Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Comparison of family weekly spending patterns between 1968 and 2018

The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018.

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

1968 and 2018: average weekly spending by families (% of weekly income)

1968
2018

View the data

	Food	Housing	Fuel and power	Clothing and footware	Household goods	Personal goods	Transport	Leisure
1968	35	10	6	10	8	8	8	9
2018	17	19	4	5	8	4	14	22

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 changes in the percentage of weekly income spent by families across eight categories between 1968 and 2018. Overall, it is evident that spending habits shifted dramatically, with essential items like food becoming less dominant, while leisure and housing costs rose substantially.

In 1968, food was the largest expenditure, accounting for 35% of weekly income, but this figure more than halved to 17% by 2018. Similarly, spending on fuel and power dropped from 6% to 4%, while clothing and footwear expenditure fell from 10% to 5%. Personal goods also saw a decrease, halving from 8% to 4% over the same period. Household goods remained stable, maintaining a consistent 8% share of income in both years.

Conversely, housing costs nearly doubled, rising from 10% in 1968 to 19% in 2018. Leisure activities experienced the most significant growth, more than doubling from 9% to 22%, making it the primary expense for families by 2018. Additionally, transport costs increased from 8% to 14%. These trends highlight a clear transition in family budgets towards lifestyle-related expenses and housing over the half-century.

180 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.

accounted for: represented a specific proportion of the total amount
halved: reduced to exactly fifty percent of the original
stable: remained at the same level without any change
experienced growth: showed an upward trend or increase in value
transition: a process of changing from one state to another
dominant: having the most influence or the largest share

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While spending on food, fuel, clothing, and personal goods declined significantly over the fifty-year period, expenditure on housing, transport, and leisure saw a marked increase.

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.