The graph below shows information about the total oil consumption of four major consumers from 2009 to 2030.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 1 question on IELTSX. The graph below shows information about the total oil consumption of four major consumers from 2009 to 2030.

Total Oil Consumption Four Major Consumers 2009 to 2030 - 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 Total Oil Consumption Four Major Consumers 2009 to 2030
Chart supplied with the IELTS Writing Task 1 question: Total Oil Consumption Four Major Consumers 2009 to 2030

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 6 ยท 201 words.

The line graph compares daily oil consumption in USA, China, Western Europe&Japan and Middle East between 2009 and 2030, measured in million of barrels.

Overall, oil consumtion in USA remained the highest figure throughout the period, despite a decline in 2015. By contrast, consumptions in Western Europe and Japan decreased steadily, while the figures for China and Middle East had an overall upward trend.

Looking first at the USA, oil consumption stood at approximately 9.4 million barrels per day in 2009. It then peacked at just above 10 million, before declining sharply to 8 million barrels in 2025. The figure for USA is predicted to continue declining to roughly 7.8 million by 2030. In contrast, consumption in Western Europe and Japan accounted for 4 million barrels per day in 2009, before declining gradually to just 2 million barrels by 2030.

Turning to Middle East consumption of oil, which started at 2 million barrels in 2009 and went up steadily to projected 3 million by 2030. The figure for China also increased from 2 million in 2009, stooding at 3 million in 2015 and peaking at 4 million in 2025. By 2030, it is projected to go down to nearly 3.5 million.

Examiner feedback

The response covers the main trends for all four consumers and includes forecasts to 2030, with a clear overview and logical paragraphing. The primary weaknesses are an internal inconsistency about when the US decline occurred, frequent spelling errors, and limited use of varied cohesive devices and complex structures.

Task Achievement - 6

- The overview identifies the key patterns: US consumption is highest throughout, Western Europe and Japan fall, and China and the Middle East rise. This meets the core requirement. - The overview contradicts the body. It says US consumption declined 'in 2015', but the body places the sharp decline between the 2009-2015 peak and 2025. The writer must reconcile these. - Data are well supported with figures, and the forecast to 2030 is covered for every country. However, the peak year for the US is not given, and the Western Europe/Japan and Middle East figures lack some precision in timing.

Coherence & Cohesion - 6

- The response has a clear structure: introduction, overview, then body paragraphs grouped by country. Information is generally logical and easy to follow. - Cohesive devices ('Overall', 'By contrast', 'In contrast', 'Turning to') are used appropriately, but 'In contrast' appears twice and the variety is limited. - The fourth paragraph opens with a dangling construction ('Turning to Middle East consumption of oil, which started...'), which weakens sentence-level coherence.

Lexical Resource - 6

- Vocabulary is adequate for the task (e.g., 'declining gradually', 'overall upward trend', 'accounted for'), though 'figures' and 'consumption' are repeated frequently. - Spelling errors are noticeable: 'consumtion', 'peacked', 'stooding'. 'Consumptions' is used incorrectly as an uncountable noun. - Collocation is mostly natural, but 'measured in million of barrels' should be 'measured in million barrels per day'. Using 'the Middle East' and 'the USA' with articles would also improve precision.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 6

- Sentence structures are a reasonable mix of simple and complex forms, including participial and 'before + -ing' constructions, though complex structures are used with limited flexibility. - Grammar is mostly accurate, with errors such as 'measured in million of barrels', 'consumptions', and the dangling opening of the final paragraph. - Punctuation is generally controlled, though commas before 'In contrast' and 'Turning to' are inconsistent. Several sentences are long and could be split for clarity.

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