Practice › Task 1
IELTS Writing Task 1: Bar chart
How to recognise it
Bars comparing categories (countries, age groups, years), sometimes over time.
The overview
Say which category is highest and lowest overall, and any clear pattern (e.g. men higher than women in every country).
Plan (20 minutes)
| Paragraph | What to write |
|---|---|
| Introduction (1 sentence) | Paraphrase what is compared, where and when. |
| Overview (2 sentences) | Highest/lowest and the main pattern across groups. |
| Body 1 | The larger or most important categories with figures and comparisons. |
| Body 2 | The smaller categories and any exceptions to the pattern. |
Think before you write
- What does the visual show, in what units, and over what time or in what places?
- Find the 2-3 key features (biggest, smallest, main trend, biggest change, exception).
- Write the overview sentence first in your head; it decides how you group the body paragraphs.
- Choose only the figures that support those features. Don't describe everything.
Useful language
- …was significantly higher than…
- …was twice as high as…
- the largest proportion of…
- …ranked first, followed by…
- …came second
- the lowest figure was for…
- …and … were almost identical at…
- a similar pattern can be seen in…
- approximately
- just over
- nearly
- roughly a quarter
Mistakes that cost bands
- Describing each bar separately with no comparisons.
- Listing all numbers: choose the significant ones.
- Confusing 'number' (countable) with 'amount' (uncountable).
10 practice questions
Original questions written for upband.ai in the style of the exam. Write your answer in 20 minutes, then score it.
The bar chart shows the percentage of adults who did at least 150 minutes of exercise per week in five countries in 2024, by gender.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Country | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Country A | 62 | 55 |
| Country B | 48 | 45 |
| Country C | 70 | 66 |
| Country D | 40 | 28 |
| Country E | 55 | 57 |
Units: % of adults
Practise this question →The chart shows how much money (in pounds) an average household in one city spent per month on five categories in 2015 and 2025.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Category | 2015 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 700 | 1050 |
| Food | 300 | 380 |
| Transport | 200 | 190 |
| Entertainment | 150 | 210 |
| Energy | 90 | 180 |
Units: £ per month
Practise this question →The bar chart shows the number of students enrolled in five subjects at a university in 2014 and 2024.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Subject | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Business | 1200 | 1500 |
| Engineering | 900 | 1100 |
| Computer science | 600 | 1600 |
| History | 500 | 300 |
| Medicine | 700 | 750 |
Units: students
Practise this question →The chart shows the average daily water use (in litres) per person in six countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Country | Litres per person per day |
|---|---|
| Country A | 380 |
| Country B | 290 |
| Country C | 150 |
| Country D | 140 |
| Country E | 90 |
| Country F | 50 |
Units: litres per day
Practise this question →The bar chart shows the number of tourists (in millions) visiting four regions of a country in each season of 2024.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Region | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coast | 3.0 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 0.8 |
| Mountains | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 4.5 |
| Capital city | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| Countryside | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 0.5 |
Units: millions of tourists
Practise this question →The chart shows the percentage of people in different age groups who used three social media platforms in 2025.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Age group | Platform A | Platform B | Platform C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16-24 | 85 | 70 | 90 |
| 25-34 | 80 | 60 | 55 |
| 35-54 | 65 | 45 | 25 |
| 55+ | 45 | 20 | 8 |
Units: % of age group
Practise this question →The bar chart shows the amount of waste (in million tonnes) recycled, burned and sent to landfill in one country in 2005, 2015 and 2025.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Method | 2005 | 2015 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landfill | 25 | 15 | 6 |
| Recycled | 8 | 14 | 20 |
| Burned for energy | 4 | 8 | 12 |
Units: million tonnes
Practise this question →The chart shows the average hours per week that men and women in one country spent on paid work and unpaid housework in 2024.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Activity | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Paid work | 36 | 28 |
| Housework | 9 | 17 |
| Childcare | 6 | 11 |
| Shopping | 3 | 4 |
Units: hours per week
Practise this question →The bar chart shows the percentage of homes using different heating systems in one country in 1990 and 2025.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| System | 1990 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Gas boiler | 55 | 60 |
| Oil | 20 | 5 |
| Electric heaters | 15 | 10 |
| Heat pump | 0 | 18 |
| Wood/other | 10 | 7 |
Units: % of homes
Practise this question →The chart shows the number of mobile phones sold (in millions) by five brands in 2023 and 2025.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Brand | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Brand A | 45 | 52 |
| Brand B | 40 | 33 |
| Brand C | 15 | 30 |
| Brand D | 10 | 9 |
| Brand E | 5 | 12 |
Units: millions sold
Practise this question →