The graph and table below give information about water use worldwide and water consumption in two different countries.
Sample Response
The graph shows how the amount of water used worldwide changed from 1900 to 2000changed between 1900 and 2000 and water consumptionconsumptions of two countries in relation to their populationscompared to their population.
Throughout the century, the greatest volume of water was used bylargest quantity of water was used for agricultural purposesPurposes, and this increased dramatically from about 500 km³ to around 3,000 km³ in 2000in the year 2000. Industrial and domestic water useWater used in the industrial and domestic sectors also increased, but both figures remained relatively lowconsumption was minimal until mid-century. From 1950 onwards, industrial use grew steadily to just over 1,000 km³, while domestic use rose more slowly to around 500 km³only 300 km³, both far below the level of agricultural consumptionlevels of consumption by agriculture.
The table illustrates the differences in agricultural water useagriculture consumption between the two countriesin some areas of the world by comparing the area of irrigated land in Brazilcontrasting the amount of irrigated land in Brazil (26,500 km²km³) with that in the Democratic Republic of the CongoD.R.C. (100 km²). This means that a huge amount of water is used in agriculture in Brazil, and this is reflected in the figures for water consumption per person: 359 m³ compared with only 8 m³ in the Congo. With a population of 176 million, the figures for Brazil indicate how high agriculture water consumption can be in some countries.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is strongest in its clear selection and comparison of the major global water-use trends, supported by relevant figures from both sources. Its main limitation is imprecision in interpreting the table, including an incorrect unit for Brazil's irrigated land and an unsupported emphasis on agricultural consumption. The priority is to distinguish total per-person consumption from sector use and report all key country data accurately.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The report presents a clear overview and accurate major graph trends, but its table coverage contains a unit error and some overinterpretation.
State that the table shows total water use per person, use square kilometres for irrigated land, and include Congo's population in the comparison.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is organised effectively into an introduction, graph paragraph, and table paragraph with clear progression and well-managed comparisons.
Make the transition between the graph and table even sharper by opening the final paragraph with the countries' overall contrast.
Lexical Resource
A flexible range of trend and comparison vocabulary is used accurately overall, though phrases such as 'water consumptions' and 'agriculture consumption' are awkward.
Use precise collocations such as 'water consumption', 'agricultural water use', and 'consumption per person' consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex clauses and comparison structures are handled with strong control, and the few grammatical slips do not hinder communication.
Refine number and noun-form accuracy, particularly uncountable 'consumption', and check that comparison phrases have a clear grammatical referent.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph and table below give information about water use worldwide and water consumption in two different countries.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.