Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Transport preferences of young people across four different countries

The chart below shows the type of transport young people in four countries prefer to use.

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

Transport preferences of young people by country (%)

Car
Motorcycle
Bicycle

View the data

	Great Britain	USA	Germany	France
Car	60	60	40	75
Motorcycle	10	30	15	10
Bicycle	29	10	45	15

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 compares the transport preferences of young people in Great Britain, the USA, Germany, and France. Overall, it is clear that cars are the most favoured form of transport in most of these countries, with the exception of Germany, where bicycles are the most popular choice.

In Great Britain and the USA, cars are the dominant mode of transport, both accounting for 60% of preferences. In contrast, these two countries show different trends for other vehicles; in the USA, 30% of young people prefer motorcycles, which is three times higher than the 10% recorded in Great Britain. Conversely, bicycles are more popular in Great Britain at 29%, compared to only 10% in the USA.

France displays the highest preference for cars at 75%, while motorcycles and bicycles are less popular, at 10% and 15% respectively. Germany presents a unique pattern, as it is the only country where cars are not the primary choice, standing at 40%. Instead, bicycles are the most preferred mode of transport in Germany at 45%, while motorcycles account for 15% of the total, making them the least popular option in that country.

188 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.

dominant: having the most influence or being the most common
favoured: preferred or chosen more often than other options
account for: to make up a specific portion or percentage
in contrast: used to show a difference between two things
unique pattern: a distinct or unusual way something is arranged
recorded: set down in writing or noted as data

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

The bar chart illustrates that cars are the most popular mode of transport in three of the four countries, while Germany shows a distinct preference for bicycles compared to the other nations.

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.