The graphs below show the Expenditure on Health & Education, UAE as percentages of GDP and Infant mortality and life expectancy.

Same questionCompare 4 different answers (Band 6.5–7)

Sample Response

1

The bar graph compares the UAE government’s expenditure on the health and education sectorsexpenditures on health and education sectors in 1985, 1990 and 1993in three different years with a 5 years gap while the line graph shows the infant mortality rate and citizens' life expectancy from 1970 to 1992. As is evident, the UAE government spent more on healthcare and education in 1990 than they did in the past while citizens’ life expectancy enhanced along with declining the infant mortality rate. As shown in the graphsAs is given in the diagrams, the UAE government spent less than 8% of itstheir GDP on healthcare in 1985 and just 10% on education. In 1990After 5 years, healthcare spending decreased slightly, while education spending rose sharplythe spending on healthcare decreased slightly but increased dramatically in the education sector. In the final year, spending on both sectors increasedboth sectors got priority and the spending on the health sectorspending on health sector increased to 10% while education spending was about 15% of GDPwhile it was about 15% of the GDP in education. The line graph showsrepresents that the percentage of spending in the UAE was presented alongsidehad a direct impact on the country’stheir citizens’ life expectancy and infantinfant's mortality rate. While the life expectancy in the UAE was aboutjust 60 years in 1970, it increased to over 70 in 1992. Over the same periodOn the other hand, the infant mortality rate decreased to just 20 per 1,000 live births in 199220% in 1992 from the astonishing 70 per 1,000 live births in 197070% in 1970.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 6.5

The response covers both visuals, highlights the broad spending and demographic trends, and supports most observations with relevant figures. The main weakness is inaccurate interpretation: infant mortality is reported as a percentage rather than deaths per 1,000 births, and a direct causal link between spending and outcomes is asserted without evidence; correcting these points and using separate paragraphs for the two visuals should take priority.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

6.5
Scoring rule

Both visuals are addressed with a relevant overview and mostly accurate figures, but important interpretation errors reduce precision.

Next step

State infant mortality in deaths per 1,000 births and describe parallel trends without claiming that spending directly caused the outcomes.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.0
Scoring rule

The sequence from expenditure to life expectancy and mortality is understandable, but the entire response forms one dense paragraph.

Next step

Separate the overview, expenditure details, and demographic data into distinct paragraphs with clearer comparative grouping.

LR

Lexical Resource

6.5
Scoring rule

The response uses a reasonable range of topic vocabulary, though several collocations such as 'life expectancy enhanced' and 'sectors got priority' are awkward.

Next step

Use precise alternatives such as 'life expectancy rose,' 'spending increased,' and 'the infant mortality rate fell.'

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.5
Scoring rule

Varied sentence forms convey the message, but recurring errors in agreement, possession, and noun phrases reduce accuracy.

Next step

Correct forms such as 'a five-year interval,' 'the health sector,' and 'the infant mortality rate,' and avoid unclear pronoun references.

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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The graphs below show the Expenditure on Health & Education, UAE as percentages of GDP and Infant mortality and life expectancy.

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