Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Average retirement ages for men and women in six countries

The graphs below show the average retirement age for men and women in 2004 and 2008 in six different countries.

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

Average retirement age of men (years)
020406080100DenmarkFranceItalyNetherlandsSwedenUK
  • 2004
  • 2008
View the data
DenmarkFranceItalyNetherlandsSwedenUK
2004605860626361
2008615960636462
Average retirement age of women (years)
020406080100DenmarkFranceItalyNetherlandsSwedenUK
  • 2004
  • 2008
View the data
DenmarkFranceItalyNetherlandsSwedenUK
2004595858616360
2008615859626461

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 charts illustrate the average retirement age for men and women across six nations in 2004 and 2008. Overall, there was a general upward trend in retirement ages for both genders, with Sweden consistently reporting the highest figures, while Italy remained the most stable.

For men, the retirement age rose in most countries. Sweden saw an increase from 63 to 64 years, while Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and the UK all experienced a one-year rise, reaching 61, 59, 63, and 62 years respectively. Italy was the exception, where the average retirement age for men remained stagnant at 60 years throughout the period.

Regarding women, retirement ages also trended upwards, except in France, where the figure remained constant at 58 years. Sweden again led the group, with the average age climbing from 63 to 64 years. Denmark and the UK both saw increases of one year, reaching 61 and 61 respectively. Similarly, the Netherlands and Italy saw modest growth, rising to 62 and 59 years. In summary, while most countries moved towards later retirement, the extent of this shift varied, with Sweden maintaining the highest retirement age for both men and women.

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

How to write about bar charts

upward trend
a general movement or direction towards higher values
stagnant
showing no activity or change over a period
consistently
in every case or on every occasion
modest growth
a small or limited increase in value
exception
a person or thing that is excluded from
varied
incorporating a number of different types or levels

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, the average retirement age generally increased across most countries for both genders between 2004 and 2008, with Sweden consistently recording the highest retirement ages.

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.

More bar charts