasionally unnatural.
Prefer precise, natural phrases such as lowest producer, small amounts, and gradual increase.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a good range of complex structures, but capitalization, article use, and a few awkward constructions remain noticeable.
Review sentence openings, country names, articles, and dependent clauses to improve consistency and control.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The table below shows the amount of waste production (in millions of tonnes) in six different countries over a twenty-year period.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.