How to write an IELTS Writing Task 1 bar chart description in just three steps

Bar charts in IELTS Writing Task 1 depict variations of a subject based on a specific unit. This type of task often requires analysing characteristics, figures, and comparisons and predicting trends of the subject. 

There are two types of bar charts you may get: bar charts with changes over time (time graph) and those without changes over time (comparison graph), each with different characteristics and approaches. Below are our tips on how to write a bar chart description for IELTS, take a look!

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The first step after reading the prompt is to analyse the bar chart. Your analysis should focus on three following parts:

• Part 1: You briefly describe the given bar chart: "The bar chart below shows..."

• Part 2: You follow the task requirements: "Summarise the information...and make comparisons..."

• Part 3: You break down a specific chart, in this case, the bar chart in your IELTS test.

For the bar chart breakdown: you need to clarify the following four factors: 

• Topic – What is the subject of the chart? 

• Place – Where is the data in the chart taken from?

• Time – At what point is the data in the chart taken?

• Unit of measurement - What is the unit of measurement for the data in the chart? 

Sample prompts: 

The chart below gives some of the most reported issues among people living in UK cities in 2008 (%).

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

Write at least 150 words.

Sample prompt to build the approach on how to write a task 1 bar chart description - Source: Bestmytest

Practice analysing the prompt:

• Topic – What is the subject of the chart: Living Issues of City Residents - based on three subjects: Health Services, Education and training, Air Pollution

• Place – Where is the data in the chart taken from: In major UK cities

• Time – At what point is the data in the chart taken? In 2008

Unit of measurement - Unit of measurement for the data in the chart: Measurement unit: Percentage

After breaking down the bar chart and understanding the key points, it's time to record the vital information from the chart, including:

• Highest point? - Health Services

• Lowest point? - Air Pollution

• Are there any outstanding changes in the chart?

• What are the standard features of the data?

You can use this information to analyse and compare according to the prompt's requirements. Grasping this information will help you limit listing when doing IELTS Writing Task 1.

How to write the introduction for IELTS Writing Task 1 bar charts

In the introduction, you should paraphrase the question prompt. You can adapt the structure below and change it accordingly using synonyms and appropriate vocabulary.

• Opening sentence structure: The bar chart + show(s)/illustrate(s)/give(s) information about + 3W (What? Where? When?)

Ex: The bar graph compares the living issues of local people in some major cities in the UK during 2008. 

• Commonly used vocabulary: Show - illustrate - give - compare

How to write an overview for IELTS Writing Task 1 bar charts

In this next section, you should present the main features that you can see in the bar chart, only providing general information and comparing if applicable.

Some notes when writing the overview:

• The overview should consist of 2 sentences, one introducing the chart in general and the other providing the primary information.

• Refrain from including any data in the overview.

• Choose only 2-3 main points to write about.

• IELTS bar chart description vocabulary phrases for the Overview section

  • Overall: Overall

  • Generally speaking: Generally speaking

  • At first glance: At a first glance

  • As can be seen: As can be seen

  • Increase/Rise: Increase, Decrease/Fall: Decrease

  • Remain stable: Remain stable

  • Hit the peak/ hit the highest point: Reach the highest point

  • Slightly: Slightly

  • Dramatically: Dramatically

  • Gradually: Gradually

  • As is observed: As observed

Ex: As observed, health services were the primary issue in most cities, followed by education and training. Air pollution remained a minor problem.

See more:

Importance of the overview in IELTS Writing Task 1 bar chart questions

Comprehensive list of vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 1

How to write the body for IELTS Writing Task 1 bar charts

The body section is where you are allowed to present detailed information related to the data in the chart. In this section, pay attention to adding comparison sentences to your writing; do not just list information; this will cost you points.

Specifically, the body will have the following structure:

• Body paragraph 1: 3-4 sentences describing in detail the first group of information from the chart/similar points in the chart

Ex: On the one hand, in Newcastle, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and London, more than 50% of people reported having complaints about the health services provided to them. The highest percentage is in Belfast and Cardiff, accounting for just a little under 60%. Moreover, education and training issues stood slightly above 50% for Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and London.

Example of how to develop body paragraph 1

• Body paragraph 2: 3-4 sentences describing the next set of information/critical differences in the chart

Ex: Conversely, air pollution is a minor issue, remaining at less than 10% for most cities, including Newcastle, Belfast, Birmingham, and Glasgow. However, in Cardiff, Manchester, and London, it is reported to be around 12 to 15%, slightly higher than the other areas.

Example of how to develop body paragraph 2

• Phrases used in Body Paragraph 2: 

  • accounted for: chiếm

  • reached a peak of: đạt cực đại là

  • just over: cao hơn 1 chút

  • approximately: khoảng, xấp xỉ

• Sentence structures used in Body Paragraph 2:

  • Fell to + số liệu

  • Fell by + phần trăm,…

You can categorise IELTS Writing Task 1 bar chart description examples into two types: those with time-based data and those without.

Depending on the type of bar graph given, you will need to provide analyses of the characteristics, figures, or predictions of trends based on the information presented in the prompt.

1. Vocabulary for introduction to the bar char description

2. Vocabulary describing the change observed in the bar chart

3. Words suggesting a slow change in the bar chart data

Examples:

• Gas prices have slightly increased in the last few months.

• During the given period, the city's water consumption moderately fell from 180 to 153 million litres per day or approximately 15%.

4. Words used for listing

• According to the graph/ First of all/ to begin with/ to start with/ Firstly: đầu tiên là

• Secondly: thứ hai là

• In turn/ before that/ subsequently/ following that: sau đó thì

• Finally: cuối cùng là

• Correspondingly: Tương ứng 

• Respectively: Tương ứng 

5. Commonly used phrases describing bar chart data

Example:

• In 1992, the service industry accounted for 4 per cent of GDP, whereas IT exceeded this by just over 6 per cent.

• From 2000 to 2020, the number of households using solar energy as their primary source of electricity increased significantly, rising from just 500 to over 10,000. 

6. Percentage Vocabulary - Types, Parts and Numbers

• tripled (v): gấp ba

• doubled (v): gấp đôi

• one-fourth: 1/4

• three-quarters: 3/4

• half: một nửa

• double fold: gấp đôi

• 5 times higher: cao hơn gấp 5 lần

• 3 times lower: thấp hơn 3 lần

7. Vocabulary indicates date

• From + năm: từ năm X

• Between + Year X and Year Y: giữa năm X và năm Y

• After + Year X: sau năm X

• By/in + Year X: vào năm X

• In + tháng X: vào tháng X

 The structure of an overview paragraph

The overview paragraph should focus on the chart's general trends or notable features. You can use the following adverbs in your overview paragraph:

• In general: nhìn chung thì

• In standard / Generally speaking / Overall

• It is obvious: rõ ràng là

• As is observed: theo quan sát

• As a general trend: xu hướng chung là

• As can be seen: có thể thấy là

• As an overall trend: xu hướng chung là

• As is presented: như đã thấy

• It can be clearly seen that: có thể rõ ràng thấy được là

• At the first glance, it is clear that .. : nhìn sơ có thể thấy ..

• At the onset, it is clear that: rõ ràng là ..

• A glance at the graphs reveals that .. : nhìn sơ biểu đồ cho thấy là..

After consulting the guidelines for IELTS Writing Task 1 bar chart descriptions as above, please apply them to complete the three sample questions below.

Prompt 1: The graph gives information about the age of the population of Iceland between 1990 and 2020.

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

The bar chart compares the ages of people living in Iceland between 1990 and 2020.

Overall, the size of the 25-54 age group increased the most over the period, while the size of the two younger age groups decreased slightly. The number of people in the two older age groups stayed about the same.

The 25-54 age group grew from approximately a third of the population in 1990 to nearly half of the population in 2020.

The older two age groups did not increase or decrease much. The size of the 65 and over age group remained at about 13%, whereas the size of the 55 -64 age group only fell from about 14% to about 10% of the population.

By contrast, the 0-14 age group fell from just over 25% in 1990 to under 20% in 2020. Similarly, the 15-24 age group dropped from just over 20% of the population in 1990 to just under 10% of the population in 2020.

Prompt 2: The chart and graph below give information about participants who have entered the Olympics since it began.

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

The two charts give information about the gender and number of athletes who have entered the Games since they started. The bar chart illustrates the number of men and women entering the Games, whereas the line graph shows the number of participants.

The bar chart shows that until 2012, there were always significantly more men entering the Games than women. In 1924 and 1952, only a few women entered the Games, yet in 1952, there were over 4,000 male participants. In 2012, however, female athletes rose significantly to nearly 5,000, only approximately 1,000 lower than the male participants.

The line graph shows a similar trend, with the number of participants increasing throughout the century. The most significant increase occurred between 1984 and 2012 when athletes rose from just over 6,000 to over 10,000 in 2012.

Since 1924, the number of athletes entering the Olympic Games has increased dramatically. This is particularly true for women, who occupy nearly the same numbers as male participants.

Prompt 3: The graph below shows the percentage of part-time workers in each country of the United Kingdom in 1980 and 2010.

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

The bar chart shows the rate of part-time employees in four parts of the UK from 1980 to 2010.

Overall, except for the workers of Northern Ireland, all the people of other countries have shown a rise in their work rate as time continues. Also, Wales and England have the most active part-time workers in both eras.

The graph shows that in 1980, nearly 25% of people worked part-time in England, but the Whales workforce was about 8% higher than in England. After 30 years, England showed a more significant rise in the rate of workers than that in Whales. However, the overall percentage of employees in 2010 was still higher in Wales.

Furthermore, Scotland has the lowest rate of part-time workers, just about 11%, while Northern Ireland exceeds that in the starting year. As time passes, the percentage of workers decreases in Northern Ireland, while in contrast, it increases twice as much as in 1980 in Scotland.

Source: IELTS Writing

>>> Same topic articles: 

• IELTS Writing Task 1 chart types: overview and writing guide 

• Unlock the secrets of writing map descriptions for IELTS Writing Task 1 1

Above is our comprehensive guide to IELTS Writing Task 1 bar chart descriptions with detailed examples. Hopefully, the information in this article has helped you consolidate your knowledge and prepare better for your upcoming IELTS test.

Gain confidence in interpreting bar graphs for IELTS Writing Task 1

Now that you’re equipped with the diverse vocabulary and sentence structures related to analysing, interpreting, and describing bar charts for IELTS Writing Task 1, you’ll be able to understand the structure of the test better and achieve a high score in your test. 

To help you better prepare, you can explore additional strategies for tackling various chart types (with examples) for IELTS Writing Task 1 in IDP's readily available IELTS resource library, whether preparing for the IELTS on Paper or IELTSon Computer test.

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