IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 – Sample Test 01 (Bar Chart)

Task Question

The bar chart below illustrates the average number of hours per week spent on four different leisure activities (reading, watching television, exercising, and using the Internet) by adults in a European country in 2000 and 2010.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Bar chart showing weekly hours on reading, TV, exercise, and Internet in 2000 vs 2010

Figure: Average weekly hours on leisure activities (2000 vs 2010)

Sample Answer (Band 7.5–8)

The bar chart compares the average number of hours adults devoted each week to four leisure activities—reading, watching television, exercising, and Internet use—in a European country in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, watching television remained the most popular activity in both years, while Internet use grew substantially and overtook reading by 2010. Exercise, by contrast, showed only minor fluctuations.

In 2000, television dominated leisure time at about 15 hours per week, whereas reading ranked second at roughly 10 hours. Exercise accounted for approximately 6 hours, and Internet use was the least common, averaging just 2 hours weekly.

By 2010, time spent on television increased slightly to around 17 hours. Internet use experienced the sharpest rise, quadrupling to nearly 8 hours and thereby surpassing reading, which declined to a little over 6 hours. Physical exercise remained broadly stable at about 7 hours.

In short, television consistently occupied the largest share of adults’ leisure time, but the most striking shift over the decade was the rapid expansion of Internet use.

Analysis of the Answer – Expert Review

  • Strengths:
    • ✔️ Provides a clear overall trend at the start, which is a requirement for Band 7+.
    • ✔️ Accurate use of comparative language (“surpassed,” “remained stable,” “experienced the sharpest rise”).
    • ✔️ Covers all categories and highlights the most significant change (Internet use).
    • ✔️ Good balance of figures and descriptive phrases; not just numbers.
  • Weaknesses:
    • ❌ Limited sentence variety. Most sentences are descriptive; more complex structures (e.g., conditionals or concessives) would show stronger grammar range.
    • ❌ Some expressions are repetitive (“remained,” “increased”) — lexical diversity can be improved.
    • ❌ Does not explain possible implications of the data (e.g., why Internet use expanded so sharply).
  • Stronger Vocabulary & Synonyms:
    • “increased slightly” → “inched upward,” “registered a modest gain”
    • “remained stable” → “leveled off,” “plateaued”
    • “sharp rise” → “dramatic surge,” “pronounced escalation”
    • “declined” → “dipped,” “experienced a downturn”
  • Suggestions for Improvement:
    • 🔹 Mention intermediate years if available (e.g., “By 2005, Internet use had already tripled compared to 2000.”).
    • 🔹 Use cause-effect language: “This surge reflects the growing accessibility of broadband technology.”
    • 🔹 Vary sentence openings: instead of always starting with a subject, try adverbial clauses (“While television remained dominant, Internet use witnessed exponential growth.”).
    • 🔹 Show speculation for higher bands: “Had reading maintained its earlier popularity, it might have remained ahead of Internet usage.”
  • Band Justification:

    This answer is well-structured, accurate, and analytical, fully meeting Band 7.5–8 criteria. To move consistently towards Band 8.5–9, the candidate needs to demonstrate greater flexibility in grammar, broader lexical sophistication, and deeper interpretation of the data (e.g., cultural or technological explanations for trends).

Analysis of the Answer – Expert Review / تحلیل پاسخ – بررسی تخصصی

  • Strengths (نقاط قوت):
    • ✔️ Provides a clear overall trend at the start. ➝ توضیح: در همان ابتدای متن روند کلی بیان شده که لازمه‌ی نمره 7 به بالا است.
    • ✔️ Accurate use of comparative language (“surpassed,” “remained stable”). ➝ توضیح: استفاده درست از زبان مقایسه‌ای مثل "surpassed" و "remained stable".
    • ✔️ Covers all categories and highlights the most significant change. ➝ توضیح: تمام دسته‌ها را پوشش داده و مهم‌ترین تغییر (استفاده از اینترنت) برجسته شده است.
    • ✔️ Good balance of figures and descriptive phrases. ➝ توضیح: هم از آمار استفاده شده هم از توصیف، و متن خشک نیست.
  • Weaknesses (نقاط ضعف):
    • ❌ Limited sentence variety. ➝ توضیح: تنوع جمله‌ها کم است؛ بیشتر جمله‌ها توصیفی‌اند.
    • ❌ Some expressions are repetitive (“increased,” “remained”). ➝ توضیح: واژه‌های تکراری زیاد استفاده شده، مثل "increased" و "remained".
    • ❌ No deeper interpretation of data (e.g., reasons for Internet rise). ➝ توضیح: هیچ توضیح تحلیلی عمیقی داده نشده، مثلاً چرا اینترنت رشد چشمگیر داشته.
  • Stronger Vocabulary & Synonyms (مترادف‌های قوی‌تر):
    • “increased slightly” → “inched upward,” “registered a modest gain”
    • “remained stable” → “leveled off,” “plateaued”
    • “sharp rise” → “dramatic surge,” “pronounced escalation”
    • “declined” → “dipped,” “experienced a downturn”
    • یادگیری این مترادف‌ها باعث می‌شود متن حرفه‌ای‌تر و متنوع‌تر به نظر برسد.
  • Suggestions for Improvement (پیشنهادهای بهبود):
    • 🔹 Always include intermediate years (e.g., 2005). ➝ توضیح: گفتن سال‌های میانی مثل 2005 نشان‌دهنده‌ی تحلیل عمیق‌تر است.
    • 🔹 Use cause–effect language. ➝ مثال: “This surge reflects the growing accessibility of broadband technology.”
    • 🔹 Vary sentence openings with connectors. ➝ مثال: “While television remained dominant, Internet use witnessed exponential growth.”
    • 🔹 Add conditional structures. ➝ مثال: “Had Japan maintained faster growth, it would have overtaken reading by 2010.”
  • Band Justification (توجیه نمره):

    This answer meets Band 7.5–8 due to its clarity, accurate comparisons, and sufficient vocabulary. ➝ توضیح فارسی: این پاسخ شایسته‌ی نمره 7.5 تا 8 است، چون روند کلی واضح است، مقایسه‌ها دقیق‌اند و واژگان کافی استفاده شده. To reach Band 9, the student needs to demonstrate deeper analysis, richer synonyms, and more complex structures. ➝ توضیح: برای رسیدن به نمره 9 باید تحلیل عمیق‌تر، مترادف‌های متنوع‌تر و ساختارهای دستوری پیچیده‌تر نشان داده شود.