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 percentage of adults who volunteer, by age group, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 20% | 28% |
| 25–34 | 14% | 18% |
| 35–49 | 22% | 19% |
| 50–64 | 26% | 24% |
| 65+ | 24% | 31% |
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 shows the percentage of adults who volunteered in five age groups in 2010 and 2020.
Overall, volunteering became more common among the youngest and oldest groups but less common among the middle-aged. The pattern of participation therefore changed from one led by older working adults to one led by the elderly.
In 2010 the 50–64 group had the highest rate, at 26%, closely followed by the 65+ group at 24% and the 35–49 group at 22%. The youngest group had a rate of 20%, while 25–34-year-olds were the least likely to volunteer, at 14%.
By 2020 the picture had changed. The 65+ group became the most active, with its rate rising from 24% to 31%. Volunteering among 18–24-year-olds also increased significantly, from 20% to 28%, and the 25–34 group improved from 14% to 18%, though it was still the lowest figure of 2020.
In contrast, the middle-aged groups declined. The 35–49 rate fell from 22% to 19%, and the 50–64 rate dropped from 26% to 24%, losing its leading position.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| volunteer | work without pay |
| age group | people in a range of ages |
| rise from X to Y | increase between two figures |
| fall slightly | decrease a bit |
| the highest rate | the largest percentage |
| middle-aged | between about 35 and 64 |
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.