The provided tables present an overview of potato consumption and production across five global regions in the year 2006. Overall, Europe led in potato consumption, whereas Africa had the lowest consumption figures. In contrast, Asia was the largest producer of potatoes, while South and Central America recorded the smallest production volumes. In terms of potato consumption, Europe stood out with the highest per capita intake at 96.1 kilograms, far surpassing other regions. North America followed as the second highest, with an average consumption of 57.9 kilograms per person. In contrast, Africa exhibited the lowest consumption rates, at just 14.1 kilograms per capita. South and Central America and Asia had comparable consumption figures at 23.6 kilograms and 25.8 kilograms, respectively, highlighting a moderate dietary reliance on potatoes in these regions. Regarding potato production, Asia emerged as the predominant producer, cultivating an impressive 131.2 million tonnes of potatoes in 2006. Europe closely followed, with a substantial production of 126.3 million tonnes, which emphasized its role as a significant contributor in this sector. South and Central America produced 15.6 million tonnes, slightly less than Africa with 16.4 million tonnes. North America, while having a relatively high consumption rate, reflected a lesser production figure of 24.7 million tonnes, indicating a reliance on imports or other sources for its high potato consumption.
Potato Consumption and Production by Region in 2006
The tables below provide information about the consumption and production of potatoes in five parts of the world in 2006.
Annotated response
1 correction note
Overall assessment
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response's strongest aspect is its accurate, well-organised reporting of all ten data points with a clear overview of the main consumption and production patterns. The main limitation is a small amount of unsupported interpretation, such as the claim that North America relied on imports, which is not shown in the tables. Language is generally flexible with only minor, non-impeding errors.
IELTS criteria
How each score was decided
Task Achievement
7.0The response covers all regions and both tables accurately with a clear overview of highest and lowest figures, though the unsupported suggestion about imports is an invented detail beyond the data.
Coherence and Cohesion
7.5Information is logically organised into clear consumption and production paragraphs with cohesive devices and referencing used naturally throughout.
Lexical Resource
7.5Vocabulary is flexible and precise for describing data, with varied expressions such as per capita intake, predominant producer, and comparable consumption figures.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
7.5A wide range of sentence structures, including complex comparative and concessive forms, is used accurately with only rare minor slips.