The chart below shows the total number of minutes (in billions) of telephone calls in the UK, divided into three categories, from 1995-2002.
Sample Response
The bar chart showsA glance at the bar graph reveals how many minutes (in billions) of telephone callsconversations were made in the UKBritain over eight years, from 1995 to 2002in eight years, 1995 to 2002. Overall, the local fixed-line calls were the category with the highest call durationmost popular type from 1995 to 2002, but2002 but the increasing use of mobile phonesuse of cell phone in later years was noticeable. In 1995, the duration of local fixed-line callsthe local call duration was 70 billion minutes and then it steadily rose to approximately 90 billion by 1999after four years. However, the local calls span rapidly slipped to somewhere in the vicinity of 70 and 80 billion. In a stark contrast, the national and international - fixed lines and mobiles (all calls) features showed upward trends. DeleteIt is evident that the national and international fixed-line callsfixed line calls climbed gradually from just under 40 billion to about 60 billion in 2002from just under 40 to 60 billion in 2002. Mobile callsThe mobiles calls, however, grew steadily in the first five years and then rose sharplyafter that witnessed a quick rise to more than 40 billion minutes. It is interesting to note that throughout the eight-year periodthrough eight years period, the local fixed-line calls remained the highest among the three call typesamong three call types in the United Kingdom.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response identifies the dominant call type and the contrasting trends clearly, supporting them with well-chosen start, peak, and end figures. Its main limitation is presentation: all information is compressed into one paragraph, and several awkward phrases reduce precision despite clear meaning. Prioritise separating the overview from grouped details and polishing noun phrases and comparisons so the accurate analysis reads more fluently.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response provides a clear overview and accurately selects the principal trends and figures for all three call categories.
Refine the description of the post-1999 local-call decline by stating its endpoint directly rather than giving the vague range of 70 to 80 billion.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence from overview to the three trends is logical and easy to follow, but the lack of paragraphing prevents effective grouping of the information.
Place the overview in its own paragraph and divide the detailed trends into two logically grouped body paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a reasonably varied range of trend vocabulary, though phrases such as "local calls span," "features showed," and "mobiles calls" are imprecise.
Use natural noun phrases such as "the duration of local calls," "both categories rose," and "mobile calls" consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The report contains a useful mix of structures with generally clear control, but article, plural, and noun-phrase errors appear in several sentences.
Edit plural forms and articles in phrases such as "mobile calls," "an eight-year period," and "the highest of the three types."
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The chart below shows the total number of minutes (in billions) of telephone calls in the UK, divided into three categories, from 1995-2002.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.