The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world.
Sample Response
The provided pie charts compare the domestic, agricultural and industrial water consumptions in six major parts of the world. In general, the highest percentage of water is utilised for agricultural purposes in Asian, African and South American countries while about half of the water in Europe and North America goes to industrial sectors. As can be seen from the given pie charts, North America's water consumption has a striking similarity to that of Europe. In both of these continents, about half of the water is required in industrial sectors, almost one-third for crop cultivation and 13-15% for people’s household use. Interestingly, South American’s water-absorbing habit is quite contrary to the North American region and it is more like the water consumptions in Asian and African continents. A great portion of water goes to agricultural division in Asian, African and North American countries which is over eight-tenths of their total consumption. The highest water consumption is cultivation could be observed in Central Asia (88%) which is almost treble than that of Europe. Household water use in South America is higher than other parts of the world and that stands at 19%. Only 7 to 9 percent water is used by people in Asian and African countries for their personal use at home. Finally, the industrial water consumptions in Asian and African areas ranges from 5% to 12% and this ration is quite lower than that of Europe and North America. Interestingly, South East Asia uses more water for manufacturing than each of Africa, central Asia and South America.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use uncountable water use Original: consumptions Suggested revision: use Why it matters: Water use is the natural uncountable expression for the proportions shown.
- 2. Name the regions Original: in Asian, African and South American countries Suggested revision: in Asia, Africa and South America Why it matters: The charts compare regions, so the regional names are required rather than nationality adjectives plus countries.
- 3. Use concise category language Original: goes to industrial sectors Suggested revision: is used by industry Why it matters: Used by industry states the chart category more directly.
- 4. Simplify the comparison Original: has a striking similarity to Suggested revision: is very similar to Why it matters: The concise form expresses the same comparison more naturally.
- 5. Describe industrial use Original: water is required in industrial sectors Suggested revision: water is used for industry Why it matters: The chart shows purpose of use, not water requirements within sectors.
- 6. Use domestic use Original: people’s household use Suggested revision: domestic use Why it matters: Domestic use is the chart's concise category label.
- 7. Fix the regional possessive Original: South American’s water-absorbing habit Suggested revision: South America's water-use pattern Why it matters: South America needs the possessive form, and water-use pattern is an objective description.
- 8. Make the comparison direct Original: the North American region Suggested revision: North America's Why it matters: The possessive form creates a direct parallel comparison between the two regional patterns.
- 9. Use regional patterns Original: water consumptions in Asian and African continents Suggested revision: water-use patterns in Asia and Africa Why it matters: Water use is uncountable, and the charts compare named regions rather than whole continents as units.
- 10. Use the category name Original: agricultural division Suggested revision: agriculture Why it matters: Agriculture is the purpose category used in the charts.
- 11. Complete the comparison Original: higher than other parts Suggested revision: higher than in other regions Why it matters: The comparison needs in to contrast the domestic-use figure across regions.
- 12. Add percentage structure Original: 7 to 9 percent water Suggested revision: 7% to 9% of water Why it matters: A percentage range must be followed by of before the measured noun.
Suggested Rewrites
- consumptions use
- in Asian, African and South American countries in Asia, Africa and South America
- goes to industrial sectors is used by industry
- has a striking similarity to is very similar to
- water is required in industrial sectors water is used for industry
- people’s household use domestic use
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response provides broad coverage and a clear overview, with effective comparisons between Europe, North America, and the agriculture-dominant regions. Its main weakness is a significant factual slip that places North America above 80% for agricultural use, alongside frequent awkward collocations and grammatical errors. Check every regional label against the charts, then express comparisons with simpler, more accurate language and divide the report into logical overview and detail paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview is accurate and coverage is extensive, but the claim that North America uses over 80% for agriculture is a substantial regional misidentification.
Verify each region and percentage against the charts before writing, especially when grouping the three agriculture-dominant areas.
Coherence and Cohesion
Comparisons progress logically from Europe and North America to the other regions, although the unbroken paragraph and repeated linking language reduce clarity.
Separate the overview from two grouped detail paragraphs and use each linking phrase only where it marks a genuine shift or contrast.
Lexical Resource
The response shows a reasonable range of comparative vocabulary, but frequent awkward or inaccurate expressions make the reporting less precise.
Replace phrases such as water-absorbing habit, agricultural division, and ration with standard terms for water use, agriculture, and proportion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mixture of simple and complex structures communicates the comparisons, but agreement, possessive, article, and comparison-form errors occur regularly.
Edit each sentence for subject-verb agreement and accurate comparative forms, including ranges from and nearly three times the figure.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.