Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Telephone call duration in Finland by category from 1995 to 2004

The chart below shows the total number of minutes (in millions) of telephone calls in Finland, divided into three categories, from 1995 - 2004.

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

Telephone Calls in Finland from 1995 to 2004 (by category) (Millions of minutes)

Local - landline
National and international - landline
Mobiles

View the data

	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Local - landline	12,000	13,000	13,800	14,800	16,000	16,800	17,000	16,400	13,800	12,000
National and international - landline	6,000	6,500	6,800	7,200	8,000	8,200	9,000	9,800	10,200	10,500
Mobiles	200	1,000	2,000	2,200	2,500	3,200	5,500	7,200	8,500	9,800

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 total duration of telephone calls in Finland, categorised into local landline, national and international landline, and mobile calls, between 1995 and 2004.

Overall, local landline calls were the most popular category for the majority of the period, peaking in 2001. Conversely, mobile phone usage saw a dramatic and continuous upward trend, while national and international landline calls also grew steadily.

In 1995, local landline calls stood at 12,000 million minutes, rising steadily to reach a peak of 17,000 million minutes in 2001. However, this figure subsequently fell to 12,000 million minutes by 2004. In contrast, mobile phone calls started at a negligible 200 million minutes in 1995, but experienced rapid growth, particularly after 2000, reaching 9,800 million minutes by the end of the period.

National and international landline calls followed a consistent upward trajectory, starting at 6,000 million minutes in 1995 and climbing to 10,500 million minutes by 2004. By the final year, mobile calls had nearly caught up to the volume of national and international landline calls, reflecting a significant shift in communication preferences in Finland over the decade.

185 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.

negligible: so small or unimportant as to be disregarded
upward trajectory: a path or trend showing a continuous increase
subsequently: at a later time or after something else
dramatic: sudden and striking in terms of change
conversely: introducing a statement that reverses a previous one
peaking: reaching the highest point of a trend

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While local landline calls peaked in 2001 before declining, both national/international landline calls and mobile phone usage experienced consistent growth throughout the period.

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.