This is an IELTS writing task 1 sample answer essay on the topic of a bar chart showing museum admissions in London from the real IELTS exam.

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IELTS Essay Task 1: Museums

The bar chart shows the number of visitors to four London museums.

ielts essay task 1 museums
ielts essay task 1 museums

The bar chart compares attendance figures for museums in London over a period from June to December. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that only the British Museum grew in popularity, while the others saw steep or moderate declines. In terms of overall figures, the British Museum was highest and the National Museum lowest throughout.

In June, the History Museum (410,000), the British Museum (420,000) and the Science Museum (430,000) had similar figures with the National Museum the outlier at just 210,000 visitors. Through July, numbers for all museums declined gradually, with the exception of the British Museum which was stable. August saw a shift in the pattern as the History and British Museum soared to 600,000 and 710,000, respectively. The Science Museum was unchanged but National Museum admissions doubled to 380,000.

By September, figures had fallen back to 390,000 and 590,000 for the History and British Museum, in turn, while the Science Museum rose to 500,000 visitors and the National Museum dipped to 200,000. At the end of the period, the History Museum continued to fall (270,000) along with the British Museum (470,000), National Museum (190,000), and the Science Museum (300,000).

Analysis

1. The bar chart compares attendance figures for museums in London over a period from June to December. 2. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that only the British Museum grew in popularity, while the others saw steep or moderate declines. 3. In terms of overall figures, the British Museum was highest and the National Museum lowest throughout.

  1. Paraphrase what the graph shows.
  2. Write a clear overview summarising the major trends and differences.
  3. Add an extra sentence to be sure that you have covered everything.

1. In June, the History Museum (410,000), the British Museum (420,000) and the Science Museum (430,000) had similar figures with the National Museum the outlier at just 210,000 visitors. 2. Through July, numbers for all museums declined gradually, with the exception of the British Museum which was stable. 3. August saw a shift in the pattern as the History and British Museum soared to 600,000 and 710,000, respectively. 4. The Science Museum was unchanged but National Museum admissions doubled to 380,000.

  1. Begin writing about the differences.
  2. Compare as much as possible.
  3. Move on to the next category to describe.
  4. Try to include all the data you can.

1. By September, figures had fallen back to 390,000 and 590,000 for the History and British Museum, in turn, while the Science Museum rose to 500,000 visitors and the National Museum dipped to 200,000. 2. At the end of the period, the History Museum continued to fall (270,000) along with the British Museum (470,000), National Museum (190,000), and the Science Museum (300,000).

  1. Write about the rest of the information.
  2. Make sure you have detailed all the information.

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Take some notes on a piece of paper to aid your memory:

The bar chart compares attendance figures for museums in London over a period from June to December. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that only the British Museum grew in popularity, while the others saw steep or moderate declines. In terms of overall figures, the British Museum was highest and the National Museum lowest throughout.

In June, the History Museum (410,000), the British Museum (420,000) and the Science Museum (430,000) had similar figures with the National Museum the outlier at just 210,000 visitors. Through July, numbers for all museums declined gradually, with the exception of the British Museum which was stable. August saw a shift in the pattern as the History and British Museum soared to 600,000 and 710,000, respectively. The Science Museum was unchanged but National Museum admissions doubled to 380,000.

By September, figures had fallen back to 390,000 and 590,000 for the History and British Museum, in turn, while the Science Museum rose to 500,000 visitors and the National Museum dipped to 200,000. At the end of the period, the History Museum continued to fall (270,000) along with the British Museum (470,000), National Museum (190,000), and the Science Museum (300,000).

Answers

compares shows differences between

attendance figures number of people going there

period time

looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that overall

grew in popularity more people went there

steep fast, large

moderate a little

in terms of when it comes to

highest biggest

lowest throughout smallest the whole time

similar figures numbers about the same

outlier exception

through to the end of

declined gradually went down slowly

exception different from the norm

stable unchanged

shift change

pattern trend

soared rose a lot

respectively in turn

unchanged stable

doubled increased 2x

fallen back decreased after increasing before

dipped fell

at the end of the period by the end of the time surveyed

continued to fall kept decreasing

Pronunciation

kəmˈpeəz 
əˈtɛndəns ˈfɪgəz 
ˈpɪərɪəd 
ˈlʊkɪŋ frɒm ən ˈəʊvərɔːl pəˈspɛktɪvɪt ɪz ˈrɛdɪli əˈpærənt ðæt 
gruː ɪn ˌpɒpjʊˈlærɪti
stiːp 
ˈmɒdərɪt 
ɪn tɜːmz ɒv 
ˈhaɪɪst 
ˈləʊɪst θru(ː)ˈaʊt
ˈsɪmɪlə ˈfɪgəz 
ˈaʊtˌlaɪə 
θruː 
dɪˈklaɪnd ˈgrædjʊəli
ɪkˈsɛpʃən 
ˈsteɪbl
ʃɪft 
ˈpætən 
sɔːd 
rɪsˈpɛktɪvli
ʌnˈʧeɪnʤd 
ˈdʌbld 
ˈfɔːlən bæk 
dɪpt 
æt ði ɛnd ɒv ðə ˈpɪərɪəd
kənˈtɪnju(ː)d tuː fɔːl 

Vocabulary Practice

Remember and fill in the blanks:

The bar chart c___________s a_______________s for museums in London over a period from June to December. L__________________________________t only the British Museum g____________________y, while the others saw s______p or m___________e declines. I_________f overall figures, the British Museum was h_______t and the National Museum l_________________t.

In June, the History Museum (410,000), the British Museum (420,000) and the Science Museum (430,000) had s_______________s with the National Museum the o__________r at just 210,000 visitors. T_________h July, numbers for all museums d________________y, with the e__________n of the British Museum which was s_______e. August saw a s______t in the p_________n as the History and British Museum s_________d to 600,000 and 710,000, r____________y. The Science Museum was u__________d but National Museum admissions d_______d to 380,000.

By September, figures had f_____________k to 390,000 and 590,000 for the History and British Museum, in turn, while the Science Museum rose to 500,000 visitors and the National Museum d_________d to 200,000. A___________________________d, the History Museum c__________________l (270,000) along with the British Museum (470,000), National Museum (190,000), and the Science Museum (300,000).

Listening Practice

Listen to the related topic below and practice with these activities:

Reading Practice

Read more and use these ideas to practice:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

Speaking Practice

Practice with the following related questions from the real IELTS speaking exam:

Art

  1. Should kids be taught art from a young age?
  2. Is it important for all people to get the opportunity to make art?
  3. Should art be sold or kept in museums for the public to see?
  4. Why is art sold for such large sums of money?
  5. What is the attitude to art in your country?

Writing Practice

Practice with the related graph below related to film production in 5 countries and then check with my sample answer:

IELTS Task 1 Essay: Bar Chart (Education)

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