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A Bar Chart is one of the most commonly seen question types in the IELTS academic writing task 1. Students often fail to describe the accurate details they see on a bar chart or a bar graph. This article will be of immense help if you are wishing to understand how to describe a bar graph in the IELTS academic writing test task 1.
Overview of the IELTS academic writing task 1:
In the IELTS test, there are two modules.
a. The IELTS academic test (report and essay)
b. The IELTS general training test ( letter and essay).
Types of reports:
1. IELTS academic writing task 1 bar graph or bar charts
2. Pie Charts
4. Tables
5. Life cycles
6. Maps
7. Flowcharts or process diagrams
8. Combinations
Points to remember while writing a report based on a bar graph / bar chart.
1. Use the right tense: This is very important because in most cases, you will see that time period will be mentioned along the x-axis of a bar graph. Failure to use the appropriate tense will lower your score for task achievement, which is one of the 4 band descriptors.
2. Do not describe everything that you see. Highlight the significant points, like the highest and lowest points and explain them properly.
3. Compare and contrast wherever necessary. This is a very important step and does not skip this.
4. Interpret the given bar graph by summarising the main details. Use the right vocabulary to do so.
5. Do not give your own opinion. Opinions are required only for IELTS writing task 2 and not for IELTS writing task 1 (academic).
6. Generally, it is not necessary to give a conclusion while writing a report. Instead, you can an overview which summarises the brief idea of what you see on a bar chart.
7. Follow a proper structure and never write bullet points.
How to write a perfect report based on a bar chart?
Since bar charts are frequently seen in the IELTS academic task 1, you should be able to represent the information properly and as accurately as possible. Remember not to write any additional details which you do not see in the bar chart.
Understand Static and dynamic bar graphs.
This is a very important step, which skipped by most of the students. As such, there is a small difference between static and dynamic which has to be established in the form of sentences while writing a report.
The static bar graph means that the data which is represented pertains to one particular period or one particular year. As such, there is no transition in the year, and hence the name static.
On the other hand, dynamic graphs portray the data over a period of time, for example, over a 40 year period. Since there is a clear movement, it is said to be dynamic in nature.
Follow this structure for IELTS Academic writing task 1 bar graph.
1. Introduction – Always begin the report by writing the introduction. As the name clearly indicates, this paragraph serves to introduce the main topic which is themed in the bar chart. Do not start the introduction with any sort of general statements, such as a quote. This is a negative factor and will lead to lower band scores.
What to write in the introduction?
Begin the introduction by paraphrasing the title of the bar chart. Take care that the paraphrase has to be appropriate and do not use any unrelated vocabulary here. Try to keep it as simple as possible.
One more thing to remember is to write about the units of measurement. This is very essential, and hence, if you do not include the units of measurement, the score for task achievement will be lower. These are usually represented along the y-axis of the bar chart and also in the title.
So basically, while writing the introduction the first sentence is the paraphrased statement which may include the units of measurement or they can be written separately in a sentence (Units are measured in—-).
2. Overview – This is the most important element of the report. Never skip the overview, as it represents the overall picture of what is conveyed through the bar graph. Skipping the overview often leads to a band score of 5 or lower.
The overview indicates the significant changes or patterns which are noticeable in the bar graph. For instance, if you can see any fluctuations, an increasing Trend, a decreasing Trend, etc, include these points in the overview. In short, the overview should include the most significant elements in the bar chart, but remember not to include any figures or numerical data in the overview. That should be done in the body paragraphs.
3. Body paragraphs – Remember to write two or three body paragraphs depending on the data given in the bar chart. Before writing the body paragraphs, you should frame an idea as to what to write in each body paragraph. Basically, there are two ways to write the body paragraphs. Compare both the axes while writing the body paragraphs.
a. Grouping all the similar features in one paragraph and all the differences in the second body paragraph. This can be in relation to a common point that can be visible in some bar graphs. For example, if you are analyzing about chart based on sales of a product in different countries, then look for a similar feature such as an increase or a decrease, and this can be a similar feature.
b. Alternatively, you might also right one particular point in one paragraph and the second point in the second paragraph. This is called a variable. For instance, if you are comparing the data for two countries, write about the pattern for one country in one paragraph and for the second country in the second paragraph.
You may write the third body paragraph as well, but care should be taken that the purpose of writing a new paragraph is clearly established. If the same data is split into multiple paragraphs, then you will lose points for coherence and cohesion. You should end the report here.
Finally, check for any possible errors on spelling or if you have written too many simple sentences. You should complete writing the report in 20 minutes. Therefore, time management is crucial. Also, ensure that the word count is 150 or more. Aim for 170-200 words.
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