Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Survey results regarding coffee and tea habits in five Australian cities

The chart below shows the results of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.

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

Coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five cities in Australia (%)

Bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks
Bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks
Went to a café for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks

View the data

	Sydney	Melbourne	Brisbane	Adelaide	Hobart
Bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks	44	42	34	35	39
Bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks	46	48	53	50	55
Went to a café for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks	61	64	56	50	63

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 percentages of residents in five Australian cities who engaged in three specific coffee and tea-related activities over a four-week period.

Overall, visiting a café was the most popular activity in most cities, while buying instant coffee was generally more common than purchasing fresh coffee. Melbourne and Hobart recorded the highest engagement in café visits, whereas Brisbane and Adelaide showed a stronger preference for instant coffee over fresh coffee.

Regarding café visits, Melbourne and Hobart led the survey with 64% and 63% respectively, followed closely by Sydney at 61%. Brisbane and Adelaide reported lower figures, at 56% and 50% respectively. In terms of buying instant coffee, Hobart residents were the most active at 55%, followed by Brisbane at 53%, Adelaide at 50%, Melbourne at 48%, and Sydney at 46%.

Conversely, fresh coffee purchases were consistently lower across all cities. Sydney residents were the most likely to buy fresh coffee at 44%, followed by Melbourne at 42% and Hobart at 39%. Adelaide and Brisbane recorded the lowest proportions for this category, at 35% and 34% respectively, marking the only instances where fresh coffee purchasing was significantly less popular than the other two habits.

196 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.

illustrates: provides a visual representation or explanation of data
engagement: the level of participation in a specific activity
respectively: in the order previously mentioned for each item
conversely: introducing a statement that contrasts with the previous
proportions: the comparative parts or shares of a whole
consistently: acting in the same way over a period

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, visiting a café was the most popular activity in most cities, while buying instant coffee was generally more common than purchasing fresh coffee.

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.