The graphs below give information about computer ownership as a percentage of the population between 2002 and 2010, and by the level of education for the years 2002 and 2010.
Sample Response
The bar charts show data about computer ownership, with a further classification by level of education, from 2002 to 2010.
A steady but significant rise can be seen in the percentage of the population that owned a computer over the period. Just over half the population owned computers in 2002, whereas by 2010 three out of four people had a computerhome computer. An analysis of the data by level of education shows that higher levels of education correspondedcorrespond to higher levels of computer ownership in both of those years. In 2002, only around 15% of those who had no high school diplomadid not finish high school had a computer but this figure had risen to just over 40% by 2010had trebled by 2010. There were also considerable increases, of approximately 30 percentage points, for those with a high school diploma or an unfinished college education (reaching 65% and 85% respectively in 2010).
Among these groupsHowever, graduates and postgraduates hadproved to have the highest ownership ratesgreatest level of ownership in 2010, at 90% and 95% respectively, 20 percentage points higher than in 2002. The last decade has seen a substantial growth in computer ownership in general, and across all educational levels.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response presents a clear overview and accurately selects the main upward trends, with concise comparisons across education levels. Its main limitation is minor imprecision in describing the lowest-education figure as having trebled and in treating both advanced groups as rising by exactly 20 percentage points. Prioritise fully precise comparisons from the charts while retaining the strong, economical structure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The report provides a clear overview and selects the main trends and education-level comparisons accurately, with only small numerical overstatements.
Distinguish the approximate 27-point rise for people without a high-school diploma and the slightly different gains for graduates and postgraduates.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the overall ownership trend to detailed education-level comparisons, with clear referencing and concise paragraphing.
Use contrastive linking only for genuine contrasts and avoid restating the overview in the closing sentence.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally precise, including effective language for trends, proportions, and educational categories.
Refine occasional collocations such as proved to have and avoid substituting home computer when the chart measures computer ownership generally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is handled accurately, and complex comparisons remain easy to follow.
Polish the introductory sentence so the two chart dimensions are expressed in fully parallel and unambiguous terms.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graphs below give information about computer ownership as a percentage of the population between 2002 and 2010, and by the level of education for the years 2002 and 2010.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.