The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world.
Sample Response
The charts compare the proportions of water used for three purposesThe provided illustration compares water consumption for three main purposes in six different areas, namely,areas namely: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Central Asia and Southeast AsiaSouth East Asia. Overall, it is clear from the charts that African and Asian regions used a larger proportion of water for agricultureAsian and African countries used more water for irrigation while North America and EuropeNorth American and European countries used more water for industrial usetheir industrial needs. To begin with, the largest share of water was used for agriculturea major portion of water consumption could be observed in the agricultural sector and this was higher in African and Asian regions than in North America and Europethan that of American and European parts. More than 80% of water in Africa and Asia was used for agriculturewent into agricultural fields while this percentage was only 32% in Europe and 39% in North America. North America and Europe used a larger proportion of water for industry than the Asian and African regions didrequired more water in their industrial sectors than that of Asian and African countries. While half of the water was used in the industrial sector in North America and Europe, the corresponding proportionsthe percentage of that in African and Asian regions ranged from 5% to 12%. Interestingly, water consumption in North and South America showed contrasting patternsshows a contrasting scenario. Finally, higher proportions of domestic water usemore percentages of household water consumption could be observed in the Americas and EuropeAmerican and European continents than in Asian and African regionsthan that of Asian and African regions.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response selects the dominant regional patterns accurately and uses relevant figures to contrast agricultural and industrial water use. Its main limitation is that South America and domestic consumption are only briefly generalised, while the one-paragraph presentation and several awkward comparative forms reduce polish. Prioritise grouping the data into clear paragraphs and supporting the remaining comparisons with precise percentages.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview and principal agricultural-industrial contrasts are accurate, but South America and domestic use lack sufficiently specific supporting detail.
Add exact domestic-use comparisons and explain South America's contrasting 71% agricultural and 10% industrial shares.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas follow a clear introduction-overview-detail sequence, although presenting the entire report as one paragraph limits the clarity of grouping.
Use separate detail paragraphs for agriculture-led regions and industry-led regions, integrating domestic-use comparisons within those groups.
Lexical Resource
There is a useful range of topic vocabulary, but expressions such as 'American and European parts' and 'more percentages' are imprecise or unnatural.
Use concise geographical labels and accurate comparison phrases such as 'a higher proportion was used domestically.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are generally controlled and meaning remains clear, though comparative structures repeatedly contain faulty 'than that of' constructions.
Compare like grammatical forms directly, for example 'higher in Africa than in Europe,' and check plural noun phrases.
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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.