The graph below shows fish consumption and different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979 and 2004.
Sample Response
The line graph compares weekly consumption of fish, lamb, beef, and chicken in gramsillustrates the amount of fish, lamb, beef, and chicken consumed weekly in grams in a European countryby European citizens from 1979 to 2004. Overall, it is apparent that chicken is the most ingested while fish is eaten less.
Looking first at chickenIn a more detailed analysis, chicken consumption stood at about 140 grams in 1979stood at around 150 grams in 1979, then increased steadily and reached about 250 grams in 2004peaked at about 250 grams in 2004.
Turning to the amountsproportion of beef, lamb and fish consumed, beef and lamb followedthe beef and lamb follow overall downward trendsa fairly similar pattern. In 1979, they began at about 215 grams and 150 grams respectivelythey began at over 200 grams and 150 grams respectively, then declined. Over the periodNext to this, beef consumption reached a low of about 110 gramshit the trough at nearly 100gram by 2004after 25 years, whereas lamb consumption reached its low pointlamb consumption did in 1999, after which it rose slightlyafter which it started to rise again. By comparisonOn the contrary, fish consumptionthe number of fish eaten started at over 50 grams, then decreased gradually for the next five years afterwards, and remained constant throughout the years.
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response is clearly organized and captures the dominant rise in chicken consumption and the broad declines in beef and lamb, with mostly understandable language. Its main limitation is incomplete and occasionally inaccurate selection of visual detail, especially the treatment of fish as constant and the lack of key crossover comparisons. Prioritize a more precise overview and compare when chicken overtakes the other meats, while reporting the full fish trend accurately.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response gives a clear overview and several broadly accurate trends, but it omits important comparisons and inaccurately presents fish consumption as constant after 1984.
Add the major crossover involving chicken and describe fish as declining gradually across the whole period.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is arranged in a logical overview-and-details structure, although some linking phrases are mechanical or imprecise.
Group related trends more deliberately and replace awkward transitions with direct comparative links.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is adequate for describing trends, but several choices such as 'most ingested' and 'the number of fish eaten' are imprecise.
Use accurate chart collocations such as 'consumption rose,' 'fell gradually,' and 'grams per person per week.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures conveys the trends clearly, despite recurring problems with articles, tense consistency, and comparison clauses.
Check agreement and clause construction, especially in sentences comparing when different categories reached their lowest points.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows fish consumption and different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979 and 2004.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.