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 carbon dioxide emissions per person in seven countries in 2019.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| Category | Tonnes per person |
|---|---|
| Qatar | 32 |
| USA | 15 |
| Russia | 11.5 |
| China | 7.1 |
| Brazil | 2.2 |
| India | 1.9 |
| Kenya | 0.4 |
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
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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 carbon dioxide emissions per person, in tonnes, in seven countries in 2019.
Overall, emissions varied enormously between countries. Qatar produced by far the most per person, while the lowest figures were recorded in developing countries such as India and Kenya.
Qatar's per capita emissions stood at 32 tonnes, which was more than twice the figure for the USA, the second-highest at 15 tonnes. Russia came third with 11.5 tonnes, a little below the American level. These three countries emitted far more than the other four.
China, at 7.1 tonnes per person, occupied an intermediate position: its emissions were below half of the American figure, but they were over three times higher than those of Brazil, at 2.2 tonnes. India produced slightly less than Brazil, with 1.9 tonnes per person. Kenya had by far the smallest figure of all, at only 0.4 tonnes. This was 80 times lower than Qatar's, which gives a clear indication of the scale of the gap between the highest and lowest emitters.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| emissions per person | pollution per individual |
| by far the highest | much higher than all others |
| more than double | over twice |
| mid-range | in the middle |
| by comparison | in contrast |
| a fraction of | a small part of |
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