Pick out the main features of this bar chart for your overview, write your report on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The chart below shows the amount of bottled water drunk per person in seven countries in 2010 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| Category | 2010 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 240 | 270 |
| Italy | 185 | 190 |
| Thailand | 110 | 150 |
| USA | 110 | 150 |
| Germany | 125 | 140 |
| China | 28 | 50 |
| UK | 30 | 40 |
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
An overview names the main trends or differences in one or two sentences, without numbers. These are the features a strong answer picks out:
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 150 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
The bar chart compares the amount of bottled water drunk per person, in litres, in seven countries in 2010 and 2020.
Overall, consumption rose or stayed stable in every country. Mexico was the heaviest consumer at both dates, while the UK and China drank the least, although China saw the biggest relative increase.
Mexico's consumption stood at 240 litres per person in 2010 and increased to 270 litres in 2020. Italy remained the second-highest consumer, but its figure hardly changed, rising from 185 to 190 litres. Germany went from 125 to 140 litres.
Thailand and the USA had identical figures of 110 litres in 2010, and both rose by the same amount to 150 litres in 2020, an increase of 40 litres, which was the largest absolute rise in the chart.
China and the UK consumed much less bottled water than the others. In 2010 the Chinese figure was 28 litres and the British figure was 30 litres. By 2020 China had risen to 50 litres, overtaking the UK, which reached only 40 litres. China's consumption therefore increased by almost 80%, compared with one third in the UK.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bottled water | water sold in plastic or glass bottles |
| litres per person | a measure of volume per individual |
| rise in every country | increase everywhere |
| the highest consumer | the biggest user |
| proportional growth | growth relative to the start |
| relatively low | small in comparison |
Answer random Part 1, 2 and 3 questions on an exam timer.
Average your four skill bands, rounded the way IELTS rounds them.
Compare an IELTS band with TOEFL, Duolingo and PTE scores and CEFR levels.
Look up the IELTS score a university asks for.