The graph below shows US consumers' average annual expenditures on the cell phone and residential phone services between 2001 and 2010.
Sample Response
The line chart illustrates the average spending of the US consumerspeople on cell phone and residential phone servicesfor mobile phone and fixed line services between 2001 and 2010. It can be seen that the annual spending for cellular services increased sharplyhad increased sharply over the periodabovementioned period, while spending on residential servicesthe residential one declinedhad a declining trend.
In 2001, the amount of money that was spent by US consumersan American resident for residential phone services was around $ 690. This amount was far higher than the figure for cellular servicesthe cellular services, which stood at approximately $210. It is noticed that in 2006 the spending on fixed line services decreased to $550, while the average spending on cellular phone services rose to the same figure as the residential services.
From 2006 to 2010, Americans' average annual spendingthe average annual spending of the American for cell phone services continued to increase to more than $ 750 per year. As for the residential services, the amount spentthe number of spending continued to decrease to just above $400 in 2010.
In summary, it is clear that over the ten-year period, the average expenditure of US consumersAmerican people on phone services changedhad changed. SpendingThe spending amount on mobile services almost quadrupledhad risen sharply by almost quadruple, while the figure for residential servicesservice had dropped by almost half.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response presents the two opposing trends clearly and supports them with well-chosen start and end figures. Its main weakness is a small but important data error: the services are said to reach the same spending level in 2006, whereas the lines cross after 2006. Prioritise checking every reported year and value against the graph, then refine awkward expressions about expenditure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and relevant endpoint comparisons cover the main trends, although the claimed equality in 2006 is inaccurate.
Verify the crossover timing and each quoted value against the graph before finalising the report.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses clearly from the overview through the earlier and later periods, with effective paragraphing and referencing.
Avoid repeating the overview in a separate conclusion and use that space for another meaningful comparison.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a sufficient range of trend and comparison vocabulary, but several collocations such as "the number of spending" are unnatural.
Use precise expenditure collocations, such as "spending fell" or "the amount spent declined", consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences communicates the comparisons clearly, though article, noun-form, and tense errors recur.
Use the simple past consistently for finished historical trends and check agreement in noun phrases.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The graph below shows US consumers' average annual expenditures on the cell phone and residential phone services between 2001 and 2010.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.