Academic Writing Task 1 · mixed chart

Favourite Canadian takeaways and the growth of Indian restaurants over time

The charts below show the favourite takeaways of people in Canada and the number of Indian restaurants in Canada between 1960 and 2015.

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

Favourite takeaways in Canada

Chinese: 34
Indian: 26
Italian: 10
Persian: 9
Thai: 3
Mexican: 1
Japanese: 1
Greek: 1
Other: 4
Never order: 11

View the data

Category	Value
Chinese	34
Indian	26
Italian	10
Persian	9
Thai	3
Mexican	1
Japanese	1
Greek	1
Other	4
Never order	11

Number of Indian restaurants in Canada (number of restaurants)

View the data

	1960	1970	1980	1990	1997	2000	2007	2009	2011	2015
Indian restaurants	500	1,000	3,000	5,000	7,700	8,000	9,000	9,100	8,900	9,000

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 provided charts illustrate the preferences for various takeaway cuisines in Canada and the historical growth in the number of Indian restaurants from 1960 to 2015.

Overall, Chinese cuisine is the most favoured takeaway, followed by Indian food. Concurrently, the number of Indian restaurants in Canada saw a substantial upward trend over the 55-year period, despite some minor fluctuations in the final years.

Regarding takeaway preferences, Chinese food accounts for the largest proportion at 34%, followed by Indian cuisine at 26%. Italian and Persian takeaways represent 10% and 9% respectively, while Thai food makes up 3%. Other cuisines, including Mexican, Japanese, and Greek, each constitute 1%, with 4% attributed to other options. Notably, 11% of respondents reported that they never order takeaways.

In terms of the number of Indian restaurants, there were only 500 establishments in 1960. This figure rose steadily to 5,000 by 1990. Growth continued at a rapid pace, reaching 8,000 by the year 2000. The number peaked at 9,100 in 2009 before experiencing a slight decline to 8,900 in 2011, eventually recovering to 9,000 by 2015.

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

How to write about mixed charts

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals.
Give each visual its own detail paragraph.
Point out where one chart explains the other.

account for: to make up a specific portion or share
concurrently: happening at the same time as another event
upward trend: a general movement or direction towards higher levels
fluctuations: irregular rising and falling in number or amount
constitute: to be the parts that form something whole
peaked: reached the highest point of a numerical value

Write your own report and get a band

Take a timed Academic writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Practise IELTS Academic writing

On your phone? Get the BandLadder app.

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Chinese food is the most popular takeaway in Canada, while the number of Indian restaurants experienced significant growth between 1960 and 2015.

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 mixed charts?

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals. Give each visual its own detail paragraph. Point out where one chart explains the other.