Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Annual salaries of doctors and other workers across seven nations in 2004: 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.
  • 190 words
  • Bar charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The chart below shows the annual pay (thousands of US dollars) for doctors and other workers in seven countries in 2004.

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

Annual pay for doctors and other workers in seven countries in 2004 (thousands of US dollars)
04080120160200The USSwitzerlandFinlandGermanyCzechItalyFrance
  • Doctors
  • Other workers
View the data
The USSwitzerlandFinlandGermanyCzechItalyFrance
Doctors120705063656070
Other workers45402520202030

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 8190 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The bar chart illustrates the annual salaries, measured in thousands of US dollars, for doctors and other workers in seven distinct countries during 2004. Overall, it is evident that doctors received substantially higher remuneration than other workers in every nation surveyed. Furthermore, the United States stood out as the country with the highest pay levels for both professional categories.

In the United States, doctors earned the highest salary at 120 thousand dollars, which was more than double the 45 thousand dollars earned by other workers. Switzerland and France followed with doctors earning 70 thousand dollars each, though their other workers earned 40 and 30 thousand dollars respectively. The Czech Republic and Germany showed similar trends for other workers, both at 20 thousand dollars, while doctors in these countries earned 65 and 63 thousand dollars respectively.

Italy and Finland reported the lowest salaries for other workers at 20 and 25 thousand dollars. In Italy, doctors earned 60 thousand dollars, whereas in Finland, they earned 50 thousand dollars. Notably, the gap between the two groups was most pronounced in the United States, while the smallest disparity was observed in Switzerland and Italy.

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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.
  • remuneration

    money paid for work or a service

  • substantially

    to a great or significant extent

  • disparity

    a great difference between two or more things

  • pronounced

    very noticeable, obvious, or strongly marked

  • surveyed

    examined or investigated the state of something

  • remained

    continued to be in a particular state

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

Across all seven countries, doctors consistently earned significantly higher annual salaries than other workers, with the United States recording the highest pay for both groups.

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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