The charts below show the number of people in Europe who were affected by four types of noise by day and by night in cities and rural areas in 2007.

Number of people in Europe affected by four types of noise by day and by night in cities and rural areas in 2007 - IELTS Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 9 · 220 words.

The bar charts compare the number of people in Europe who were affected by four sources of noise (traffic, trains, aircraft, and industry) during the day and at night in cities and rural areas in 2007.

Overall, traffic noise affected by far the largest number of people in both cities and rural areas, while industrial noise had the smallest impact. In addition, more people were exposed to noise during the day than at night.

In cities, traffic noise influenced the greatest number of people, at 68 million during the day and 48 million at night. The figures for train noise were much lower, affecting 10 million people in the daytime and 8 million at night. Aircraft noise impacted 4 million people by day, compared with only 1 million during the night. Industry was the least significant source of noise, with just 1 million people affected in the daytime and 0.25 million at night.

A similar pattern can be seen in rural areas, although the numbers were considerably lower. Traffic noise affected 35 million people during the day and 24 million at night. Train noise impacted 8 million and 6 million people, respectively. Aircraft noise influenced 2 million people in the daytime and 1 million at night, while industrial noise had no effect at all, with both figures remaining at zero.

Examiner feedback

This is an exceptional response that meets all the criteria for Band 9. It demonstrates precise data analysis, sophisticated vocabulary, and flawless grammatical control while remaining concise and easy to follow.

Task Achievement - 9

- The response fully satisfies all requirements of the task by clearly highlighting all key features and trends. - The overview is clear and comprehensive, covering the dominant source of noise and the general day/night trend. - All data points are accurately reported and effectively compared across both city and rural contexts.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- The response is extremely well-organized with a logical flow from a general overview to specific details. - Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'respectively', and 'A similar pattern' are used naturally and effectively. - Paragraphing is clear and appropriate, separating the city data from rural data while maintaining comparative links.

Lexical Resource - 9

- The vocabulary is precise and varied, using synonyms like 'affected', 'influenced', 'impacted', and 'exposed to' to avoid repetition. - Collocations are used naturally (e.g., 'least significant source', 'considerably lower'). - Data description terminology is used with high sophistication and accuracy.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of structures is used with full flexibility and accuracy throughout the response. - Complex sentence structures, such as participial phrases ('affecting 10 million...') and comparative clauses, are handled perfectly. - Punctuation is consistently accurate and enhances readability.

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