Tourist Information Office Enquiries in 2011

The graph below shows the number of enquiries received by the Tourist Information Office in one city over a six-month period in 2011.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question image

Annotated response

3 correction notes

Showing 3 correction notes.

The line chart illustrates the number of inquiries in a particular city via three means of communication—telephone, letter/email, and in person—over a six-month period from January to June in 2011.

It is clear that in-person and telephone inquiries saw substantial increases, while written letters and emails became less common. Notably, inquiries made in person experienced the most dramatic growth.

In January, the Tourist Information Office received 900 telephone inquiries, while just under 800 letters and emails were received. Only around 400 tourists sought information in person. Over the next three months, the number of telephone inquiries remained steady, hovering at approximately 1000.

However, in-person inquiries rose sharply, reaching 800 by March, surpassing the figures for letters and emails. From March to June, in-person inquiries became the most common method, peaking at 1,900 in June, from January. Telephone inquiries also showed a notable rise, climbing from 1,000 to 1,600 by June. In contrast, the number of inquiries made via letter or email steadily declined, reaching just below 400 by May and June.

Overall, in-person and telephone inquiries grew significantly over the six months, while written methods of communication saw a marked decrease.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The report describes all three channels with a clear overview and effective trend language. Its account of telephone enquiries overlooks the February dip, and the broad March-to-June description could locate the crossover more precisely in April. The final paragraph repeats the earlier overview. January's approximate in-person figure is reasonable and does not require an exact-value correction.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Achievement

7.0

The report covers the main trends with a clear overview. However, describing telephone enquiries as steady overlooks the February dip. The crossover description would be more precise if it stated that in-person enquiries overtook telephone enquiries in April; 'around 400' is a reasonable approximation for January.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Ideas progress logically across paragraphs with effective use of cohesive devices like 'however', 'in contrast', and 'notably', though a closing overall sentence repeats the earlier overview.

Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is flexible and precise for describing trends, including 'dramatic growth', 'surpassing', 'hovering', and 'marked decrease', with only minor repetition of 'inquiries' and 'significant'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

Passives, participle clauses, subordinate clauses and apposition show a good range and generally accurate control. Sentences communicate the trends clearly. The repeated final overview is an organisation issue rather than a grammatical error.