IELTSVegaIELTS Writing Task 1 · 2026
Bar chart (comparisons)
Bars comparing quantities across categories (and sometimes across time). Tests comparison and grouping.
How to answer
- 1Identify whether it compares categories, time, or both.
- 2Overview the biggest and smallest, and any clear pattern across groups.
- 3Group similar bars; use superlatives and comparatives with figures.
Plan (before you write)
Rank the bars high-to-low and circle the extremes and any group that stands out.
Structure
- Intro: what is compared and the units.
- Overview: the highest/lowest and the overall pattern.
- Body 1: the leading categories with figures.
- Body 2: the lower categories and comparisons.
Useful language
- the highest/lowest; by far the most/least; more than twice as many as; a fraction of
- accounted for; represented; stood at; was followed by
- significantly, considerably, slightly higher/lower than
Common mistakes
- Confusing a bar chart's categories with a time trend.
- Repeating 'higher than' instead of varying comparison language.
Sample question & model answer
The bar chart shows the percentage of households with internet access in four countries in 2005 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The bar chart compares the proportion of households with internet access in four countries, the UK, Japan, Brazil and Kenya, in the years 2005 and 2020. Overall, access increased markedly in every country over the fifteen-year period. The UK and Japan led throughout, whereas Kenya, despite the largest relative gain, remained the least connected. In 2005, around 60% of British and Japanese households had internet access, roughly double the figure for Brazil (about 30%) and far ahead of Kenya, where only 8% were connected. By 2020, the UK and Japan had converged at approximately 95%, near-universal coverage. Brazil experienced strong growth to reach about 75% by 2020, narrowing the gap with the leaders. Kenya saw the most dramatic proportional rise, from 8% to roughly 40%, yet it still lagged well behind the other three nations by the end of the period.
Why it scores
- Overview captures both the universal rise and the persistent ranking.
- Precise proportion and comparison language; no bar left unaddressed but data is grouped.