Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Proportion of Canadian businesses making e-commerce purchases by industry 2015-2019

The chart below shows the proportion of businesses making e-commerce purchases by industry in Canada between 2015 and 2019.

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

Proportion of businesses making e-commerce purchases in industry in Canada, 2015-2019 (%)

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

View the data

	Manufacturing	Construction	Wholesale	Retail	Information & Communications
2015	32	23	41	32	61
2016	52	30	50	51	69
2017	45	36	53	53	70
2018	50	50	58	57	74
2019	58	55	62	56	69

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 Canadian businesses across five distinct industries that engaged in e-commerce purchases between 2015 and 2019. Overall, there was a general upward trend in e-commerce adoption across all sectors, with the Information and Communications industry consistently maintaining the highest proportion of businesses making such purchases throughout the period.

In 2015, the Information and Communications sector led with 61% of businesses making e-commerce purchases, followed by Wholesale at 41%. Manufacturing and Retail both stood at 32%, while Construction had the lowest engagement at 23%. By 2019, these figures had risen significantly. The Information and Communications sector peaked at 74% in 2018 before dipping slightly to 69% in 2019. Similarly, the Wholesale sector saw a steady climb, reaching 62% by the end of the period.

Manufacturing and Construction showed the most dramatic growth. Manufacturing rose from 32% in 2015 to 58% in 2019, while Construction more than doubled its initial proportion, climbing from 23% to 55%. Retail also experienced substantial growth, rising from 32% to 56% over the same timeframe, despite a minor decline between 2018 and 2019.

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.

upward trend: a general movement or development in a higher direction
consistently: happening in the same way over a period
proportion: a part or share in relation to the whole
peaked: reached the highest point or value in time
dramatic growth: a very large and sudden increase in size
timeframe: the period during which something is planned or happens

Write your own report and get a band

Take a timed Academic writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Practise IELTS Academic writing

On your phone? Get the BandLadder app.

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, all five industries experienced an upward trend in e-commerce purchasing activity over the five-year period, with the Information and Communications sector consistently recording the highest proportions.

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.