One complete Academic Task 1 practice with its visual, two worked examples and a model report.
Allow about 20 minutes for this task.
The bar chart below compares the percentages of workers using buses and bicycles as their main commuting method in four cities in 2022.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| City | Bus (%) | Bicycle (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Alder | 55 | 20 |
| Brook | 40 | 35 |
| Cedar | 30 | 45 |
| Dale | 45 | 25 |
Study the two worked examples. Use the writing plan and useful language to prepare your response, then submit it to review the model and explanation. Scores exclude the examples; Writing and Speaking use self-review rather than automatic band marking.
Original SUFAS teaching material. This is a focused sample exercise, not a full IELTS examination.
Optional learning timer. It can be paused and does not submit automatically.
Ready.
Model answer: Overall, buses were more commonly used than bicycles in three of the four cities, with Cedar being the exception. Alder recorded the highest proportion of bus commuters, whereas Cedar had the largest cycling share and the smallest bus share.
Why: This selects the main overall features, rather than listing every detail.
Model answer: In Alder, 55% of workers travelled mainly by bus, compared with only 20% by bicycle. This gap of 35 percentage points was the widest difference between the two methods in any city. Dale displayed a similar but less marked pattern: its bus figure was 45%, while cycling accounted for 25%.
Why: This groups related information and supports it with accurate visual details.
Review the question and visual
Buses were more common in three cities; Cedar was the exception. Alder had the highest bus share, while Cedar led for cycling.
Introduction and overview first. Group the clear bus-led cities, Alder and Dale, together. Then compare Brook’s narrower gap with Cedar’s reversed pattern.
recorded the highest bus share · exceeded the bus figure · accounted for …% of workers
The bar chart shows the proportions of workers whose main commuting method was either the bus or the bicycle in Alder, Brook, Cedar and Dale in 2022.
Overall, buses were more commonly used than bicycles in three of the four cities, with Cedar being the exception. Alder recorded the highest proportion of bus commuters, whereas Cedar had the largest cycling share and the smallest bus share.
In Alder, 55% of workers travelled mainly by bus, compared with only 20% by bicycle. This gap of 35 percentage points was the widest difference between the two methods in any city. Dale displayed a similar but less marked pattern: its bus figure was 45%, while cycling accounted for 25%.
The two shares were much closer in Brook, where bus use stood at 40% and bicycle use at 35%. In Cedar, by contrast, cycling was the more common method, at 45%, exceeding the bus figure of 30% by 15 percentage points. These figures describe only the two selected commuting methods, rather than the full distribution of workers across every form of travel.
Why this works: The overview identifies the exception and the leaders. Grouping avoids a repetitive city-by-city list. Percentage-point differences are correctly calculated, and the description does not invent changes over time or assume that the two bars cover all commuters.
Compare your work with the model and tick only points you achieved. This is a self-review checklist, not automatic marking or an IELTS band score.
Self-review score: 0 / 6