The bar chart and table show information about students from abroad studying in four English-speaking countries in 2004 and 2012.
Sample Response
The bar chart shows the number of foreign students studying in four English-speaking countries in 2004 and 2012in the years 2004 and 2012, while the table shows foreign students as a percentage of total student numbers in each countryin the countries. We can see that the overall trend is an increase in both the numbers and percentages of international studentsnumber and percentage of international students in most countries.
Starting with the number of students, the USA had the most foreign students, rising from approximately 179,000 in 2004 to around 245,000 in 2012. The figures for Australia and the UK were similar, increasing from around 120,000 to almost 200,000. Canada had a significantly lower number of overseas students than the other countries, with about 41,000 in 2004 and approximately 61,000 in 2012.
Turning toNext, if we look at the percentage of foreign students, we can see that percentages increased for all countries, with the exception of the USA. The percentage of foreign students was highest in Australia at 24% of total student numbers in 2012. In the USA, the percentage of foreign students remained stable at 2%, which was the lowest percentage of all four countries.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is clearly organized and accurately conveys the main trends, strongest contrasts, and principal student-number figures. Its main limitation is incomplete coverage of the percentage table, especially the omitted changes for the UK, Australia's 2004 baseline, and Canada; priority should be given to adding these selective comparisons while maintaining the concise, controlled style.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview and all reported figures are accurate, but several important percentage changes from the table are omitted.
Add a concise comparison covering the UK's rise from 9% to 13%, Australia's rise from 19% to 24%, and Canada's rise from 5% to 7%.
Coherence and Cohesion
The three-paragraph structure creates a clear progression from overview to student totals and then percentage comparisons.
Replace slightly mechanical transitions such as 'Starting with' and 'Next, if we look' with more direct topic-led openings.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is accurate and suitably varied, with effective use of terms for quantities, proportions, and change despite some repetition.
Vary repeated references to 'foreign students' selectively while retaining precise labels for the measured groups.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of simple and complex sentence forms is used with consistently strong accuracy and clear control.
For further refinement, vary clause openings and use concise participial structures where they improve comparisons without reducing clarity.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The bar chart and table show information about students from abroad studying in four English-speaking countries in 2004 and 2012.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.