Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Trends in American marriage and divorce rates and marital status

The charts below give information about USA marriage and divorce rates between 1970 and 2000, and the marital status of adult Americans in two of the years.

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

Number of marriages and divorces in the USA, 1970-2000 (millions)

Marriages
Divorces

View the data

	1970	1980	1990	2000
Marriages	2.5	2.5	2.4	2
Divorces	1	1.4	1.1	1

Marital status of adult Americans, 1970 and 2000 (Percentages of adults)

1970
2000

View the data

	Never Married	Married	Widowed	Divorced
1970	15	70	8	3
2000	20	60	7	9

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 provided charts illustrate trends in American marriage and divorce numbers between 1970 and 2000, alongside a comparison of adult marital status in the first and final years of this period.

Overall, the number of marriages experienced a downward trend, while divorce figures fluctuated. Simultaneously, the proportion of married adults fell significantly, whereas the percentages of never-married and divorced individuals increased.

Regarding the number of marriages and divorces, marriages stood at 2.5 million in 1970 and 1980, before falling to 2.4 million in 1990 and reaching a low of 2.0 million by 2000. Conversely, divorce numbers peaked at 1.4 million in 1980, having risen from 1.0 million in 1970. By 1990, this figure dropped to 1.1 million, returning to 1.0 million in 2000.

In terms of marital status, the percentage of married adults dropped from 70% in 1970 to 60% in 2000. In contrast, the proportion of never-married adults rose from 15% to 20%. Similarly, the divorced population tripled from 3% to 9% over the thirty-year period. The percentage of widowed individuals remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 8% to 7%.

181 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.

fluctuated: changed frequently in an irregular or uncertain way
downward trend: a general movement or development in a lower direction
proportion: a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation
conversely: introducing a statement that reverses a previous one
remained relatively stable: stayed at a similar level without much change
tripled: increased to become three times as much

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, the number of marriages declined over the period, while the proportion of married adults decreased significantly as the percentage of never-married and divorced individuals rose.

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.