Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Percentage of people getting married by age group in 1996

The charts below give information on the ages of people when they got married in one particular country in 1996 and 2008.

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

Age when getting married (by age group) 1996 (%)

Female
Male

View the data

	16 - 19	20 - 24	25 - 29	30 - 34	35 - 39	40 - 44
Female	1	6	11.8	7	4	2
Male	0	2.2	9	9	7	5.5

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 distribution of marriage ages for males and females in a specific country during 1996. Overall, it is clear that women tended to marry at a younger age than men, with a significant concentration of female marriages occurring in their twenties. Conversely, male marriages were more evenly spread across the 25 to 39 age range.

For females, the most common age group for marriage was 25-29, accounting for 11.8% of the total. This was followed by the 30-34 age group at 7% and the 20-24 group at 6%. Marriage rates for women declined significantly outside these brackets, with only 4% marrying between 35-39, 2% between 40-44, and a negligible 1% in the 16-19 age group.

In contrast, the male marriage pattern was more balanced. The highest proportions were recorded in the 25-29 and 30-34 age groups, both standing at 9%. The 35-39 age group followed at 7%, while 5.5% of men married between 40-44. Notably, very few men married before the age of 25, with only 2.2% in the 20-24 bracket and none recorded in the 16-19 age category.

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.

distribution: the way in which something is spread out
concentration: a large amount of something in one place
proportion: a part or share of a total amount
bracket: a group or range of values or ages
negligible: so small that it is not worth considering
conversely: used to introduce a statement that is opposite

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

In 1996, the peak age for marriage was 25-29 for women, while men showed a more even distribution across the 25-29 and 30-34 age brackets.

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.