The table below gives information about rail transport in four countries in 2007.
Sample Response
The given table data shows the rail passenger kilometresrailway route, passenger number and cargo carriedcargo goods carried in Malaysia, Canada, China and UAE in the year 2007. As is observed from the data, Chinese people used the railway system more than the people of other countries but the the largest amount of cargo was carried in Canadacargoes carried more goods in Canada among the given countries. According to the data, 27 million people used rail transporttransports (excluding metro) in China compared to just 5-6 million railway usersthe just 5-6 million railway users in UAE and Malaysia. Only 0.3 million Canadian people used rail transportrailway transportations in 2007, which was least among the given four countries. Passenger kilometres per headThe distance passed by passengers who used railway in these four countries was similar to the data provided for the railway passengers in these four countries for the year 2007. China recorded around 1,980 passenger kilometres per headAround two thousand km were passed by Chinese people compared to the less than eight hundred km in UAE and Malaysia. As only 0.3 million Canadian people used railway in 2007, the distance passed by each passenger was only 80 km which was the least among the figures given for the four countriesamong the figure given for four countries. Interestingly, the cargos that transported goods carried the highest amount in Canada (28.2 billion tonsover 28 tonnes) though the passengers used the railway system less than in other countriespassengers used railway system lesser than other countries. On an average, all of the given four countries had an average of 21.9 to 28.2 billion tons of goods21- 28 billion tonnes goods carried through the railway system. OverallIn summary, Chinese people used the railway more than people in the other countriesthe people of other country and cargo carried more goods in Canada among the given countries.
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response identifies the central contrasts across the table, particularly China's leading passenger use and Canada's highest cargo figure, and it covers all three measures. However, inaccurate interpretation of units, awkward vocabulary, frequent grammatical errors, and dense organization weaken precision and fluency. The highest priority is to follow each column heading exactly, preserve its units, and present passenger and cargo comparisons in separate, concise paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response reports all three measures and identifies the main contrasts: China had the most rail users and passenger kilometres, while Canada carried the most cargo. Some units and interpretations are inaccurate, especially cargo, which is in billions of tons, and passenger kilometres per head, which is not total distance travelled by all passengers.
Use the table headings precisely and compare countries by each column without changing the units.
Coherence and Cohesion
There is a clear overview and a logical movement through passengers, passenger kilometres, and cargo, but the report is one dense paragraph after the introduction and repeats the summary at the end.
Use separate paragraphs for passenger use and cargo, and remove repeated concluding wording.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is adequate for table description, but there are unnatural phrases such as cargoes carried more goods and distance passed by passengers.
Use precise terms: rail users, passenger kilometres per head, cargo carried, billion tons, highest, lowest, and similar.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Frequent errors with articles, plurals, comparatives, and passive forms affect fluency, though most meaning remains understandable.
Check singular and plural forms such as transport, cargo, countries, and figures, and simplify long sentences.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The table below gives information about rail transport in four countries in 2007.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.