IELTS Writing Task 1 bar chart: sample answers and how to write one
IELTS Writing Task 1 bar chart sample answers at band 6.5, 7.5 and 9, with a structure to follow, the language of comparison and the mistakes that cost marks.
A bar chart is about comparison: which categories are largest and smallest, and how groups differ from each other. High-band answers compare bars rather than listing them, group categories that behave alike, and select the figures that prove the main differences.
4 bar chart sample answers
Each question is answered three times — at about band 6.5, 7.5 and 9 — with commentary on every criterion, so you can see exactly what moves the score.
- Electricity sources in three countriesA bar chart in which three countries lean on three different sources, showing how the band 9 answer finds the pattern the 6.5 answer reads straight off the page.Band 6.5 · 7.5 · 9 — 157 / 195 / 214 words
- Household recycling rates in four citiesA two-year bar chart in which the worst performer becomes the best, and three answers that differ in whether they measure that reversal against everything else on the chart.Band 6.5 · 7.5 · 9 — 163 / 180 / 204 words
- Physical activity among men and women by ageA grouped bar chart where men lead among the young and women lead among the old, and the real story is how differently the two sets of bars slope.Band 6.5 · 7.5 · 9 — 174 / 191 / 234 words
- Why international visitors came to one countryTwelve bars across three years, in which one category grows most, one is overtaken and one falls — and the answers differ in whether they add the bars up.Band 6.5 · 7.5 · 9 — 164 / 181 / 210 words
How to structure a bar chart answer
- 1Introduction. Paraphrase what the bars measure, for which groups, and when.
- 2Overview. The largest and smallest categories and the main pattern — for example, one group ahead in every category, or a ranking that reverses between two years.
- 3Body paragraph 1. The categories or groups that share a pattern, with comparative figures.
- 4Body paragraph 2. The exceptions or the remaining categories, compared back to the first paragraph.
Useful language for a bar chart
Comparing sizes
- twice as many as
- the highest proportion of
- slightly more than
- considerably lower than
- roughly the same as
Ranking
- the most popular
- ranked second
- the least common
- followed by
- in last place
Contrast
- whereas
- while
- in contrast to
- the reverse was true for
- the only exception was
Mistakes that cost marks
- Describing each bar in turn instead of comparing them.
- Quoting every value when a few key differences make the point.
- Mixing up the two axes, for example writing 'people' when the chart shows percentages.
Now write one yourself.
Timed Task 1 practice with an AI band for each criterion.
Common questions
What should the overview of a bar chart say?
The largest and smallest categories and the main pattern across the groups, such as one group being ahead in every category. It should not contain detailed figures; those belong in the body paragraphs.
How do I describe a bar chart that also shows change over time?
Treat it like a line graph for the time element — describe the direction of change — and like a bar chart for the comparison between categories. Say whether the ranking of the categories changed between the years.
Do I need to mention every category?
Mention every category at least in passing, but give detail only to the ones that matter: the largest, the smallest and any that go against the main pattern.