Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Comparison of community website visits over two consecutive years: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 bar chart question with a Band 8 sample answer, the chart redrawn with its data, the vocabulary that lifts the report and how to write about bar charts.
  • 188 words
  • Bar charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The bar charts below show the number of visits to a community website in the first and second years of use.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Number of visits to a community website (number of visits)
05,00010,00015,00020,00025,000SeptOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAug
  • First year of use
  • Second year of use
View the data
SeptOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAug
First year of use1,5005,00010,00010,0002,5005001,2005,0007,50012,50012,70015,000
Second year of use3,0006,00018,00018,00016,00010,00010,00012,70020,00022,50022,70012,700

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8188 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The bar chart illustrates the number of visits to a community website over its first and second years of operation. Overall, it is evident that the website’s popularity increased substantially in the second year, with monthly visit counts consistently higher than the first year, except for the final month.

In the first year, visits started at 1,500 in September, peaked at 15,000 in August, and experienced a notable dip during the winter months, reaching a low of 500 in February. Conversely, the second year saw a much stronger performance. Starting at 3,000 visits in September, the figures climbed rapidly to 18,000 by November and December. While there was a slight decline in early spring, with February and March both recording 10,000 visits, the numbers surged again to reach a peak of 22,700 in July.

Interestingly, the trend reversed in August of the second year, where visits dropped to 12,700, falling below the 15,000 visits recorded in the same month of the previous year. Throughout the period, the second year consistently outperformed the first, particularly between November and July, where the gap between the two years was most pronounced.

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Bar charts

How to write about bar charts: tips and vocabulary

  • →Compare the biggest and smallest bars before anything else.
  • →If the bars show years, describe change; if they show places, describe rank.
  • →Round sensibly and say 'just over' or 'nearly' rather than guessing decimals.
  • substantially

    to a great or significant extent

  • consistently

    in every case or on every occasion

  • peaked

    reached the highest point or value

  • dip

    a brief or temporary decline in value

  • surged

    increased suddenly and powerfully

  • outperformed

    performed better than another entity

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

Overall, the website experienced a significant growth in traffic during the second year, with the exception of August, and showed a distinct seasonal pattern in both years.

How many words and how long for IELTS Writing Task 1?+

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How is IELTS Writing Task 1 scored?+

On four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A clear overview of the main features is what most separates Band 6 from Band 7 and above.

How do I describe bar charts?+

Compare the biggest and smallest bars before anything else. If the bars show years, describe change; if they show places, describe rank. Round sensibly and say 'just over' or 'nearly' rather than guessing decimals.

Keep practising

More bar charts

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