89 practice questions: academic task 1 (charts)
IELTS writing
In Academic Module writing task 1, you will need to write a report on a chart. This page contains chart report tasks from well-known IELTS books (with the link to Amazon and page number).
Here are some tips for IELTS report writing:
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Describe what the chart shows but do not speculate about why this is happening, whether this is good or bad, etc.
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Highlight the key features of the chart clearly and accurately.
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State a clear overview of the main trends, differences or stages.
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Write between 160 and 220 words (you will be penalised for writing fewer than 150, and you will simply waste your time if you write much over 200).
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Divide the body of the report into logical paragraphs (usually 4-5 paragraphs work well: an introduction, 2-3 body paragraphs and a summary/overview).
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Before you start writing, spend a few minutes planning: decide which information you want to include and in what order.
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Use a range of accurate and appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures to express your ideas.
Types of chart you will need to write a report on:
line graphs (e.g task 4 below)
pie charts (e.g task 2 below)
bar charts (e.g task 3 below)
Tables (e.g task 2 below)
process diagrams (e.g task 6 below)
maps (e.g task 1 below)
and those can be
static: showing only 1 timescale, without any change in time (e.g. task 1 below)
dynamic: showing a number of different timescales, with some changes occurring over the time period in question (e.g. task 2 below)
Click to read about how writing task 1 (report) is assessed (read the Academic part).
1. The maps below show an industrial area in the town of Norbiton, and planned future development of the site.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 28)
2. The table and charts below give information on the police budget for 2017 and 2018 in one area of Britain. The table shows where the money came from and the charts show how it was distributed.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 50)
3. The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 72)
4. The graph below shows the number of shops that closed and the number of new shops that opened in one country between 2011 and 2018.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 93)
5. The charts below show the changes in ownerships of electrical appliances and amount of time spent doing housework in households in one country between 1920 and 2019.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 29)
6. The diagram below shows the manufacturing process for making sugar from sugar cane.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 52)
7. The plans below show the site of an airport now and how it will look after redevelopment next year.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 73)
8. The diagram below shows the process for recycling plastic bottles.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 95)
9. The chart below shows the results of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and
drinking habits in five Australian cities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 28)
10. The graph below shows the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 49)
11. The diagram below shows how instant noodles are manufactured.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 71)
12. The chart below shows what Anthropology graduates from one university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course. The table shows the salaries of the anthropologists in work after five years.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 93)
13. The charts below show the average percentages in typical meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 29)
14. The chart below shows the value of one country's exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016. The table shows the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 50)
15. The diagram below shows how electricity is generated in a hydroelectric power station.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 72)
16. The plans below show a public park when it first opened in 1920 and the same park today.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 94)
17. The two maps below show road access to a city hospital in 2007 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 29)
18. The chart below shows the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 51)
19. The bar chart below shows the top ten countries for the production and consumption of electricity in 2014.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 73)
20. The plans below show the layout of a university's sports centre now, and how it will look after redevelopment.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 94)
21. The bar chart below shows the percentage of Australian men and women in different age groups who did regular physical activity in 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 27)
22. The maps below show the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 50)
23. The chart below shows how frequently people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 71)
24. The diagram below shows how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 92)
25. The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 30)
26. The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 54)
27. The graph below shows average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 77)
28. The table below shows the numbers of visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year before and the year after it was refurbished. The charts show the result of surveys asking visitors how satisfied they were with their visit, during the same two periods.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 100)
29. The first chart below shows how energy is used in an average Australian household. The second chart shows the greenhouse gas emissions which result from this energy use.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 30)
30. The tables below give information about sales of Fairtrade*-labelled coffee and bananas in 1999 and 2004 in five European countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
*Fairtrade: a category of products for which farmers from developing countries have been paid an officially agreed fair price.
(p. 54)
31. The charts below show what UK graduate and postgraduate students who did not go into full-time work did after leaving college in 2008.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 77)
32. The diagrams below show the life cycle of a species of large fish called the salmon.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 101)
33. The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 30)
34. The chart below shows the total number of minutes (in billions) of telephone calls in the UK, divided into three categories, from 1995 to 2002.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 53)
35. The charts below give information on the ages of the populations of Yemen and Italy in 2000 and projections for 2050.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 76)
36. The graph below gives information from a 2008 report about consumption of energy in the USA since 1980 with projections until 2030.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 101)
37. The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive. The table shows how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 30)
38. The three pie charts below show the changes in annual spending by a particular UK school in 1981, 1991 and 2001.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 53)
39. The diagrams below show the stages and equipment used in the cement-making process, and how cement is used to produce concrete for building purposes.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 78)
40. The graph below shows the quantities of goods transported in the UK between 1974 and 2002 by four different modes of transport.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 101)
41. The table below gives information on consumer spending on different items in five different countries in 2002.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 30)
42. The graph below shows the consumption of fish and some different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979 and 2004.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 30)
43. The chart below shows information about changes in average house prices in five different cities between 1990 and 2002 compared with the average house prices in 1989.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 78)
44. The pie charts below show units of electricity production by fuel source in Australia and France in 1980 and 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 101)
45. The graph and table below give information about water use worldwide and water consumption in two different countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 30)
46. The table below gives information about changes in modes of travel in England between 1985 and 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 52)
47. The diagrams below show the life cycle of the silkworm and the stages in the production of silk cloth.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 75)
48. 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.
(p. 100)
49. The graph below shows the proportion of the population aged 65 and over between 1940 and 2040 in three different countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 29)
50. The charts below show the main reasons for study among students of different age groups and the amount of support they received from employers.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 52)
51. The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 75)
52. The table below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 98)
53. The table below shows the proportion of different categories of families living in poverty in Australia in 1999.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 31)
54. The graph below shows the demand for electricity in England during typical days in winter and summer. The pie chart shows how electricity is used in an average English home.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 54)
55. The chart below shows the different levels of post-school qualifications in Australia and the proportion of men and women who held them in 1999.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 78)
56. The charts below give information about travel to and from the UK, and about the most popular countries for UK residents to visit.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 101)
57. The charts below show the number of Japanese tourists travelling abroad between 1985 and 1995 and Australia’s share of the Japanese tourist market.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 27)
58. The chart below shows the amount spent on six consumer goods in four European countries.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 51)
59. The charts below show the levels of participation in education and science in developing and industrialised countries in 1980 and 1990.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 73)
60. The graph below shows the unemployment rates in the US and Japan between March 1993 and March 1999.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 73)
61. The charts below show the results of a survey of adult education. The first chart shows the reasons why adults decide to study. The pie chart shows how people think the costs of adult education should be shared.
Write a report for a university lecturer, describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 31)
62. The chart below shows the amount of money per week spent on fast foods in Britain. The graph shows the trends in consumption of fast foods.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 72)
63. The chart shows student expenditure over a three-year period in the United Kingdom.
Write a report for a university lecturer, describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 76)
64. The table shows sources of student income over a ten-year period in the United Kingdom.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 77)
65. The chart shows the division of household tasks by gender in Great Britain.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 79)
66. The chart shows the participation by young people in sports by gender in Great Britain.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 79)
67. The charts show the share of the Australian and British cinema markets in 2001 and cinema admissions in Britain and Australia from 1980 to 2001.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
(p. 82)
68. The graph below shows the average daily sales of selected food items at the Vista Cafe, by season.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 9)
69. The graph below shows the number of cell phone subscribers in a particular city, by gender.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 10)
70. The pie charts below show the highest level of education achieved by people over age 21 in two different countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 41)
71. The charts below show agricultural production in two different regions of the country.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 4)
72. The tables below shows the average monthly rainfall in two different cities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 45)
73. The diagram below shows the process of producing raisins from grapes.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 50)
74. The diagram below shows a library before and after renovations.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 51)
75. The diagram below shows the process of recycling plastic bottles.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 70)
76. The diagram below shows how a wood pellet boiler heats a house.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 74)
77. The diagram below shows how frozen orange juice concentrate is made.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 76)
78. The diagram below shows how coffee beans are processed.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 78)
79. The diagram below shows City Park before and after a swimming pool was constructed.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 79)
Kaplan IELTS 2009-2010 Edition
80. The chart shows the number of visitors to a local cinema according to age in 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 129)
81. The chart below shows the types of film preferred by different age groups at one cinema.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 131)
82. The table below shows the number of language learners who used different modes of learning English between the years 2000 and 2008.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 132)
83. The diagram below shows the life cycle of plastic used to produce bottles.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 133)
84. The diagram below shows the structure of a basic rocket engine.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 134)
85. The chart below shows the estimated literacy rates by region and gender for 1999-2004.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 154)
86. The chart below shows the results of a survey into the causes of poor school attendance in the UK in 2007.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 154)
Official IELTS Practice Materials
87. The charts below show the number of Japanese tourists travelling abroad between 1985 and 1995 and Australia's share of the Japanese tourist market.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 29)
88. The diagram below shows the process of using water to produce electricity.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 32)
89. The graph below shows the number of complaints made about noise to Environmental Health authorities in the city of Newtown between 1980 and 1996.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
(p. 35)
