Academic Writing Task 1 · Lesson 6 of 7
Writing a complete chart answer
Put everything together: group the data, write a clear overview, support your description with figures and write a complete answer.
In this lesson you will
- group data into logical categories
- choose what belongs in the overview and what belongs in the body paragraphs
- support your description with accurate figures
- use comparison language
- write a complete chart answer of at least 150 words
Part A
From data to a full answer
Earlier lessons taught you to write an overview and describe changes. In this lesson, you put everything together. The band descriptors explain what the examiner looks for:
| Band | Task Achievement (Academic) |
|---|---|
| 7 | “It presents a clear overview, the data are appropriately categorised, and main trends or differences are identified.” |
| 6 | “Information is appropriately selected and supported using figures/data.” |
| 5 | “The recounting of detail is mainly mechanical. There may be no data to support the description.” |
The chart below shows the main way that commuters in one city travelled to work in 2000 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The data in this lesson is for practice only. The same method works for bar charts, line graphs, pie charts and tables.
Part B
Group the data
Do not describe every bar in order. That is the “mechanical” writing described at Band 5. Look for categories that behave in the same way, and give each category its own paragraph.
Find the best plan
Plan B groups the data by the main trend, so the reader can see the pattern immediately.
Fell or rose?
Check the chart.
- Car
- Bus
- Train
- Bicycle
Overview or body paragraph?
The overview gives the main trends without figures. The body paragraphs give the details.
- The car was the most popular way to travel in both years.
- The car fell from 55% to 38%.
- Car and bus use fell, while train and bicycle use rose.
- The train doubled from 12% to 24%.
- The bus fell to one fifth.
Part C
Comparing and using figures
| Language | Example |
|---|---|
| more / less than | The train was more popular than the bus in 2020. |
| the most / the least | The bicycle was the least popular option in 2000. |
| twice as … as | The car was nearly twice as popular as the bus. |
| while / whereas / by contrast | Car use fell, whereas train use rose. |
| fractions and approximations | one fifth (20%), more than half (55%) |
True or false?
Accuracy matters: the content must be “relevant and accurate” at Band 7.
- More than half of commuters travelled by car in 2000.
- The bus was the most popular option in 2020.
- Bicycle use more than doubled.
- Train use rose from 12% to 38%.
- The bus was used by one fifth of commuters in 2020.
Complete the comparisons
Use the chart. Type one word in each gap.
- In 2020, the train was slightly popular than the bus.
- In 2000, the bicycle was the popular option.
- The proportion of people taking the train between 2000 and 2020.
- Car use fell, train use rose.
- In 2020, the car was twice as popular as the bus.
Part D
A complete answer
Every good chart answer has the same four parts: an introduction that paraphrases the question, an overview of the main trends, and two body paragraphs with the details and figures.
Put the paragraphs in order
Use the arrow buttons to build the answer.
- In 2000, more than half of all commuters (55%) travelled by car, but this figure had dropped to 38% by 2020. The bus was the second most common form of transport at the start of the period, at 25%, and it fell slightly to one fifth. Even so, the car was still nearly twice as popular as the bus in 2020.
- The bar chart compares the proportion of commuters in one city who travelled to work by car, bus, train and bicycle in 2000 and 2020.
- By contrast, the proportion of people taking the train doubled from 12% to 24%, which made it the second most popular option by the end of the period. Cycling followed a similar pattern, rising from the lowest figure of 8% to 18%, although it remained slightly less common than the bus.
- Overall, the car remained the most popular means of commuting in both years, although it lost a considerable share. While car and bus use declined, the train and the bicycle became more popular.
The bar chart compares the proportion of commuters in one city who travelled to work by car, bus, train and bicycle in 2000 and 2020.
Overall, the car remained the most popular means of commuting in both years, although it lost a considerable share. While car and bus use declined, the train and the bicycle became more popular.
In 2000, more than half of all commuters (55%) travelled by car, but this figure had dropped to 38% by 2020. The bus was the second most common form of transport at the start of the period, at 25%, and it fell slightly to one fifth. Even so, the car was still nearly twice as popular as the bus in 2020.
By contrast, the proportion of people taking the train doubled from 12% to 24%, which made it the second most popular option by the end of the period. Cycling followed a similar pattern, rising from the lowest figure of 8% to 18%, although it remained slightly less common than the bus.
Find the language
Look at the model answer again.
- Which phrase paraphrases “the main way that commuters travelled”?
- Which phrase refers back to “55%”?
- Which phrase introduces the opposite trend?
- Which phrase means “20%”?
Part E
Write the full answer
Write your answer in 20 minutes. Remember to paraphrase, group the data, include an overview and support your description with figures.
The table below shows how an average household in one country spent its money in 1990 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| Category (% of spending) | 1990 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 25 | 35 |
| Food | 35 | 22 |
| Transport | 15 | 20 |
| Leisure | 10 | 13 |
| Other | 15 | 10 |
Write your answer
The table illustrates how household budgets in one country were divided between five categories in 1990 and 2020.
Overall, housing, transport and leisure took up a larger share of spending over the period, whereas the proportions spent on food and other costs declined. The most notable change was that housing replaced food as the largest category.
In 1990, food accounted for 35% of household spending, which made it the largest single expense at the start of the period, but this figure had fallen to 22% by 2020. Other costs also dropped, from 15% to 10%, which made them the smallest category at the end of the period.
By contrast, spending on housing rose by ten percentage points, from a quarter of the total to 35%, so it was by far the largest expense in 2020. Transport increased from 15% to 20%, so by 2020 it was almost as significant as food. Leisure saw the smallest change, rising from 10% to 13%.
- Have I paraphrased the question?
- Have I written a clear overview with no detailed figures?
- Have I grouped the data logically?
- Have I supported each main point with accurate figures?
- Have I made comparisons?
- Have I written at least 150 words?
Lesson and model answers by Tips4IELTS. The data is invented for practice.