The chart below compares the number of people per household by percentage in the UK in 1981 and 2001.

People Per Household UK 1981 2001 Percentage Bar Chart - 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 7 · 180 words.

The bar charts provide data on the proportion of people with different number categories per household in the UK between the years of 1981 and 2001.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that the highest proportion of 2 people lived in households in both years. Furthermore, all sections experienced a decrease, except for the sections "1 person" and "2 people".

Focusing on larger figures first, the proportion of 2 people saw an upward trend, climbing from 31% in 1981 to 34% in 2001. Similarly, the percentage of 1 person rose significantly from 17% in 1981 to 26% in 2001. In addition, only these two figures experienced an increase than others.

As for the lowest figures, the proportions of 3 and 4 individuals both witnessed a slight decline by 3 percentage points, from 20%, 18% in 1981 to 17%, 15% in 2001. Moreover, the proportion of 5 people saw a downward trend by 2 percentage points, from 8% in 1981 to just 6% in 2001. Additionally, the percentage of 6 people dipped marginally, from 6% in 1981 to 2% in 2001.

Examiner feedback

This is a strong response that clearly identifies the main trends and supports them with accurate data. The structure is logical, and the language used is varied and mostly precise. To reach a higher band, focus on more sophisticated comparative structures and ensuring all phrasing is perfectly natural.

Task Achievement - 7

- The response covers all key features and provides a clear overview of the main trends. - Data for all categories (1-6 people) are included and accurately compared between the two years. - Key features are highlighted, although the description of the '6 people' category could be slightly more precise in its phrasing.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Paragraphing is logical, with a clear separation between the introduction, overview, and data details. - Cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'Similarly', and 'As for' are used effectively to guide the reader. - The progression from the highest figures to the lowest figures provides a clear and logical structure.

Lexical Resource - 7

- Uses a good range of vocabulary related to trends, such as 'witnessed a slight decline', 'dipped marginally', and 'upward trend'. - There is some flexibility in how data is described, though some repetition of 'proportion' and 'percentage' occurs. - Collocations like 'upward trend' and 'significant rise' are used appropriately.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 7

- A variety of complex structures is used, including participial phrases and comparative structures. - Most sentences are error-free, though there are minor awkward phrasings like 'increase than others'. - Punctuation is generally well-controlled throughout the response.

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