Mobile Phone Subscriptions Line Graph: Band 7 Sample Answer

The report presents a clear overview in the second paragraph, identifying the most important feature — Country A's rise from last to first place — and noting that Country C levelled off. Key features are accurately reported with appropriate approximations ("around", "roughly"), and there are useful comparisons such as "more than five times its starting level" and "10 million below Country B". The overview slightly over-generalises, though: grouping B and C as rising "more modestly" hides the fact that Country C actually doubled, while B grew by only a third. Key features are clearly presented but could be more fully extended, which is the gap between this and Band 8.

Information is logically organised: an introduction, an overview, then one paragraph on the dramatic change and one on the two slower-growing countries. A range of cohesive devices is used appropriately ("By contrast", "However", "meanwhile", "After this point"), and referencing is clear ("the figure", "there"). Grouping B and C together is sensible, although the third paragraph briefly mentions Country B before it is discussed properly in the fourth, which slightly weakens paragraph focus — solid Band 7.

There is sufficient range to describe the trends with some precision: "by far the most rapid growth", "in the lead", "reach a peak of" and "remained stable" are all accurate and well collocated. The writer varies the reference to the data ("subscriptions", "the figure", "its starting level") rather than repeating one noun. There is one word-formation error — "a fifteen-years period" should be a fifteen-year period — and some reliance on familiar trend verbs, which keeps this at Band 7.

A variety of complex structures is used, including participle phrases ("labelled A, B and C"), a non-defining relative clause ("which was 10 million below Country B") and noun phrases in apposition ("an increase of only around 20 million"). Most sentences are error-free. There are a few errors: a comma splice ("climbed steeply throughout the period, it overtook both of the other countries" — and overtook) and a subject–verb agreement slip ("The number of subscriptions there were" — was). Good control with a few errors matches Band 7.