Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Quarterly sales figures for four Woodward chocolate bars in 2010

The graph below shows the quarterly sales figures of Woodward chocolate bars for 2010.

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

Woodward chocolate Bars (millions)
020406080100Q1Q2Q3Q4
  • Wuzzle Bar
  • Woody Bar
  • Wachi Bar
  • Wozic Bar
View the data
Q1Q2Q3Q4
Wuzzle Bar19194020
Woody Bar10203040
Wachi Bar55221010
Wozic Bar35201035

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 quarterly sales performance of four distinct Woodward chocolate bars—Wuzzle, Woody, Wachi, and Wozic—during 2010. Sales are measured in millions of bars.

Overall, the sales patterns for the four chocolate bars fluctuated significantly throughout the year, with Wachi Bar experiencing the most dramatic decline while Woody Bar showed a consistent upward trend.

In the first quarter, Wachi Bar was the market leader with 55 million units sold, followed by Wozic Bar at 35 million. In contrast, Wuzzle and Woody bars recorded lower sales of 19 million and 10 million respectively. However, Wachi Bar’s popularity plummeted sharply to 22 million in Q2 and further to 10 million in the second half of the year. Similarly, Wozic Bar sales dropped to 20 million in Q2, hit a low of 10 million in Q3, before recovering to 35 million in Q4.

Conversely, Woody Bar demonstrated steady growth, rising from 10 million in Q1 to 40 million by Q4. Wuzzle Bar remained relatively stable at approximately 20 million for most of the year, with a notable exception in Q3, where sales surged to 40 million, matching the peak performance of the Woody Bar in the final quarter.

197 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

How to write about bar charts

fluctuated
to rise and fall irregularly in number or amount
plummeted
to fall or drop straight down at high speed
surged
to increase suddenly and powerfully in a short time
steady growth
a consistent and gradual increase over a period
market leader
the product with the highest sales in a category
in contrast
used to show that something is different from another

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, the sales patterns for the four chocolate bars fluctuated significantly throughout the year, with Wachi Bar experiencing the most dramatic decline while Woody Bar showed a consistent 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.

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