The table below shows the average band scores for students from different language groups taking the IELTS General Test in 2010.
Sample Response
The table illustrates the average band scoresbreakdown of scores for the IELTS General Test in 2010. It shows separate scores for all four modules (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking), together with the overall band scores for students from four different language groups represented in the tablearound the world.
OverallFrom an overall perspective, German speakers achieved the highest overall band score. Moreover, they scored the highest of all four language groups in three modules of the test (Listening, Writing, Speaking).
French-speakingFrench speaking candidates scored the second highest overall score of 6.57 out of 9, closely followed by Malay and Indonesian speakers. Although French speakers did not do so well in the Reading, Speaking and Listening modules compared to Indonesian and Malay speakers, there was a significant difference in their scores in the Writing modulegrades for the Writing module. These writing scoresThese grades were high relative to Indonesian and Malay candidates. Surprisingly, Malay speakers, who achieved the second-highest overall scoresecond lowest result overall, achieved the highest results of all four language groups for the Reading module.
As a final point, it is interesting to note that the scores for each module show that all students, on average, scored the highest marks for the Speaking module and the lowest marks for the Reading module.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is well organised and uses varied, generally precise language to guide the reader through the table. However, several comparisons misreport the data: the French overall score is 6.5 rather than 6.7, French listening is not below both Asian groups, and Malay students' lowest module is Writing, not Reading. The priority is to verify every comparison against the table and build the overview around fully accurate cross-group and cross-module patterns.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response identifies several important patterns and includes an overview, but multiple inaccurate figures and comparisons weaken task fulfilment.
Check each claim against the table, especially the French overall score and the lowest module for Malay candidates, before selecting the main trends.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is organised into a clear progression with effective linking, although the final generalisation conflicts with the earlier observation about Malay reading scores.
Ensure the concluding comparison follows logically from the preceding details and does not contradict them.
Lexical Resource
A broad range of reporting vocabulary is used effectively, though phrases such as grades for module scores and did not do so well are somewhat imprecise.
Use consistently exact comparative language such as equalled, exceeded, and recorded the lowest score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied simple and complex sentence forms with strong control and only negligible grammatical lapses.
Maintain this accuracy while making long comparison sentences slightly more compact to sharpen their meaning.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The table below shows the average band scores for students from different language groups taking the IELTS General Test in 2010.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.