The bar chart below shows the percentage of government spending on roads and transport in 4 countries in the years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005.

Bar chart shows percentage government spending roads transport 4 countries 1990 1995 2000 2005 - 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 · 210 words.

The bar chart compares the proportion of government expenditure allocated to roads and transport across four distinct countries—Italy, Portugal, the UK, and the USA—in four specific years: 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005.

Overall, it is clear that Portugal consistently allocated the highest percentage of its budget to roads and transport among all the nations listed throughout the period. Conversely, the UK generally spent the lowest proportion. Furthermore, while spending in Italy and the UK experienced an overall downward trend, funding in the USA remained relatively stable.

Looking at the details, Portugal’s spending peaked in 1990 at approximately 27%, before gradually dropping to around 20% in 1995, and continuing to decrease to just over 15% by 2005. A similar downward trajectory was observed in Italy, where the budget allocation fell from 20% in 1990 to roughly 12.5% in 2000, followed by a negligible recovery to about 13% in 2005.

In contrast, the UK’s spending started at just over 10% in 1990, grew slightly to 13% in 1995, but then plummeted significantly to its lowest point of roughly 6% in 2000, remaining under 8% in 2005. Meanwhile, the USA showed the least fluctuation; its expenditure hovered consistently between 12% and 14% over the entire 15-year period, closing at approximately 12.5% in 2005.

Examiner feedback

This is an exemplary Band 9 response. It demonstrates a sophisticated command of language with precise vocabulary, flawless grammar, and a very logical organization of information. The candidate successfully identifies the most significant trends and supports them with accurate data from the chart without over-describing every single point.

Task Achievement - 9

- The response fully satisfies all requirements of the task, highlighting all key features and trends across the four countries. - The overview is clear and comprehensive, identifying the highest/lowest spenders and the general trends. - Data is accurately extracted from the chart and used to support the descriptions throughout.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- Paragraphing is logically organized by country-specific trends, which makes the data easy to follow. - Cohesive devices such as 'Conversely,' 'Furthermore,' and 'In contrast' are used naturally and effectively to signal relationships between data points. - There is a very clear progression from the general overview to the specific details.

Lexical Resource - 9

- The vocabulary is varied and precise, using terms like 'expenditure,' 'allocated,' 'plummeted,' and 'negligible' accurately. - Collocations are natural (e.g., 'downward trajectory,' 'budget allocation,' 'relatively stable'). - There is a sophisticated range of vocabulary for describing trends and proportions.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of structures is used with full flexibility, including complex sentences with relative clauses and subordinating conjunctions. - The majority of sentences are error-free, with high precision in punctuation and tense usage. - Grammatical control is sophisticated, supporting the clear communication of data comparisons.

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