Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Comparison of Residential Property Sales in Three Iowa Areas 2008-2009

The chart below provides information about homes sold in Lowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty in 2008 and 2009.

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

Homes Sold in Iowa City, Coralville & North Liberty Comparing 2009 to 2008 (Number of Homes Sold)

Homes Sold Jan - Dec 2009
Homes Sold Jan - Dec 2008

View the data

	Iowa City	Coralville	North Liberty
Homes Sold Jan - Dec 2009	880	300	620
Homes Sold Jan - Dec 2008	850	320	530

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 number of homes sold across three distinct areas—Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty—during the years 2008 and 2009. Overall, it is evident that while Iowa City remained the most active market in both years, North Liberty showed the most significant growth in sales volume, contrasting with a minor downturn in Coralville.

In 2009, Iowa City recorded the highest number of transactions at 880, representing a modest increase from the 850 homes sold in 2008. Similarly, North Liberty saw a notable rise in property sales, climbing from 530 in 2008 to 620 in 2009. This growth highlights a positive trend for the majority of the regions surveyed.

Conversely, Coralville followed a different pattern, as it was the only area to experience a decrease in sales. The number of homes sold in this region dropped from 320 in 2008 to 300 in 2009. Despite these fluctuations, Iowa City consistently maintained the highest volume of sales throughout the two-year period, while Coralville remained the area with the fewest transactions in both 2008 and 2009.

176 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.

illustrates: provides a visual representation of the given data
transactions: instances of buying or selling property or goods
modest: relatively moderate or small in amount or size
notable: worthy of attention or striking in its significance
fluctuations: irregular rising and falling in number or amount
consistently: acting or occurring in the same way throughout

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, Iowa City and North Liberty experienced an increase in home sales in 2009 compared to 2008, whereas Coralville saw a slight 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.