The bar chart shows the number of times per week (in 1000s), over five weeks, that three computer packages were downloaded from the internet.

Sample Response

1

The bar chart illustrates the number of weekly downloadsdownload rate per week of ActiveX, Java and Net softwarecomputer packages over five weeksover a period of five weeks. Overall,It can clearly be seen that ActiveX was downloaded most frequentlyActiveX was the most popular computer package to download, whilst Net was the least popular of the three. To begin, downloads of ActiveX and Java showed broadly similar upward trendsshowed similar patterns, with both increasing overallwith both gradually increasing from week 1 to week 5. However, the number of ActiveX downloadsthe purchases of Active X remained significantly higher than those of the other two packagesthat of the other product throughout the periodover this time frame. In week 1, downloadspurchases of ActiveX stood at around 75,000, while those of Java were about 30,000 lower. With the exception of a slight fall in week 4, the number of ActiveX downloadsdownloading of ActiveX generally increasedkept increasing until it reached a peak in the final week of about 120,000just over 120,000. Java downloads also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000. The product that was downloaded the least was Net. Its download total beganThis began at slightly under 40,000, and, in contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two weeks to reach a low of approximately 25,000. It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000, a figure well below that for ActiveXwhich was well below that of ActiveX.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.5

The response presents a clear overview and follows the three download patterns in a logical, easy-to-understand way. Its main limitation is precision: the low point for Net is overstated, and downloads are repeatedly described as purchases. The highest-priority improvement is to verify each plotted value and use the chart's measurement consistently, then organise the overview and detailed comparisons into separate paragraphs.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

7.5
Scoring rule

A clear overview and well-selected comparisons describe the main patterns, but the trough for Net is reported too high.

Next step

Check each plotted value against the scale and include the accurate low point when describing Net's decline.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0
Scoring rule

The response moves logically from the overview to ActiveX and Java and then to Net, with clear cohesive links.

Next step

Place the overview and the detailed package comparisons in separate paragraphs to strengthen the report's organisation.

LR

Lexical Resource

7.0
Scoring rule

The vocabulary is sufficiently varied for trends and comparisons, but purchases is an inaccurate substitute for downloads and some references are imprecise.

Next step

Use the chart's terminology consistently and replace vague phrases such as the other product with the specific package names.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.5
Scoring rule

A varied mix of simple and complex structures is generally accurate, although occasional agreement and reference choices are awkward.

Next step

Match plural comparisons accurately, especially when comparing purchases or downloads with those of other packages.

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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The bar chart shows the number of times per week (in 1000s), over five weeks, that three computer packages were downloaded from the internet.

Your response

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20:00

Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.