Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Total minutes of telephone calls in Australia by category 2001-2008

The bar chart below shows the total number of minutes (in billions) of telephone calls in Australia, divided into three categories, from 2001- 2008.

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

Australia telephone calls, by category, 2001-2008 (billions of minutes)

Local
National & International
Mobiles

View the data

	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Local	72	78	85	89	90	84	79	72
National & International	38	41	45	48	50	55	60	61
Mobiles	2	5	7	9	12	23	39	46

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 number of minutes, measured in billions, spent on telephone calls in Australia across three distinct categories between 2001 and 2008.

Overall, local calls were the primary method of communication for the majority of the period, peaking in 2005. Conversely, mobile phone calls witnessed a significant and sustained increase throughout the eight years, while national and international calls showed a steady, gradual rise.

In 2001, local calls stood at 72 billion minutes, climbing steadily to reach a peak of 90 billion in 2005. Following this, the figure began a downward trend, returning to 72 billion by 2008. Meanwhile, national and international calls started at 38 billion minutes in 2001 and grew consistently each year, finishing at 61 billion in 2008, thereby overtaking local calls as the most frequent category by the end of the period.

Mobile phone usage began at a negligible 2 billion minutes in 2001. This category experienced rapid growth, particularly after 2005, jumping from 12 billion to 23 billion in 2006, and continuing to surge to 46 billion by 2008. Consequently, mobile calls became a substantial component of total Australian telephone traffic by the end of the timeframe.

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.

dramatic: a sudden and very noticeable change in trend
negligible: so small or unimportant that it is ignored
overtaking: becoming greater in amount than something else
sustained: continuing for an extended period without interruption
peak: the highest point reached during a period
steady: changing in a regular and gradual manner

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?

While local calls remained the most popular category for most of the period, mobile phone usage experienced a dramatic and consistent upward trend, eventually challenging the dominance of other call types.

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.