BAR CHART

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There are 5 steps to writing a good IELTS bar chart essay:

1) Analyse the question
2) Identify the main features
3) Write an introduction
4) Write an overview
5) Write the details paragraphs

Steps 1 and 2 of the planning process should take around 5 minutes. It is essential that
you don’t miss these out as they are the key to writing a high-scoring essay.
Before we begin, here’s a model essay structure that you can use as a guideline for all
IELTS Academic Task 1 questions.
Ideally, your essay should have 4 paragraphs:
Paragraph 1 – Introduction
Paragraph 2 – Overview
Paragraph 3 – 1st main feature
Paragraph 4 – 2nd main feature

Now that we have all these tools we need, we’re ready to begin planning and writing
our IELTS bar chart essay.
Here’s our practice question:
The bar chart below shows the sector contributions to India’s gross domestic product
from 1960 to 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Contribution as % of India's GDP

Step 1 – Analyse the question

The format of every Academic Task 1 question is the same. Here is our practice
question again with the words that will be included in all questions highlighted.

The bar chart below shows the sector contributions to India’s gross domestic product
from 1960 to 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

Every question consists of:

Sentence 1 – A brief description of the graphic
Sentence 2 – The instructions
The graphic – chart, graph, table, etc.
Sentence 2 tells you what you have to do.
You must do 3 things:
1. Select the main features.
2. Write about the main features.
3. Compare the main features.
All three tasks refer to the ‘main features’ of the graphic. You do not have to write
about everything. Just pick out 2 or 3 key features and you’ll have plenty to write
about.
Our practice graphic is a dynamic bar chart. That is, it includes a timeline giving data
from several different points in time.
So, for this question, we need to identify the main trends (that is, the general
developments or changes in situation) in the three key sectors of the Indian economy –
agriculture, industry and service – between 1960 and 2000.
Alternatively, a bar chart may be static with the data coming from one point in time, as
in the example below. For this graphic, we would need to compare the different
variables, that is, the different leisure activities favoured by Canadian boys and girls.

Step 2 – Identify the Main Features

The graphic in IELTS bar chart questions should not be difficult to interpret. Each
question has been created to test your language skills, not your mathematics ability.
All you are looking for are the main features. These will usually be the easiest things
to spot. As we’ve just seen, the type of key features will depend on whether the bar
chart is dynamic or static.
There will be lots of information in the graphic to help you identify them. Here are
some useful questions to ask?

What information do the 2 axes give?

Is it dynamic or static?
What are the units of measurements?
What are the time periods?
What can you learn from the title and any labels?
What is the most obvious trend?
Are there any notable similarities?

So, what main features stand out in our practice graphic?

Here's our practice IELTS bar chart again.
Contribution as % of India's GDP

There are 3 main features/trends in this IELTS bar chart:

Main feature 1: The contribution of the agricultural sector dropped steadily.
Main feature 2: The contribution of the service sector increased each decade.
Main feature 3: Industry remained static from 1980 to 2000.

The general trends you select will be the starting point for your essay. You will then go
on to add more detail.
With just 20 minutes allowed for Task 1, and a requirement of only 150 words, you
won't be able to include many details.
We’re now ready to begin writing our essay. Here’s a reminder of the 4 part structure
we’re going to use.
Paragraph 1 – Introduction
Paragraph 2 – Overview
Paragraph 3 – 1st main feature
Paragraph 4 – 2nd main feature
 Step 3 – Write an Introduction

In the introduction, you should simply paraphrase the question, that is, say the same
thing in a different way. You can do this by using synonyms and changing the sentence
structure. For example:
Question:
The bar chart below shows the sector contributions to India’s gross domestic product
from 1960 to 2000.

Introduction (Paragraph 1):

The bar graph illustrates the relative percentage contributions made by the
agricultural, industrial and service sectors to the Indian economy between 1960 and
2000.

This is all you need to do for the introduction.

Ideally, key words such as ‘sector’ and ‘contributions’ should be replaced by synonyms
but there aren’t any obvious words that could be used instead so it’s fine to repeat them.
It’s important that your language sounds natural so never try to force in synonyms that
don’t quite fit.

Step 4 – Write an Overview (Paragraph 2)

In the second paragraph, you should report the main features you can see in the graph,
giving only general information. The detail comes later. You should make any clear
comparisons you spot.
This is where we write about the general trends. Here are the ones we picked out above.
Main feature 1: The contribution of the agricultural sector dropped steadily.
Main feature 2: The contribution of the service sector increased each decade.
Main feature 3: Industry remained static from 1980 to 2000.

Now form these ideas into two or three sentences with a total of around 40 words.
State the information simply using synonyms where possible. No elaborate vocabulary
or grammar structures are required, just the appropriate words and correct verb tenses.
For example:
Overview (Paragraph 2):
Over the whole time period, the significance of agriculture declined steadily while
services grew in importance decade by decade. A different patterned emerged for
industry, which initially showed a slowly increasing percentage but then plateaued
from 1980 onwards.

Step 5 – Write the 1st Detail Paragraph

Paragraphs 3 and 4 of your IELTS bar chart essay are where you include more
detailed information about the data in the graphic. In paragraph 3, you should give
evidence to support your first 1 or 2 key features. Don’t forget to make comparisons
when relevant.
Here are our first 2 main features again:
Main feature 1: The contribution of the agricultural sector dropped steadily.
Main feature 2: The contribution of the service sector increased each decade.

And this is an example of what you could write:

Paragraph 3:

In 1960, agriculture contributed by far the highest percentage of GDP, peaking at

62%, but it then dropped in steady increments to a low of 12% in 2000. The service
sector, on the other hand, had a relatively minor impact on the economy in 1960. This
situation changed gradually at first, then its percentage contribution jumped from
28% to 43% between 1980 and 1990. By 2000 it matched the high point reached by
agriculture in 1960, showing a reversal in the overall trend.

Step 6 – Write the 2nd Detail Paragraph

For the fourth and final paragraph, you do the same thing for your remaining
feature/s. We have one main feature left to write about.
Main feature 3: Industry remained static from 1980 to 2000.
Here’s an example of what you could write:
Paragraph 4:

Industry remained a steady contributor to India’s wealth throughout the period. As a

sector, it grew marginally from 16% in 1960 to exactly a quarter in 1980 then
remained static for the next two decades, maintaining a constant share of the overall
GDP.

Here are the four paragraphs brought together to create our finished essay.
Finished IELTS Bar Chart Essay
The bar graph illustrates the relative percentage contributions made by the
agricultural, industrial and service sectors to the Indian economy between 1960
and 2000.

Over the whole time period, the significance of agriculture declined steadily while
services grew in importance decade by decade. A different patterned emerged for
industry, which initially showed a slowly increasing percentage but then plateaued
from 1980 onwards.

In 1960, agriculture contributed by far the highest percentage of GDP, peaking at

62%, but it then dropped in steady increments to a low of 12% in 2000. The
service sector, on the other hand, had a relatively minor impact on the economy in
1960. This situation changed gradually at first, then its percentage contribution
jumped from 28% to 43% between 1980 and 1990. By 2000 it matched the high
point reached by agriculture in 1960, showing a reversal in the overall trend.

Industry remained a steady contributor to India’s wealth throughout the period.

As a sector, it grew marginally from 16% in 1960 to exactly a quarter in 1980 then
remained static for the next two decades, maintaining a constant share of the
overall GDP.
(188 words)
This sample IELTS bar chart essay is well over the minimum word limit so you can see
that you don’t have space to include very much detail at all. That’s why it is essential to
select just a couple of main features to write about.
EXAMPLE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart shows the average number of hours each day that Chinese, American, Turkish
and Brazilian tourists spent doing leisure activities while on holiday in Greece in August
2019.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer
The bar chart compares the amount of time each day that people from four different countries
spent doing activities while on holiday in Greece in August 2019. The activities were going to the
beach, visiting different attractions, and reading.

Overall, the tourists spent the most time reading books while they spent the least time visiting
places. The Chinese tourists spent the longest reading books with a total of eight hours per day.
By contrast, the Brazilians spent the longest at the beach with a total of six hours.

Both the American and the Turkish tourists spent the same number of hours every day visiting
places with a total of three hours each. Similarly, the Turkish and Brazilian groups spent a total of
four hours each reading books. The Chinese tourists spent twice the amount of time reading
books as the Turkish and Brazilian tourists, whereas the American and Turkish groups spent
three times the amount of time visiting places as the Chinese group.

(163 words)
EXAMPLE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart shows British Emigration to selected destinations between 2004 and
2007.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and
make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

IELTS Bar Chart Model Answer

The bar chart shows the number of British people who emigrated to five destinations over the period
2004 to 2007. It is evident from the chart that throughout the period, the most popular place to move to
was Australia.

Emigration to Australia stood at just over 40,000 people in 2004, which was approximately 6,000
higher than for Spain, and twice as high as the other three countries. Apart from a jump to around
52,000 in 2006, it remained around this level throughout the period.

The next most popular country for Britons to move to was Spain, though its popularity declined over
the time frame to finish at below 30,000 in 2007. Despite this, the figure was still higher than for the
remaining three countries. Approximately 20,000 people emigrated to New Zealand each year, while
the USA fluctuated between 20-25,000 people over the period.

Although the number of visitors to France spiked to nearly 35,000 in 2005, it was the country that was
the least popular to emigrate to at the end of the period, at just under 20,000 people.
(Words 179)
Comments
The bar graph starts by introducing what it shows. Importantly, it paraphrases the prompt rather than
copying it.
There is then a good overview which selects the main trend in the graph.
It is clearly organised, describing the most interesting data first, which is the high emigration levels to
Australia. The second body paragraph then focuses on three other countries, which were lower than
Australia but did not fluctuate much over the years. Lastly France is described, with the fact that it
spiked in one year highlighted.
The content is good as key trends are identified and highlighted, comparisons are made, and data is
selected to support the description when needed.
There is also a good mix and range of vocabulary and grammatical structures.
The bar graph also meets the requirements of being at least 150 words.

IELTS Graphs
A Common Mistake
Look carefully at the IELTS graphs below and their titles. Underneath each is a brief
descriptive sentence about the graphs.
What is wrong with them?

From 1975 to 2000, hamburgers increased dramatically from 10 to 100 times per year.
At the same time, fish and chips fell significantly to just under 40.

While buses fell from just over 25% to around 16% in 2000, cars increased
dramatically to over 35%. Meanwhile, bikes fell over this time frame.

Did you find what the errors were?

Can hamburgers increase and fish and chips fall? Can a car increase, or a bus and a bike
fall?
No, but the consumption of hamburgers or fish and chips can fall or rise, and the use of
a car, bike or bus can increase or decrease.
There are a number of ways that the sentences in the IELTS graphs could have been
written correctly, but here are some possibilities:
From 1975 to 2000, the consumption of hamburgers increased dramatically from 10 to
100 times per year. At the same time, the number of times that fish and chips were
eaten fell significantly to just under 40.
While bus usage fell from just over 25% to around 16% in 2000, cars as a mode of
travel increased dramatically to over 35%. Meanwhile, the use of bikes fell over this
time frame.

When you are analysing your task 1 before you write about it, look very carefully to
identify what the subject is i.e. what is it exactly that is being measured?
A common mistake when writing about IELTS graphs in task 1 of the test is to get the
subject wrong.
The first graph is about the consumption of fast foods.
The second graph is about the use of four types of transport.

Practice
Below are some examples of sentences taken from IELTS graphs where the subject is
wrong. At the end of the sentence in brackets is a word which is missing.
Have a go at writing the corrected sentence in the box using the word (you may have to
add in some more information such as 'the number of' or change the form of the missing
word). There are different ways that it can be corrected.
1. Cinema's increased from 2000 to 2005. (attendance)
2. Saudi Arabia fell significantly to 270 million barrels a year. (oil production).
3. 2000 to 2010 saw DVDs drop from 70% to 60%. (purchased).