Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Performance metrics of a bus company between 1999 and 2003

The charts below show the performance of a bus company in terms of punctuality, both actual and target (what actually happened compared to what the company was trying to achieve), and the number of complaints and passengers.

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

Percentage of services arriving on time (actual and target) (%)

Actual
Target

View the data

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Actual	85	82	84.5	84	84.8
Target	86	86	85	85	84.5

Number of complaints (per thousand passenger's journeys) (number of complaints)

View the data

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Complaints	70	100	85	110	120

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 punctuality performance and the volume of passenger complaints for a bus company over a five-year period from 1999 to 2003. Overall, the company consistently failed to meet its punctuality targets, and there was a marked increase in the number of complaints per thousand journeys.

Regarding punctuality, the actual percentage of on-time services fluctuated between 82% and 85%. In 1999, the company achieved 85% against a target of 86%. Performance dipped to a low of 82% in 2000, while the target remained at 86%. Although there was a slight recovery to 84.5% in 2001 and 84.8% in 2003, the actual performance remained below the target in every year except 2003, when the company narrowly exceeded its target of 84.5%.

In terms of complaints, there was a clear upward trend. Starting at 70 complaints per thousand journeys in 1999, the figure rose sharply to 100 in 2000. Following a brief decline to 85 in 2001, the number of complaints climbed steadily to 110 in 2002 and reached a peak of 120 in 2003, representing a substantial increase over the five-year period.

184 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.

fluctuated: changed frequently between different levels or amounts
marked increase: a very noticeable or significant rise in numbers
narrowly exceeded: surpassed a target by a very small margin
upward trend: a general direction of movement towards higher values
dipped: a slight or temporary fall in a value
peak: the highest point reached during a specific period

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While the bus company struggled to meet its punctuality targets throughout the period, the number of passenger complaints experienced a significant overall upward trend.

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.