Below is a graph showing the incidence of mental illness (as indicated by receipt of Incapacity Benefit) amongst older UK males from 1971-2015. The reform in the benefits system took place in 1995.
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay effectively summarizes the key trends in mental illness rates among older males in the UK, providing relevant data points and discussing the impact of the 1995 benefits reform. Key strengths include a clear structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion, as well as appropriate vocabulary usage. However, critical areas for improvement include addressing grammatical errors, enhancing the flow between paragraphs, and varying vocabulary to avoid repetition. Structural changes made include correcting grammatical errors, adding specific data for the mid-1980s, and improving transitions between ideas. Further improvements could involve incorporating more detailed comparisons of the trends before and after the reform and using a wider range of synonyms. The tone used is appropriate for an academic report, maintaining a formal and informative style.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay is generally well-organized, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Ideas are logically sequenced, and cohesive devices are used appropriately. However, the transition between the discussion of the trends before and after the reform could be smoother. For example, using phrases like 'following this peak' or 'subsequently' could enhance the flow.
How to improve:
- Use a clear paragraph structure
- Connect ideas with appropriate linking words
- Maintain logical progression
- Use referencing effectively
What this means:
The writing demonstrates a reasonable range of grammatical structures, but there are some errors, such as 'informations' (should be 'information') and 'ilness' (should be 'illness'). Additionally, the phrase 'the graph clearly demonstrate' should be 'the graph clearly demonstrates.' These errors affect the overall accuracy, but the meaning remains clear.
How to improve:
- Use complex sentence structures
- Maintain grammatical accuracy
- Use a variety of sentence patterns
- Check for common grammar errors
What this means:
The vocabulary used is appropriate for the task, with terms like 'incidence,' 'recipients,' and 'dramatically' demonstrating a good range. However, there are some repetitive phrases, such as 'older males' and 'mental illness,' which could be varied. Using synonyms or rephrasing could enhance the lexical resource further.
How to improve:
- Use a wider range of vocabulary
- Demonstrate awareness of collocations
- Avoid word repetition
- Use more sophisticated vocabulary accurately
What this means:
The response effectively addresses the task by summarizing the key trends in the graph regarding mental illness rates among older UK males. It provides relevant data points and discusses the impact of the 1995 benefits reform. However, it could improve by including more specific details about the trends before and after the reform, such as the exact figures for the mid-1980s and the years leading up to 2015.
How to improve:
- Address all parts of the task fully
- Support ideas with specific examples
- Develop each point thoroughly
- Stay relevant to the topic
Related Writing Samples
You eat at your college cafeteria every lunch time. However, you think it needs some improvements. Write a letter to the college magazine. In your letter, explain what you like about the cafeteria say what is wrong with it suggest how it could be improved
The graph below shows average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The graph below gives information about the percentage of the population in four Asian countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The pie charts show the destination of export goods in three countries in 2010.
The chart below shows the expenditure of two countries on consumer goods in 2010.
"Violence in playgrounds is increasing. However, it is important that parents should teach children not to hit back at bullies."