Academic Writing Task 1 : Bar Graphs
Time management is crucial in the IELTS writing exam. You are given 60 minutes to write two tasks but Task 1 is shorter and generally less complex than Task 2 (150 words compared with 250). For this reason, take no more than 20 minutes to do Task 1 to leave yourself enough time for Writing Task 2.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The chart below gives information on the percentage of Canadians gave money to charitable organisations by age range for the years 2000 and 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The chart examines the levels of donation among people of different ages in Canada.
Overall, a greater proportion of Canadians gave money to charitable organisations in 2000 than in 2015. However, in terms of trends over time, the donor rate did not change in the same way among all age groups.
In 2000, the proportion of Canadians made charitable donations ranged from a high of 39% in the 35-to-49 age group to a low of 20% in the 18-to-24 age group. By 2015, these figures had fallen significantly to 34% and 11% respectively. The rate of donors among the population aged 25 to 34 also decreased from 29% in 2000 to 25% in 2015.
While the proportion of donors aged 18 to 49 declined between 2000 and 2015, the trend followed an opposite direction for older Canadians. For example, among people aged 50 to 64, the share of donors rose by 4% to nearly 38%, which was the highest percentage for 2015. The figure for older seniors aged 65 and over was lower than this, at 34%, but it was still a little higher than the 2000 figure of 31%.
(190 words)