Academic Writing Task 1 · mixed chart

UK students' self-reported levels of financial organisation by age group: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 mixed 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 mixed charts.
  • 175 words
  • Mixed charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The diagrams below show UK students' responses to the question of to what extent would they describe themselves as financially organized.

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

UK students' self-reported financial organisation
  • Not at all organised: 4
  • Not very organised: 20
  • Fairly organised: 55
  • Very organised: 21
View the data
CategoryValue
Not at all organised4
Not very organised20
Fairly organised55
Very organised21
Very organised students by age group
Age groupVery organized %
All students21
Age up to 22 years25
Age 23-25 years26
Age over 26 years49

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 8175 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The provided charts illustrate how UK students perceive their own financial organisation, with a breakdown of the 'very organised' category by different age groups. Overall, it is evident that while most students feel reasonably organised, older students are significantly more likely to describe themselves as very organised compared to their younger counterparts.

According to the pie chart, over half of all students (55%) describe themselves as 'fairly organised'. A further 21% claim to be 'very organised', while the remaining 24% admit to being either 'not very organised' (20%) or 'not at all organised' (4%).

The table provides a more detailed look at the 'very organised' segment. While the average for all students is 21%, this figure varies considerably by age. Students aged up to 22 years and those aged 23-25 years report similar levels of high organisation, at 25% and 26% respectively. However, there is a dramatic increase among students aged over 26 years, with 49% of this group identifying as very organised. This suggests that financial discipline tends to improve substantially as students mature.

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Mixed charts

How to write about mixed charts: tips and vocabulary

  • →Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals.
  • →Give each visual its own detail paragraph.
  • →Point out where one chart explains the other.
  • perceive

    the way in which something is regarded or understood

  • counterparts

    people or things that correspond to another in function

  • segment

    a part or section of a larger whole

  • dramatic increase

    a sudden and very large rise in numbers

  • mature

    to reach a more advanced stage of development

  • correlation

    a mutual relationship between two or more things

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

The majority of students consider themselves at least fairly organised, and there is a clear positive correlation between age and the likelihood of being very financially organised.

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 mixed charts?+

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals. Give each visual its own detail paragraph. Point out where one chart explains the other.

Keep practising

More mixed charts

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