The graph shows the number of people taking parts in 4 kinds of sports in a particular region between 1985 and 2005

Number People Taking Parts 4 Kinds Sports Region 1985 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 7.5 · 185 words.

The line graph illustrates the number of people participating in four different kinds of sports between 1985 and 2005.

Overall, it can be observed that the number of people who took part in rugby decreased significantly, whereas a reverse was true for tennis, where figure increased gradually over the period. In contrast, the numbers of basketball and badminton participants remained unchanged throughout the timeframe.

In terms of the substantial decline, rugby initially showed the highest number. Starting at just below 250, the figure then dropped steadily to 200 in 1995 before witnessing a sharp fall to 50 by the end of the period.

As for the noticeable growth, tennis exhibited the opposite pattern and surpassed the figure of rugby in 1995. Staying at 150 in 1985, the numbers grew progressively to 200 in 1995, after which it showed a slight increase to 250 in 2005.

Conversely, basketball and badminton stabilized over the timeframe. Starting initially at 80 for the former and 50 for the latter, both activities experienced a negligible dip in 1990 before bouncing back and remaining unchanged until the end of the period.

Examiner feedback

This is a very strong response that demonstrates high-level control of language and organization. The main areas for improvement lie in the precision of the data description for the minor sports and adding more sophisticated comparative structures.

Task Achievement - 7

- The response covers all requirements of the task and provides a clear overview of the main trends. - Key features are highlighted; however, the description of basketball and badminton as 'unchanged' is slightly inaccurate as they finished higher than their 1990 dips. - Data points are generally accurate, but more specific comparisons between the sports at certain years could have enhanced the 'illustration' of the data.

Coherence & Cohesion - 8

- Paragraphing is logical and follows a functional approach (Overview, Decreasing Trend, Increasing Trend, Stable Trends). - Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'conversely', and 'after which' are used effectively to link ideas. - There is a clear progression of information with appropriate referencing ('the former', 'the latter').

Lexical Resource - 8

- Vocabulary is varied and precise (e.g., 'witnessing a sharp fall', 'negligible dip', 'surpassed'). - Words are used with good awareness of collocation (e.g., 'exhibited the opposite pattern'). - Spelling and word formation are accurate.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 8

- A wide range of structures is used accurately, including participial phrases ('Starting at...', 'Staying at...') and complex clauses. - The majority of sentences are error-free. - Punctuation is well-managed throughout the response.

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