Academic Writing Task 1 · mixed chart

UK resident travel patterns and destinations between 1994 and 1998

The first chart below shows the results of a survey that sampled a cross-section of 100,000 people asking if they traveled abroad and why they traveled for the period 1994-98. The second chart shows their destinations over the same period.

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

Visits abroad by UK residents by purpose of visit (1994-1998)

REASON	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Holiday	15,246	14,898	17,896	19,703	20,700
Business	3,155	3,188	3,249	3,639	3,957
Visits to friends and relatives	2,689	2,628	2,774	3,051	3,181
Other reasons	982	896	1,030	1,054	990
TOTAL	22,072	21,610	24,949	27,447	28,828

Visits abroad by UK residents by destination (1994-1998) (thousands)

Western Europe
North America
Other Areas

View the data

	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Western Europe	19,000	18,000	22,000	24,000	24,500
North America	1,000	1,000	1,500	2,000	2,100
Other Areas	2,000	2,000	2,500	2,500	2,600

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 data illustrates the trends in UK residents' travel abroad between 1994 and 1998, categorised by the purpose of the visit and the destination.

Overall, the total number of visits abroad by UK residents increased steadily over the period, with holidays consistently being the primary purpose for travel and Western Europe remaining the most popular destination.

Regarding the purpose of visits, holidays dominated the figures, rising from 15,246 in 1994 to a peak of 20,700 in 1998. Business travel also saw a consistent upward trend, growing from 3,155 to 3,957 over the five years. Visits to friends and relatives followed a similar pattern, increasing from 2,689 to 3,181. Conversely, 'other reasons' remained relatively stable, fluctuating slightly before ending at 990 in 1998.

In terms of destinations, Western Europe was the most favoured region, with visitor numbers climbing from 19,000 in 1994 to 24,500 by 1998. North America and other areas saw more modest growth; North American visits more than doubled from 1,000 to 2,100, while visits to other areas rose from 2,000 to 2,600. Throughout the period, Western Europe accounted for the vast majority of all outbound travel from the UK.

192 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

How to write about mixed charts

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals.
Give each visual its own detail paragraph.
Point out where one chart explains the other.

steadily: moving at a constant and regular pace
dominated: having the most influence or largest share
upward trend: a general direction of increasing values
conversely: introducing a statement that is opposite
favoured: preferred or chosen more than others
vast majority: the largest part of a total group

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

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 mixed charts?

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals. Give each visual its own detail paragraph. Point out where one chart explains the other.