Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Annual film rentals and sales trends from 2002 to 2011

The chart below shows the annual number of rentals and sales (in various formats) of films from a particular store between 2002 and 2011.

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

Annual number of rentals and sales of films (2002-2011) (number of rentals/sales)

Rentals
VHS sales
DVD sales
Blu-ray sales

View the data

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Rentals	185,000	180,000	165,000	150,000	140,000	125,000	115,000	90,000	70,000	55,000
VHS sales	85,000	65,000	40,000	10,000	0	0	0	0	0	0
DVD sales	45,000	105,000	175,000	200,000	210,000	215,000	205,000	195,000	185,000	175,000
Blu-ray sales	0	0	0	0	0	5,000	5,000	8,000	10,000	15,000

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.

Band 8 sample answer

The bar chart illustrates the annual number of film rentals and sales across four different formats between 2002 and 2011. Overall, it is clear that DVD sales grew to become the most popular choice, whereas rentals and VHS sales saw a steady downward trend throughout the decade.

In 2002, rentals were the most popular, standing at 185,000, followed by VHS sales at 85,000 and DVD sales at 45,000. However, the popularity of VHS plummeted rapidly, falling to 10,000 by 2005 before disappearing entirely from the store's records by 2006. Similarly, rentals declined consistently every year, dropping from 185,000 in 2002 to just 55,000 by 2011.

Conversely, DVD sales experienced a sharp rise, overtaking rentals in 2004. They peaked at 215,000 in 2007 before undergoing a gradual decline to 175,000 by 2011. Blu-ray sales were only introduced in 2007, starting at a modest 5,000. Although they remained the least popular format, they showed a slow, steady growth, reaching 15,000 by the end of the period in 2011.

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

How to write about 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.

plummeted: fell or dropped straight down at high speed
downward trend: a general direction in which something is decreasing
overtaking: catching up with and passing while in motion
modest: relatively moderate, limited, or small in amount
consistently: in every case or on every occasion
peaked: reached the highest point of development or value

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While DVD sales became the dominant format over the period, film rentals and VHS sales experienced a significant and consistent decline.

How long should an IELTS Task 1 answer be?

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 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.