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 energy consumption in three sectors in four countries in 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| Category | Industry | Transport | Households |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 70 | 55 | 60 |
| India | 330 | 120 | 150 |
| Brazil | 95 | 75 | 40 |
| Canada | 85 | 60 | 45 |
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 energy consumption by industry, transport and households in Germany, India, Brazil and Canada in 2020, in million tonnes of oil equivalent.
Overall, India consumed far more energy than the other countries in every sector, and industry was the largest consumer in all four countries.
In India, industry used 330 million tonnes, households 150 million and transport 120 million. The Indian industrial figure was more than three times that of Brazil, which came second with 95 million tonnes, and almost five times that of Germany, at 70 million.
In the other three countries, consumption was much lower and more evenly spread. Canada used 85 million tonnes in industry, 60 million in transport and 45 million in households. Germany's figures were 70 million for industry, 55 million for transport and 60 million for households. Brazil used 95 million tonnes in industry and 75 million in transport, but households consumed only 40 million, the lowest household figure of the four countries.
Households used more energy than transport in Germany and India, but less in Brazil and Canada.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| energy consumption | the amount of energy used |
| sector | a part of the economy |
| the largest consumer | the user of the most |
| far higher than | much greater than |
| the reverse is true | the opposite applies |
| three times as much | triple the amount |
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, with the source.