The graph below shows the quantities of goods transported in the UK between 1974 and 2002 by four different modes of transport.
Sample Response
The supplied line graph outlines the transportation of goodsthe goods transportation in the UK from 1974 to 2002 by four modes of transport, namelythrough various modes of transportation namely road, water, rail and pipeline. In general, the quantities of materials transported increased in all modes of transporttypes of transportation types over the years.
Looking at the details, goods transported by roadgoods brought through road transport roseswelled significantly from about 70 million tons in 1974 to about 95 million tons in 2002, approximately 25 million tons higher than in 1974. The same trend was true for both water and pipeline goods carrying. Water transport carriedWater shipping distributed about 39 million tons of materials in 1974 and about 62 million tons in 2002. Pipeline showed the same trend although the quantity carried was much lower than by waterdespite the figure of goods carried was roughly slower than water transport, pipeline transportmedia only moved about 5 million tonnesabout 2 million tons in 1974 and about 20 million tonnesabout 21 million tons in 2002.
In contrast, the quantity of goodsthe number of commodities brought by railthrough rail mode fluctuatedfluctuated gradually. It was about 40 million tons in 1974 and went down modestly by 1978by the year of 1978 and then fluctuated before rising toand this quantity fluctuated until it levelled up to about 41 million tons in 2002. This was only a small net changeIt accounted for a small change indeed, only about 1 million tons over the years.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response is strongest in its broad coverage of all four transport modes and its generally clear organisation by trend. Its main limitation is an incomplete overview and selective treatment of the graph, with road's continuing dominance and several important intermediate fluctuations omitted, alongside a few imprecise figures. Prioritise a fuller overview and sharper comparisons across the whole period, then use more natural transport vocabulary and tighter sentence structures.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response identifies the overall rise and reports broadly accurate start and end figures for every mode, but it omits road's sustained dominance and simplifies several fluctuations.
Add an overview comparing the highest and lowest modes, then select key turning points such as water's late dip and rail's fall and recovery.
Coherence and Cohesion
The introduction, overview, and mode-based detail paragraphs create a clear progression, although some long sentences and linking choices weaken the flow.
Group road with water and rail with pipeline more deliberately, and use shorter sentences to make comparisons easier to follow.
Lexical Resource
There is sufficient range for trends and quantities, but awkward collocations such as goods carrying, pipeline media, and rail mode reduce precision.
Use standard Task 1 combinations such as goods transported by road, waterborne freight, and rail freight.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the main information, though article, clause, and preposition errors recur.
Focus on controlling comparison clauses and avoid compressed constructions such as despite the figure of goods carried was roughly slower.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows the quantities of goods transported in the UK between 1974 and 2002 by four different modes of transport.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.