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Academic Task 1

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Household waste (bar chart)

Question type: Academic Task 1: bar chart

The question

The bar chart below shows the amount of different types of household waste collected in one city in 2000 and 2020.

Household waste collected (thousand tonnes)
0255075100125thousand tonnesFoodPlasticPaperGlassOther2000, Food: 120 thousand tonnes2020, Food: 110 thousand tonnes2000, Plastic: 40 thousand tonnes2020, Plastic: 85 thousand tonnes2000, Paper: 95 thousand tonnes2020, Paper: 60 thousand tonnes2000, Glass: 30 thousand tonnes2020, Glass: 20 thousand tonnes2000, Other: 25 thousand tonnes2020, Other: 35 thousand tonnes
  • 2000
  • 2020
View the data as a table
20002020
Food120110
Plastic4085
Paper9560
Glass3020
Other2535

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

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How to approach it

  1. Units are thousand tonnes; mention them in the introduction.
  2. Overview: food waste stayed largest; plastic rose most; paper fell most.
  3. Group increases (plastic, other) and decreases (food, paper, glass).

Model answer

159 words (minimum 150). Written to show the features of a Band 8-level answer.

The bar chart shows the amount of five types of household waste collected in one city in 2000 and 2020, measured in thousands of tonnes.

Overall, food remained the largest category of household waste in both years. The most significant changes were a sharp increase in plastic waste and a considerable fall in paper waste.

Plastic waste saw the biggest rise, more than doubling from 40 thousand tonnes in 2000 to 85 thousand tonnes in 2020. As a result, plastic overtook paper to become the second-largest category. The amount of other waste also grew, although more modestly, from 25 to 35 thousand tonnes.

In contrast, the remaining categories declined. Food waste fell slightly, from 120 to 110 thousand tonnes, but it was still by far the largest type. Paper waste dropped much more sharply, from 95 thousand tonnes to 60 thousand tonnes, while glass waste decreased from 30 to 20 thousand tonnes, making it the smallest category in 2020.

Useful language from this answer

measured in thousands of tonnes
stating the units
remained the largest category
no change in ranking
overtook… to become
changing position in a ranking
more modestly
by a smaller amount
by far the largest
much larger than the others

Common mistakes with this question

  • Missing the overview. A report without a clear summary of the main trends cannot score above Band 5 for Task Achievement.
  • Giving your opinion or explaining why the changes happened. Task 1 Academic only asks you to describe the data.
  • Listing every number in order instead of selecting the key figures and making comparisons.

Now write your own answer

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This model answer was written by TestWise Prep to show the features of a high-scoring answer. It is not official IELTS material. Use it for ideas and language, not to memorise.