Household Water Use by Region

IELTS Writing Practice — AI-Powered Feedback

Writing Prompt

The line graph below shows the average daily water consumption per person, measured in litres, in four regions of the world between 1990 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The vertical axis shows litres per person per day, ranging from 0 to 400, and the horizontal axis shows the years 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. North America begins highest at around 360 litres and falls steadily to about 300 by 2020. Europe starts at roughly 250 litres and declines gently to 200. East Asia rises from about 120 litres to a peak of 190 in 2010 before dipping slightly. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the lowest throughout, increasing only marginally from around 40 to 60 litres over the period.

Show Band 8–9 model answer

The line graph compares average daily water consumption per person in four world regions between 1990 and 2020.

Overall, North America and Europe used far more water per capita than East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa throughout the period. While usage in the two Western regions declined, East Asia experienced substantial growth, and Sub-Saharan Africa saw only a modest increase from an already very low base.

In 1990, North America recorded by far the highest consumption, at around 360 litres per person per day, followed by Europe at approximately 250 litres. Both regions then showed a gradual downward trend: North America’s figure fell steadily to about 300 litres by 2020, whereas Europe’s consumption dropped more gently to around 200 litres.

By contrast, East Asia started at a much lower level, roughly 120 litres in 1990, but rose consistently to reach a peak of about 190 litres in 2010, narrowing the gap with Europe. However, there was a slight decline in 2020, though levels still remained well above those in 1990.

Sub-Saharan Africa had by far the lowest water use across all years, beginning at around 40 litres and increasing only gradually to about 60 litres in 2020. Despite this upward trend, per capita consumption there remained dramatically lower than in the other three regions.

Why this response works

This response would score highly for several reasons. It provides a clear overview by highlighting both the ranking of regions and the contrasting trends. Data is accurately reported and appropriately compared, without inventing numbers beyond those implied. The structure is logical, moving from overall patterns to region-by-region detail. A wide range of vocabulary related to trends (e.g. “declined,” “rose consistently,” “narrowing the gap”) and accurate grammar with varied complex sentences support strong Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy scores. Cohesion is achieved without overusing linking phrases.