Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Comparison of Annual Working and Holiday Hours in Five European Countries

The bar charts below show the average of annual working hours and the average duration of holidays in five European countries.

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

Average Annual Working Hours (hours)

View the data

	France	UK	Finland	Germany	Switzerland
Average Working Hours	1,500	1,650	1,600	1,900	1,200

Average Annual Holiday Hours (hours)

View the data

	France	UK	Finland	Germany	Switzerland
Average Holiday Hours	155	140	138	120	175

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 provided bar charts illustrate the average annual working hours and holiday durations across five European nations: France, the UK, Finland, Germany, and Switzerland.

Overall, there is a clear inverse relationship between working and holiday hours in most countries. Germany stands out for having the most intensive working schedule, while Switzerland prioritises leisure time significantly more than its counterparts.

Regarding working hours, Germany leads the group with 1,900 hours annually, followed by the UK at 1,650 hours and Finland at 1,600 hours. France records a moderate 1,500 hours, while Switzerland has the lowest figure at 1,200 hours. This represents a substantial gap of 700 hours between the highest and lowest working nations.

In terms of holiday duration, Switzerland offers the most generous allowance at 175 hours, followed by France with 155 hours. The UK and Finland show similar figures of 140 and 138 hours respectively. Conversely, Germany provides the least holiday time, at only 120 hours. While Germany’s high workload correlates with its low holiday provision, Switzerland’s low working hours are balanced by the highest holiday allocation, highlighting a distinct contrast in national labour practices.

185 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.

inverse relationship: a situation where two things move in opposite directions
counterparts: people or things that have the same function elsewhere
intensive: requiring a great amount of effort or activity
moderate: average in amount, intensity, or degree
correlates: has a mutual relationship or connection between two things
allocation: the action or process of distributing something

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Germany records the highest working hours but the lowest holiday time, whereas Switzerland displays the opposite trend with the lowest working hours and the most holiday time.

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.