IELTS Writing Task 1 – Bar Chart
Read the chart, find the overview, group the bars with the same story, and write a band 9 answer in four short paragraphs. Then try the practice task below.
Key points
The example question and chart from the video
The bar chart below shows the percentage of workers in one European city who used five types of transport to get to work in 2005 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Band 9 model answer from the video (186 words)
The bar chart compares the proportion of employees in a European city who travelled to work by car, bus, train, bicycle and on foot in 2005 and 2025.
Overall, the car was the most common way to get to work in both years, although its share fell considerably. In contrast, cycling and the train became much more popular, while the figures for the bus and walking changed much less.
In 2005, just over half of all workers (52%) drove to work, which was far higher than the figure for any other type of transport. By 2025, however, this had dropped to 31%, just under a third. Walking also became slightly less common, falling from 16% to 14%.
The other three types of transport all grew in popularity. The most dramatic change was in cycling, which more than tripled from only 5% to 17%, rising from the least common choice to the third most common. The proportion of people who took the train also rose significantly, from 9% to 16%. Meanwhile, the bus remained the second most popular choice, with its share increasing from 18% to 22%.
Chapters in this video (14)
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:47Example Question
- 1:49What the Examiner Wants
- 2:37How to Read a Bar Chart
- 3:33Finding the Overview
- 4:22Grouping the Information
- 5:03Simple Words for Comparing
- 6:01Answer Structure
- 6:38Writing the Introduction
- 7:49Writing the Overview
- 8:50Body Paragraph 1 (Car and Walking)
- 10:00Body Paragraph 2 (Bus, Train and Bicycle)
- 11:17Final Answer
- 11:47Outro
Simple words for comparing
| Word / phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the most / least common | the biggest / smallest bar | The car was the most common way to get to work. |
| higher / lower than; far higher than | compare two bars (far = much) | 52% was far higher than the figure for any other type of transport. |
| just over half | a little more than 50% | Just over half of all workers (52%) drove to work. |
| just under a third | a little less than 33% | By 2025 this had dropped to 31%, just under a third. |
| rose from … to … | give both numbers for a change | Train use rose from 9% to 16%. |
| tripled / more than tripled | became (more than) three times bigger | Cycling more than tripled, from 5% to 17%. |
| the proportion / the share / the figure | use instead of repeating 'percentage' | The share of people who walked fell slightly. |
Practice task: University subjects
The bar chart below shows the percentage of students at one university who studied five subjects in 2010 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Group it: which subjects went down, which went up a lot, and which changed only a little?
Which subject was the most popular in each year? Did it change?
Both years are in the past, so use the past simple.
Show model answer (try first!)
The bar chart compares the proportion of students at one university who studied business, engineering, computer science, medicine and the arts in 2010 and 2025.
Overall, computer science grew dramatically and became the most popular subject, while business and the arts lost popularity. The figures for engineering and medicine changed only slightly.
In 2010, business was the most popular subject, chosen by almost a quarter of students (24%), followed by the arts at 20%. Over the next fifteen years, however, both subjects declined. The share of business students fell to 18%, and the figure for the arts more than halved to just 9%, making it the least popular subject in 2025.
In contrast, computer science saw the biggest change. Only 8% of students studied it in 2010, but this figure almost tripled to 22% in 2025, the highest of all five subjects. Engineering and medicine both rose a little, from 15% to 17% and from 12% to 13% respectively.
159 words
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