Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Preferred leisure activities of Australian children aged 5 to 14

The graph below gives information about the preferred leisure activities of Australian children.

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

Participation in selected leisure activities (percent)

Boys age 5-14
Girls age 5-14

View the data

	Skateboarding or rollerblading	Bike riding	Watching TV or videos	Electronic or computer games	Art and craft
Boys age 5-14	35	72	100	82	32
Girls age 5-14	25	58	100	60	58

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 participation rates of Australian children aged 5 to 14 in five distinct leisure activities. Overall, it is evident that watching TV or videos is the most popular pastime, with 100% participation for both boys and girls. Conversely, art and craft is the least popular activity for boys, whereas skateboarding or rollerblading is the least popular for girls.

Regarding active and digital pursuits, boys consistently show higher engagement than girls. Specifically, 72% of boys participate in bike riding compared to 58% of girls. Similarly, electronic or computer games are played by 82% of boys, significantly outstripping the 60% participation rate among girls. Skateboarding or rollerblading follows a similar trend, with 35% of boys participating versus 25% of girls.

In contrast, art and craft is the only activity where girls demonstrate a higher participation rate than boys. While 58% of girls engage in creative activities, the figure for boys is considerably lower at 32%. In summary, while both genders share a universal preference for watching TV or videos, their interests diverge significantly in other areas, with boys favouring physical and digital activities and girls showing a stronger preference for creative pursuits.

194 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.

outstripping: exceeding or surpassing the amount of something else
diverge: to move in different directions from a point
pastime: an activity done for enjoyment during free time
engagement: the act of participating or being involved in
consistently: acting or happening in the same way repeatedly
universal: done by or involving all people or things

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Watching TV or videos is the most popular activity for both genders, while boys generally show higher participation in active and digital pursuits compared to girls, who prefer creative activities.

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.