Samples / Task 1 Academic report / Bar chart / Band 7.5

Commuter Transport Preferences in Tokyo, Amsterdam, and Houston (2023)

An IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 sample report analyzing commuting habits in three major global cities in 2023, featuring a band 7.5 model answer.

The question

The chart below shows the percentage of commuters using four types of transport in three cities in 2023. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Commuters by transport type in three cities, 2023. Figures are given in the caption below. — Commuters by transport type in three cities, 2023
Categories (percentage of commuters): Tokyo, Amsterdam, Houston
Train: 62, 18, 3
Bus: 14, 9, 5
Car: 12, 25, 88
Bicycle: 12, 48, 4

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of commuters utilizing four modes of transportation, namely train, bus, car, and bicycle, across three distinct cities of Tokyo, Amsterdam, and Houston in the year 2023. Overall, there are stark contrasts in commuting preferences among the three urban areas. Tokyo is heavily dominated by train travel, Amsterdam shows a strong preference for cycling, and Houston is overwhelmingly reliant on cars, while bus travel remains relatively unpopular in all three locations. In Tokyo, the train was by far the most popular mode of transport, accounting for 62% of all commuters. This was significantly higher than the percentages for buses, which stood at 14%, and cars and bicycles, which each accounted for 12%. In contrast, Houston presented a scenario where car transport was overwhelmingly dominant, utilized by 88% of commuters. In this city, alternative options were extremely rare, with trains, buses, and bicycles accounting for a mere 3%, 5%, and 4% of the commuting population, respectively. Amsterdam exhibited a unique pattern where cycling was the primary method of commuting, chosen by nearly half of the population at 48%. Driving was the second most common choice at 25%, while trains were used by 18% of commuters. Similar to the other two cities, buses were the least favored transport option in Amsterdam, representing only 9% of the total commuting share.

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This answer was written by a language model to a real exam question, then scored by Bandly against the four public band descriptors. The band is a software estimate. No examiner has marked it, and the band a real examiner would award may differ. Scored with google/gemini-3.5-flash on 2026-09-08.

Estimated overall

7.5

Mean of the four criteria, rounded the way the exam rounds it.

Task Achievement 9

You achieve Band 9 for Task Achievement because you fully cover all key features with accurate data and a clear, well-developed overview and comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion 7

The response logically organises information and ideas with clear progression, but the use of cohesive devices, while appropriate, could be more varied to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource 7

You use a sufficient range of vocabulary with some awareness of style and collocation, but occasional errors in word choice prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy 7

The response uses a variety of complex structures and produces frequent error-free sentences, but a few errors in grammar and punctuation prevent a higher score.

What would take this higher

To potentially improve your Coherence and Cohesion score to a band 8, you should focus on varying your cohesive devices and integrating them more naturally. For instance, instead of starting paragraphs with predictable transitions like "In Tokyo" or "Amsterdam exhibited", you could use referential pronouns or adverbial phrases that link the data points more fluidly across paragraphs. Additionally, substituting repetitive structures like "accounting for" and "utilized by" with more diverse linking words would help create a more seamless flow of information.

Find out what this essay would score

Paste your own answer and Bandly returns an estimated band for each of the four criteria, with the sentences that pulled the score down. Under a cent an essay, about six seconds.

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