Chart questions ask you to summarize and compare information. Your task is to select the most important features and describe them accurately, without adding opinions or explanations that the chart does not support.
Common Challenges
Writers often struggle to choose which data to include, write a clear overview, organize comparisons, or use accurate vocabulary and grammar. Some describe every number instead of summarizing the main patterns. Others add conclusions or opinions that the chart cannot prove.
Chart Types and Time Periods
You may need to describe a line graph, bar chart, pie chart, or proportional bar chart. Task 1 can also include maps, processes, or combinations of visuals, which require different approaches.
Check whether the chart shows one point in time or change over time. This affects how you describe the data and which verb tenses you use.
What Your Response Needs to Do
Your response should:
- Select and accurately describe the main features.
- Organize information so the reader can follow it.
- Use vocabulary that fits the data and comparisons.
- Use a range of grammatical structures accurately.
Choose words for precision. You do not need complicated vocabulary if a simple term describes the data correctly.
A Four-Paragraph Structure
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paraphrase the question by stating what the chart shows.
Paragraph 2: Overview
Summarize the most important patterns or comparisons. Usually, keep exact figures for the detail paragraphs.
Paragraphs 3 and 4: Details
Group related data and support the overview with figures and comparisons. You can adjust the number of paragraphs to suit the chart.
A separate conclusion is not needed. The overview gives the summary of the main features.
Identify the Main Features
Look for two or three features that stand out, such as:
- The highest and lowest values
- The largest increase or decrease
- A general upward or downward trend
- Similarities or major differences
- Values that remain stable
- Unusual changes or exceptions
Do not ignore a clear trend because it seems simple. The goal is to report the data accurately, not to find a surprising interpretation.
Sample Answer
The chart compares the percentages of people in five age groups who donated to charity in 1990 and 2010.
The patterns differed by age. Donation rates fell among people under 50, while they rose among the two older groups. The largest decline occurred among the youngest adults.
In 1990, 42% of people aged 36 to 50 donated, the highest figure shown. By 2010, this share had fallen to 35%. Donations among those aged 26 to 35 also declined, from 31% to 24%. The youngest group showed the sharpest fall, dropping from 17% to 7%.
The two older groups moved in the opposite direction. Among people aged 51 to 65, the rate rose from 35% to nearly 40%, making this the highest figure in 2010. The rate for people over 65 increased by three percentage points.
A Step-by-Step Method
- Read the question and check what the chart measures.
- Identify the groups, time periods, units, and categories.
- Look for the main trends, high and low values, comparisons, and exceptions.
- Plan how to group related data.
- Write an introduction that describes the chart.
- Add an overview of the main patterns.
- Support the overview with accurate figures in the detail paragraphs.
- Check your comparisons, grammar, and word count.