The charts below show the main reasons why students chose a particular university in the UK, in 1997 and 2007.

Main reasons why students chose a particular university in UK in 1997 and 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 8 · 212 words.

The pie charts illustrate the main reasons why students chose a particular university in the UK in 1997 and 2007.

Overall, most reasons showed an upward trend, except for quality of resources and good sports/social activities, whose figures declined. Suitable degree courses maintained the leading position in both years, while proximity to the parental home recorded the most noticeable increase and became the second-largest reason in 2007. By contrast, good sports and social activities experienced the steepest decline.

Suitable degree courses accounted for the highest proportion in both years. The figure stood at 35% in 1997 and increased slightly to 37% in 2007, representing the smallest rise among the reasons that grew. Meanwhile, proximity to the parental home recorded the most dramatic increase, climbing from just 10% to 22% and becoming the second-highest figure. Quality of teaching also showed an upward trend, rising from 15% to 18%.

By contrast, quality of resources and good sports/social activities were the only reasons to record a downward trend. Quality of resources accounted for 21% in 1997, the second-highest share, before falling to 17% in 2007. This was closely followed by good sports and social activities at 19% initially; however, its proportion then plummeted to only 6%, making it the lowest figure in the final year.

Examiner feedback

This is an exceptionally strong Task 1 response that thoroughly covers all aspects of the prompt with accurate data and clear organization. The vocabulary is varied and precise, and the grammatical structures are complex and virtually error-free.

Task Achievement - 8

- All requirements of the task are appropriately and fully satisfied, covering both years and all major categories. - Key features are skilfully selected and clearly presented, supported by accurate figures from the charts. - A clear, relevant overview is provided right at the beginning, identifying the main trends successfully.

Coherence & Cohesion - 8

- Paragraph organization is logical, with a clear introduction containing an overview, followed by well-structured body paragraphs detailing specific data. - Cohesive devices such as "Meanwhile", "By contrast", and "This was closely followed by" are used effectively to guide the reader through comparisons. - Overall progression is clear, referencing time periods and categories smoothly.

Lexical Resource - 8

- A rich vocabulary is deployed naturally and flexibly to describe trends, proportions, and changes (e.g., "upward trend", "steepest decline", "plummeted"). - Word formation and spelling are completely accurate, demonstrating a sophisticated command of lexical features. - Collocations related to data representation are precise and contextually appropriate.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 8

- A wide range of sentence structures, including complex clauses and participial phrases, is used with high accuracy. - The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is managed expertly throughout the response. - Verb tenses are correctly controlled when discussing past years (1997 and 2007).

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