Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Estimated percentage of car trips by purpose and gender of drivers in 2005: 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.
  • 189 words
  • Bar charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The bar chart gives information about the percentage of car trips made by male and female drivers.

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

Estimated percentage of car trips by purpose and gender of drivers, 2005 (%)
020406080100CoursesVisiting townBankRunning ErrandsVisiting friendsRecreationWorkShopping
  • Men
  • Women
View the data
CoursesVisiting townBankRunning ErrandsVisiting friendsRecreationWorkShopping
Men89334115210
Women122910833917

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 8189 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The bar chart illustrates the distribution of car trips undertaken by male and female drivers across eight different categories in 2005. Overall, it is clear that commuting to work accounted for the highest proportion of car journeys for both genders, significantly outstripping all other purposes. While men were more likely to drive for work and recreation, women recorded higher percentages for shopping, errands, and educational courses.

Work-related travel was the primary purpose for both groups, with men at 52% and women at 39%. In contrast, shopping trips were more frequent among women, who accounted for 17% of their total trips compared to 10% for men. Similarly, women made more trips for courses (12%), banking (9%), errands (10%), and visiting friends (8%), whereas men’s figures for these categories were notably lower, ranging between 3% and 8%.

Conversely, men were more inclined to use cars for recreation, with 11% of their trips dedicated to this purpose, compared to only 3% for women. Visiting town also showed a disparity, with men at 9% and women at 2%. Overall, the data highlights distinct gender-based preferences in car travel purposes during the year 2005.

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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.
  • outstripping

    exceeding or surpassing the amount of something else

  • proportion

    a part or share in relation to the whole

  • conversely

    introducing a statement that reverses a previous one

  • disparity

    a great difference between two or more things

  • inclined

    having a tendency or preference to do something

  • accounted for

    constituted a particular amount or part of something

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

Work was the most common reason for car trips for both genders, while women generally undertook more trips for shopping and errands, whereas men dominated work-related travel.

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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