The graph shows estimated oil production capacity for several Gulf countries between 1990 and 2010.

Same questionCompare 4 different answers (Band 6.5)

Sample Response

1

The bar chart compares the estimated daily oil production capacitydaily oil production in sixfive Gulf countries between 1990 and 2010. Overall, oil production capacityoil generation in Saudi Arabia was the highest and Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE had broadly similar production capacitiesIran, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE produced nearly the same amount of oil. As the diagram suggests, Saudi Arabia produced over 8 million barrels of oilbarrels oil per day in 1990, the highest figure shownin 1990 which was the highest. Its production went as high as 15 million daily after 2 decades. Notably,It is worth noticing that, Saudi Arabia’s production capacityoil stock was roughly comparable with the other countries' combined capacitysomewhat similar to the rest of the countries collectively. Oil productiongenerating capacity in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE was almost the same in 1990, around 2-3 million barrels daily. Over timeOver the time their production capacity increaseddeveloped and reachedreached to around 4 million barrels in 2010. Iran’s production was marginally higher than that of Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE. The least amount of oil production was recorded in Qatarcould be observed in Qatar, less than 1 million barrelsbarrel in 1990 and this capacity remained exactly the same except in 2000there except in 2000 when its capacity briefly increasedproduction slightly progressed.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 6.5

The response clearly identifies Saudi Arabia’s dominance and gives a sensible comparison of the other countries, with most figures and trends matching the chart. Its main weakness is imprecise wording and occasional factual framing, including calling the display a comparison of five countries when six are shown. Focus on reporting capacity with exact country coverage and more natural data-description collocations.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

7.0
Scoring rule

The overview and principal trends are well selected and largely accurate, but the introduction incorrectly states that five countries are shown and some figures are broadly rounded.

Next step

State that all six countries are compared and support the overview with precise start-to-finish figures for the main groups.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.5
Scoring rule

Information moves clearly from the overview to Saudi Arabia, the middle-producing group, and Qatar, although the report is presented as one dense paragraph.

Next step

Separate the overview and grouped details into distinct paragraphs to make the progression easier to follow.

LR

Lexical Resource

6.5
Scoring rule

There is a sufficient range of comparative vocabulary, but collocations such as oil generation, oil stock, reached to, and production progressed are unnatural.

Next step

Use consistent technical phrasing such as production capacity rose to, remained stable, and barrels per day.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.5
Scoring rule

The response uses varied sentence structures with generally clear meaning, despite recurring errors in articles, prepositions, punctuation, and singular-plural agreement.

Next step

Proofread noun phrases and verb patterns, especially barrels of oil, over time, reached, and one million barrels.

Put the feedback to work

Write this task while it is fresh

Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The graph shows estimated oil production capacity for several Gulf countries between 1990 and 2010.

Your response

Words0
20:00

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