Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Internet usage patterns by gender in Canada among 15-24 year olds

The graph below shows how men and women used the Internet in Canada in 2000.

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

% of male and female internet users (15-24 age group) (%)

Females
Males

View the data

	e-mail	Goods and services	Chat rooms	Games	Online shopping	Research and education
Females	71	61	48	58	38	9
Males	70	71	50	64	28	13

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 percentage of male and female internet users aged 15-24 in Canada in 2000 across six different online activities. Overall, it is clear that while e-mail was the most frequently used service for both genders, there were notable disparities in preferences for other activities, particularly regarding shopping and gaming.

E-mail usage was remarkably similar between the two groups, with 71% of females and 70% of males using it. In contrast, males were more active in purchasing goods and services at 71%, compared to 61% for females. Similarly, males participated more in gaming (64%) and research and education (13%) than their female counterparts, who recorded figures of 58% and 9% respectively. Chat rooms showed a slight male lead, with 50% of males using them compared to 48% of females.

Conversely, females were significantly more inclined towards online shopping, with 38% of female users engaging in this activity, which was 10 percentage points higher than the 28% recorded for males. Overall, the data highlights that while digital communication was universally popular, gender-based differences were evident in entertainment and commercial internet activities.

183 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.

disparities: a great difference or inequality between two things
counterparts: people or things that correspond to another
inclined: feeling willing or favorably disposed toward an action
percentage points: the arithmetic difference between two percentage values
universally: in a way that applies to all cases
notable: worthy of attention or striking in appearance

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, e-mail was the most popular activity for both genders, while males generally engaged more in gaming and research, whereas females showed a stronger preference for online shopping.

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.