Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The pie charts below show the sources of electricity generated in one country in 2000 and 2022.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| 2000 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 46 | 14 |
| Natural gas | 21 | 33 |
| Nuclear | 17 | 12 |
| Hydro | 12 | 11 |
| Wind and solar | 1 | 26 |
| Other | 3 | 4 |
Write at least 150 words.
Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some schools now use artificial-intelligence tutoring systems that adapt each lesson to the individual student, adjusting the pace and difficulty of the work according to how well the student is performing.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
What a Band 8–9 response must demonstrate
Measured against the four official assessment criteria — specific to this test's two tasks.
Task Achievement
- Gives a clear overview that captures the two big stories: coal's share collapsed from nearly half to a minor source, while wind and solar rose from almost nothing to become the second-largest source — and notes that gas, not renewables, became the single largest source.
- Selects and groups the data: the two sources that changed dramatically (coal, wind/solar), the one that grew moderately (gas), and the three that stayed broadly stable (nuclear, hydro, other) — rather than six separate sentences of figures.
- Supports every main feature with accurate figures (coal 46% → 14%; wind and solar 1% → 26%; gas 21% → 33%) and uses them to compare the two years, not just to list each chart.
- Stays purely descriptive: no reasons about climate policy or the cost of solar panels.
Coherence & Cohesion
- Organises logically — introduction, overview, then one paragraph on the sources that changed sharply and one on those that changed little — rather than one paragraph per pie chart.
- Uses referencing ("the former", "this source", "the remaining three") so that sentences connect without repeating all six labels every time.
- Cohesive devices signal comparison across time ("by contrast", "over the same period", "meanwhile") and are not stacked mechanically at the start of every sentence.
Lexical Resource
- Uses precise proportion language: accounted for, made up, constituted, represented, a share of, just under half, roughly a third, a negligible proportion.
- Describes change between two fixed points with appropriate verbs and nouns (fell by more than two-thirds; rose more than twenty-fold; remained virtually unchanged) rather than "went up" and "went down".
- Keeps register neutral and academic; no informal phrasing such as "coal crashed".
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
- Controls comparative and superlative structures ("more than three times as large as", "the single largest source", "the only source to remain under 5%").
- Handles the two-point-in-time tense pattern accurately: simple past for 2000 and 2022 figures, with "by 2022" and "had overtaken" constructions where used.
- Punctuates figures and comparisons correctly ("46%", "from 1% to 26%"); the majority of sentences are error-free.
Task Response
- Addresses both advantages and disadvantages with developed points, not a list of three benefits and a single token drawback.
- Engages with the specific feature in the prompt — adaptation of pace and difficulty to the individual — rather than writing a generic essay about computers or technology in classrooms.
- Develops each point with a concrete illustration (e.g. a student who has mastered fractions moving on while a classmate gets extra practice; a system that keeps a struggling learner on easy tasks and narrows what they are exposed to).
- Maintains a consistent focus; an overall judgement is optional for this question type, but if one is given it should be brief and must not replace the balanced treatment asked for.
Coherence & Cohesion
- A clear four- or five-paragraph structure with one paragraph on advantages and one on disadvantages, each with a topic sentence and logically sequenced support.
- Ideas progress within paragraphs — a point is stated, explained and then illustrated — rather than several unconnected advantages in a row.
- Cohesion is achieved through referencing ("such systems", "this personalisation", "the same data") and logical sequencing, not a linker at the start of every sentence.
Lexical Resource
- Uses precise, topic-appropriate vocabulary: adaptive learning, differentiation, mastery, feedback loop, data privacy, algorithmic bias, teacher workload, over-reliance, peer interaction.
- Paraphrases the prompt in the introduction ("adapt each lesson to the individual student" → "tailor content and pace to each learner") rather than copying it.
- Uses less common collocations naturally ("plug gaps in understanding", "a one-size-fits-all approach", "at the expense of") without forcing in rare words.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
- A mix of complex structures under control: concession ("While such systems can free teachers from marking, …"), conditionals ("If the algorithm misjudges a student's level, …"), and relative clauses.
- Accurate handling of modal verbs to distinguish certain effects from possible ones ("does reduce marking", "may narrow", "could entrench").
- Punctuation supports complex sentences — commas around subordinate clauses, no comma splices — and errors are rare and never impede meaning.
Common traps for this specific test
The mistakes most likely to cost marks on these two questions.
Wind and solar rose spectacularly, but in 2022 the single largest source was natural gas at 33%, not renewables at 26%. Candidates who write the story they expect rather than the one in the charts lose Task Achievement marks for inaccuracy.
Two paragraphs — one listing all six 2000 figures, one listing all six 2022 figures — is not a comparison. Organise by source and state the change for each, grouping the stable ones together.
Opening with "The charts show six sources of electricity" and moving straight to numbers leaves no overview. State the main trends first: coal's share fell sharply, wind and solar and gas grew, and the other three barely moved.
The charts give percentages of total generation, not amounts. Nuclear's share fell from 17% to 12%, but whether the country produced less nuclear electricity is unknown — total output may have grown.
Hydro (12% → 11%) and Other (3% → 4%) changed by a single percentage point. Devoting a full paragraph to each produces a flat report; a Band 8 answer dispatches them in one sentence as "broadly unchanged".
The question concerns tutoring systems that adapt pace and difficulty to the individual. An essay about tablets replacing textbooks, or online learning during school closures, does not address the prompt.
"It is personalised, it is efficient, it is modern" is a list, not an argument. Each advantage needs explanation and an illustration of how adaptation actually changes what a student experiences.
This question asks for advantages and disadvantages, not whether one outweighs the other. A forceful position with no real disadvantages paragraph fails to answer what was asked.