This IELTS bar and pie chart compares the numbers of men and women attending evening courses and their ages.
Organizing Two Charts
When you have two charts together, the best thing to do in most cases is to describe one after the other rather than try to combine information.
Doing that can be confusing to write, takes longer, and can make it confusing to read. Often it is completely separate information anyway so needs to be described separately.
So in the IELTS bar and pie chart, firstly describe the bar chart, then the pie chart.
It may be that one of the charts will have more information to describe. In this IELTS bar and pie chart, for example, the first one is likely to make up most of your description.
IELTS Bar and Pie Chart
| You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The bar chart below shows the numbers of men and women attending various evening courses at an adult education center in the year 2009. The pie chart gives information about the ages of these course participants. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. |
Model Answer
The bar graph presents the numbers of males and females at an adult education center who attended different evening classes in 2009. The pie graph displays data on the students’ ages. Overall, females were seemingly more interested in the classes than men. Age-wise, night classes appealed more to older people than younger people.
As seen in the bar graph, more females attended the classes than males. The most popular class for women was in languages (40), which saw twice as many women attending as men. Painting courses were also popular, with more equal attendance, though women still outnumbered men, at 30 and 25 respectively. Drama again witnessed double the attendance for women over men. The only course with more men was sculpture, for which 10 men signed up versus only 5 women.
Regarding age, the course participants were predominantly seniors, those 50 years old and above, and people in their forties with 42% and 26%, respectively. Next came the thirty-year-olds (16%) and twenty-year-olds (11%). Very few students attending the evening classes were under 20 years of age.
(179 Words)
Evaluation of the model answer
Task Achievement: Band 8
The response provides a clear and accurate description of the data in both the bar and pie charts. It successfully highlights key features, including the gender disparity in attendance and the age distribution of students. The overview and details are well-covered, and the information is reported logically. However, the analysis could be slightly enhanced by adding specific figures from the pie chart for younger age groups (e.g., the percentage of students under 20).
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8
The report is well-organized and easy to follow. It opens with an appropriate overview, followed by a detailed analysis of the gender differences and age distribution. The ideas are clearly connected, with smooth transitions between the descriptions of the two charts. The use of linking phrases like “as seen” and “regarding age” effectively guides the reader through the text.
Lexical Resource: Band 7.5
The vocabulary is varied and used appropriately to describe the data. Phrases such as “twice as many,” “predominantly seniors,” and “outnumbered” show good lexical range. However, there is some repetition of basic vocabulary such as “attended” and “popular,” which could be substituted with synonyms like “enrolled” or “preferred” for more variety. Overall, the word choice is accurate and supports the clarity of the description.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8
The grammatical structures are varied, with a good mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences. The passive voice is used effectively, and there are no significant errors. There is a slight overuse of the phrase “as seen,” but this does not detract from the overall accuracy. The report demonstrates strong grammatical control and a wide range of structures.
Overall Band: 8
This response provides a well-structured and accurate account of the data. To achieve a higher score, it could incorporate more varied vocabulary and offer additional details on less covered age groups. Nonetheless, the coherence, grammar, and task achievement are strong, making it a high-quality response.
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