IELTS academic bar charts with a trend.
Updated: May 2026
In the following task, you can see two bar charts, each with a timeframe that indicates a trend. In this case, it is dynamic data which changes over time between 2002 and 2010. It’s important to cover the key features of this task, but also to make it concise and logical.
Model Answer
The graphs illustrate data regarding computer ownership as a proportion of the population over nine-years. Overall, there was a steady increase throughout the period and ownership by all education levels saw noticeable increases, particularly for those with no high school diploma, school graduates, and those who did not complete college.
Computer ownership in 2002 accounted for just under 60% and this trend saw a consistent increase every two years. By 2010, those who owned a computer totalled nearly 80%.
Regarding the lower education levels, in 2002, the no high school diploma category comprised a little over 10%, this rose significantly to around 40% by 2010. Moreover, high school graduates computer ownership accounted for over 30% in 2002, and this experienced a significant rise to approximately 65% by 2010. Those who did not complete college showed a similar trend from over 50% in 2002, climbing to around 85% by 2010.
Looking at the higher levels of education, postgraduate qualifications showed the highest ownership in 2002, consisting of over 70% and rising to around 90% by 2010. This was followed by the bachelor’s degree category, from 70% in 2002 and climbing to approximately 95% ownership by 2010, which was the highest figure of all.
198 words
Notes:
Yes the model answer is quite long at 198 words, I usually advise to aim for between 160 to 180 words in IELTS task 1 writing as you only have around 20 minutes to do this task. Task 2 essays should take around 40 minutes and carry more marks.
It’s very important to have a clear and concise overview in task 1 writing and the overview should start with the word ‘overall’ . The main body paragraphs is where all the data and statistics go.