Holiday destinations for travellers from an Asian country in 2012
The graph below shows the destinations of holiday makers from a particular Asian country in 2012.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
View the data
| Australia | Malaysia | Korea | Japan | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | India | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday makers | 700,000 | 1,000,000 | 600,000 | 800,000 | 275,000 | 425,000 | 900,000 |
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 bar chart illustrates the number of holiday makers from a specific Asian country who travelled to seven different destinations in 2012. Overall, it is clear that Malaysia was the most preferred destination, whereas Pakistan saw the lowest number of visitors from this country.
Malaysia recorded the highest figure, with exactly 1,000,000 holiday makers choosing it as their destination. India followed as the second most popular choice, attracting 900,000 visitors. Japan also saw significant interest, with 800,000 travellers, while Australia accounted for 700,000 holiday makers. These four countries collectively represented the most frequented destinations for travellers from this Asian nation.
In contrast, the remaining three countries received considerably fewer visitors. Korea welcomed 600,000 holiday makers, which was notably higher than the figures for Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Specifically, Sri Lanka attracted 425,000 visitors, while Pakistan recorded the lowest number of arrivals at 275,000. In summary, there was a substantial variation in travel preferences, with a clear divide between the top four destinations and the three countries that received the least amount of tourism from this particular Asian country during the year 2012.
182 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
- preferred
- liked more than other options or alternatives
- collectively
- considered as a whole group or total
- notably
- in a way that is worthy of attention
- substantial
- of considerable importance, size, or worth
- variation
- a change or difference in condition or amount
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Frequently asked questions
What should the overview say?
Malaysia was the most popular destination for holiday makers, while Pakistan attracted the fewest visitors.
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.
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