Transport to Work by City

IELTS Writing Practice — AI-Powered Feedback

Writing Prompt

The bar chart below compares the percentage of commuters using four different methods of transport to travel to work in three cities in 2022. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The vertical axis shows percentages from 0 to 60, and the horizontal axis groups the cities of Amsterdam, Tokyo and Los Angeles, each with four bars for car, public transport, bicycle and walking. In Los Angeles, the car dominates at about 55 per cent, with public transport at 20, bicycle at 5 and walking at 20. In Tokyo, public transport is highest at roughly 50 per cent, cars at 15, bicycles at 15 and walking at 20. In Amsterdam, cycling leads at around 40 per cent, followed by public transport at 25, walking at 20 and cars at 15.

Show Band 8–9 model answer

The bar chart compares how workers commuted in 2022 in Amsterdam, Tokyo and Los Angeles, using cars, public transport, bicycles and walking.

Overall, each city shows a distinct dominant mode of transport: cars in Los Angeles, public transport in Tokyo and bicycles in Amsterdam. Walking remains comparatively stable across the three cities, while car use varies dramatically.

In Los Angeles, commuting is heavily car-dependent, with around 55% of workers driving to work, far exceeding any other method. Public transport and walking account for 20% each, whereas cycling is relatively rare at just 5%, the lowest figure on the chart.

By contrast, in Tokyo, about half of commuters rely on public transport, making it the most popular option in any of the three cities. Cars and bicycles are equally used, at approximately 15% each, while walking stands at 20%, mirroring the proportions for pedestrians in both Amsterdam and Los Angeles.

Amsterdam displays a different pattern again, with cycling clearly dominant at about 40%. Public transport is the second most common mode at 25%, followed by walking at 20%. Car use is relatively limited at 15%, matching the figure for cars in Tokyo but standing in stark contrast to car reliance in Los Angeles.

Why this response works

This response provides a clear overview highlighting the main trends and dominant modes in each city, satisfying the Task Achievement criterion. All figures are reported accurately and only the supplied data are compared, showing strong coherence and logical paragraphing. A wide range of vocabulary (e.g. “car-dependent”, “dominant mode”, “relatively limited”) is used naturally and precisely. Grammatical structures are varied, with mostly error-free complex sentences and accurate control of tenses and comparatives, supporting a high band for Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.