In Academic Writing Task 1 you describe visual information, such as a chart, graph, table, process or map, in at least 150 words, in about 20 minutes. Below is an invented bar chart described in words, followed by three original answers at Band 6, 7 and 8. The bands are our own teaching estimates, not official scores.
The task
The bar chart below shows the number of students (in thousands) who used four different ways to travel to university in one city in 2005 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Since we cannot show the picture here, this table gives the same data the bars would show:
| Way of travelling | 2005 (thousands) | 2025 (thousands) |
|---|---|---|
| Bus | 18 | 24 |
| Car | 22 | 14 |
| Bicycle | 6 | 11 |
| Walking | 9 | 7 |
Band 6 answer
The bar chart show how many students travelled to university by bus, car, bicycle and walking in 2005 and 2025 in one city.
In 2005, car was the most popular way with 22 thousand students. Bus was second with 18 thousand students. Then 9 thousand students walked to university and only 6 thousand students used bicycle, so bicycle was the lowest in that year.
In 2025, the situation was changed. Bus became the most popular way to go to university and the number increased to 24 thousand. However, car decreased a lot to 14 thousand. Bicycle increased to 11 thousand, which is almost double. Walking decreased a little to 7 thousand, so it became lower than bicycle in 2025.
Overall, bus and bicycle increased and car and walking decreased. The biggest change was in car because it went down 8 thousand students. It is maybe because the fuel is expensive and the roads have traffic jam, so students prefer other transport.
(about 160 words)
Commentary
- Task Achievement (6): Key data are reported accurately, but the overview only arrives at the end and the speculation about fuel prices is not shown in the chart, which examiners do not reward.
- Coherence and Cohesion (6): Organised by year, which works, but sentences are listed one after another ("Then…").
- Lexical Resource (6): Adequate but repetitive ("increased", "decreased", "students").
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy (6): Mostly simple sentences, with errors such as "The bar chart show" and "the situation was changed".
Band 7 answer
The bar chart compares the number of students who travelled to university in one city by bus, car, bicycle and on foot in 2005 and 2025.
Overall, the bus replaced the car as the most common way of getting to university, and cycling grew noticeably, while fewer students drove or walked.
In 2005, the car was the leading option, used by 22,000 students, followed by the bus at 18,000. Walking and cycling were far less common, at 9,000 and 6,000 respectively, meaning that fewer than a third of students used these two methods.
Twenty years later, the picture had changed considerably. Bus use rose by a third to 24,000, making it the most popular method. In contrast, the number of students travelling by car fell sharply to 14,000, a drop of 8,000. Cycling almost doubled, reaching 11,000, whereas walking declined slightly to 7,000 and became the least popular choice.
As a result, public transport and bicycles together accounted for a much larger share of student journeys in 2025 than in 2005.
(about 170 words)
Commentary
- Task Achievement (7): A clear overview appears early, and key features are well selected with accurate figures. The final sentence is useful, though "share" is not directly shown.
- Coherence and Cohesion (7): Logical structure with a clear overview paragraph; comparison words ("In contrast", "whereas") are used well.
- Lexical Resource (7): Good range ("replaced", "leading option", "fell sharply", "respectively").
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy (7): Varied structures with participle clauses and few errors.
Band 8 answer
The chart illustrates how students in one city travelled to university in 2005 and 2025, comparing four modes of transport: bus, car, bicycle and walking.
The most striking development over the period was a shift away from private cars towards buses and bicycles. By 2025, the bus had overtaken the car as the dominant choice, while walking remained a relatively minor option throughout. Cycling, meanwhile, moved from last place to third.
In 2005, cars were the most widely used means of transport, carrying 22,000 students, with buses not far behind at 18,000. Only 9,000 students walked, and cycling was the least common mode, at just 6,000.
By 2025, these positions had largely reversed at the top. Bus ridership climbed to 24,000, whereas car use contracted by more than a third to 14,000. Cycling showed the most dramatic proportional growth, rising from 6,000 to 11,000, so that it overtook walking, which slipped marginally to 7,000. The total number of students using these four modes also rose modestly, from 55,000 to 56,000.
(about 170 words)
Commentary
- Task Achievement (8): A sharp overview identifies the key trend and the change in ranking. Details are selected skilfully, including proportional change, with no irrelevant speculation.
- Coherence and Cohesion (8): Smooth progression; cohesion is achieved through reference and ranking language ("these positions", "overtook") rather than lists of linkers.
- Lexical Resource (8): Precise, varied vocabulary ("modes of transport", "ridership", "contracted", "slipped marginally").
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy (8): Flexible complex sentences, virtually error-free.
Lessons from the comparison
- Put the overview early. A clear summary of the main trends is one of the biggest differences between Band 6 and Band 7.
- Group the data. Stronger answers compare categories instead of listing each bar separately.
- Report, do not explain. Task 1 describes what the data shows; reasons for changes belong only if they appear in the visual.
- Vary how you describe numbers: "almost doubled", "by a third", "the least common".
Quick tip
Before writing, spend two or three minutes finding the two or three main features and writing your overview sentence. If you can state the big picture in one sentence, the rest of the report becomes much easier to organise. Our writing practice sets include more charts to practise this step.