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 number of students from one country studying in five destinations 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 |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 90 | 85 |
| UK | 60 | 70 |
| Australia | 35 | 55 |
| Canada | 20 | 75 |
| Germany | 15 | 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
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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 the number of students from one country who were studying in five destinations in 2010 and in 2020, in thousands.
Overall, the total number of students abroad increased, with four of the five destinations attracting more students in 2020. Canada showed the most dramatic growth, while the USA was the only country to record a fall.
In 2010 the USA was by far the most popular destination, with 90,000 students, followed by the UK with 60,000. By 2020 the American figure had slipped slightly to 85,000, whereas the UK rose to 70,000. As a result, the two countries were much closer in popularity.
The smaller destinations grew more rapidly. Australia attracted 35,000 students in 2010 and 55,000 in 2020. Germany's figure more than doubled over the decade, from 15,000 to 40,000. However, the most striking change was in Canada, which received only 20,000 students in 2010 but 75,000 in 2020, nearly four times as many. This moved Canada from fourth place to second, ahead of the UK and Australia, and just 10,000 behind the USA.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| study abroad | study in another country |
| popular destination | a place many choose |
| rise by | increase by an amount |
| the largest increase | the biggest rise |
| slightly lower | a bit smaller |
| overseas | in another country |
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