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IELTS Preparation Tips | Summarize Information In Bar Chart

Writing Skills | How to describe a bar chart in IELTS

IELTS Preparation Tips | IELTS Writing Task 1 | Summarizing information in a bar chart | bar chart IELTS | Student numbers at local primary schools


How do you answer IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 bar graph questions?

Writing Task 1 in the IELTS Academic Writing exam often asks you to describe data, usually presented in the form of a table, graph, chart, diagram, etc.

What is the best approach to writing an answer to IELTS Task 1 Writing questions?

Remember to keep it simple; there is no need to explain every single data point presented. The key to success is to identify the "key data points" and "summarize the important information".

Try to keep your answer clear and concise so it can be easily understood.

Here are some simple steps you can use to form your answer:

  • Identify the main data points or facts shown in the diagram, chart, graph, etc.
  • Identify any trends or changes over time: what are they?
  • Identify any comparisons you can make: between now and the past, between categories, data sets, etc.

After you identify the main data points:

  • Write a brief introduction: (stating what the data explains/shows, etc.)
  • Paragraph: explain the main trends/changes over time, low points, high points, etc.
  • Paragraph: explain any points of contrast, comparisons, etc.

NOTE: you do not need to write a conclusion.

Here is an example IELTS Writing Task 1 question and a sample answer to help you.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Bar Graph Question

Task 1 bar graph description

The bart chart below gives details of student numbers in four local primary schools in 2013

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and making comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.


IELTS Bar Chart | Student numbers in four local primary schools


Academic IELTS Writing Task 1

Sample Answer

The bar chart shows the number of male and female students attending different elementary schools in 2013. In two of the schools, St James and Bilsing, there were an equal number of boys and girls; however, in one of the four schools, Percival, there was a significant difference between the number of boys and girls who attended the school.

Interestingly, the school with the largest student body (St James) and the school with the smallest student body (Bilsing) both had an equal number of boys and girls. Percival School had approximately double the number of boys as opposed to girls attending and Roysters School, which had the second largest student body overall, had slightly more girls than boys.

Overall, there were more boys than girls attending these primary schools, but only by around 20. Percival School had the largest difference between male and female students, where there were half as many girls as boys in the school.

How would you answer this IELTS Writing Test Task 1 question?



Useful IELTS bar chart vocabulary

1. Overall trends

When looking at a bar chart, it is useful to first identify any overall trends.

Then look at whether the overall trend is upward, downward, or static.

For example, if you are looking at a bar chart that shows the number of visitors to a country over three years, you might say that the trend is upward, as the number of visitors is increasing.

2. Increases and decreases

After you have identified any overall trends, you can start to look at specific increases and decreases.

For example, in the bar chart that shows the number of visitors to a country over three years, you could say that there was an increase in visitors from 2010 to 2011, and a decrease from 2011 to 2012.

3. The biggest/smallest/highest/lowest

When describing a bar chart, it is often useful to compare the different values to identify the biggest, the smallest, the highest, or the lowest.

For example, you could say that 2011 was the year with the highest number of visitors, and 2012 was the year with the lowest number of visitors.

4. The most/least

Another way of comparing different values in a bar chart is to use the phrases “the most” and “the least”.

For example, you could say that 2010 was the year with the least visitors, and 2011 was the year with the most visitors.

5. More than/less than

When comparing different values in a bar chart, you can use the phrases “more than” and “less than”.

For example, you could say that in 2010 there were less than 10 million visitors, and in 2011 there were more than 10 million visitors.

6. The percentage change

Another way of describing changes between different values in a bar chart is to calculate the percentage change.

To do this, you take the difference between two values and divide it by the original value.

For example, in 2010, there were 6 million visitors, and in 2011 there were 12 million visitors. You can calculate the percentage change as follows: (12-6)/6 = 1 or 100%.

So, there was a 100% increase in visitor numbers from 2010 to 2011.


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