The table below shows the postgraduate course fees in US Dollars that international students paid in three countries in 2007.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 1 question on IELTSX. The table below shows the postgraduate course fees in US Dollars that international students paid in three countries in 2007.

Postgraduate course fees in US Dollars paid by international students in three countries - 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.

IELTS Writing Task 1 chart for Postgraduate course fees in US Dollars paid by international students in three countries
Chart supplied with the IELTS Writing Task 1 question: Postgraduate course fees in US Dollars paid by international students in three countries

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 ยท 186 words.

The table compares the fees, in US dollars, paid by international students for postgraduate courses and accommodation in three countries in 2007.

Overall, Country A was generally the least expensive option for overseas students, whereas Country B charged the highest fees for computing and science programmes. In contrast, Country C had identical fees for arts, business, and computing courses and also recorded the highest accommodation costs.

Looking first at Country A, postgraduate fees ranged from $12,000 for arts to $18,000 for both computing and science. Business courses cost $14,000, while accommodation with meals was priced at $8,000, making it the cheapest figure in the table.

In Country B, arts and business programmes cost $17,200 and $15,698 respectively. However, fees for technical subjects were considerably higher, reaching $27,254 for computing and $28,675 for science, the highest tuition fee shown overall. Students also paid $11,256 for accommodation and meals.

Country C showed a different pattern, with arts, business and computing all costing $21,783. Science courses were slightly more expensive at $24,569. In addition, accommodation with meals cost $17,345, which was significantly higher than in the other two countries

Examiner feedback

This is an exceptional response that meets all the criteria for Band 9. It provides a clear, logical overview, selects key data points effectively, uses a wide range of vocabulary, and demonstrates flawless grammatical control.

Task Achievement - 9

- The response fully satisfies all requirements of the task with a very clear overview and detailed data support. - Key features are skillfully selected, highlighting the most expensive and least expensive figures accurately. - Data for all three countries across all five categories is presented and compared appropriately.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- Paragraphing is skillfully managed, with each country's data presented in its own logical section. - Cohesive devices like 'Looking first at', 'However', 'In addition', and 'In contrast' are used naturally and effectively. - The progression of ideas is effortless to follow, with clear referencing throughout.

Lexical Resource - 9

- Sophisticated use of vocabulary such as 'technical subjects', 'identical fees', and 'significantly higher'. - Precise use of collocations like 'recorded the highest costs' and 'priced at'. - Extremely natural control of lexical features with no visible spelling or word formation errors.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of complex structures is used with full flexibility and control. - Sentence structures vary significantly (e.g., 'making it the cheapest figure', 'ranging from... to'). - The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is used appropriately throughout.

Related prompts

Start Practice