This is an IELTS writing task 1 sample answer essay related to the number of people living in households in the UK (a bar chart).
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IELTS Writing Task 1 Sample Answer Essay: UK Households Bar Chart
The chart compares the number of people per household by percentage in the UK in 1981 and 2001.
The bar chart details percentages for the number of people living in households across a twenty year period beginning in 1981 in the UK. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that the households with more people declined and the reverse was true of smaller homes. The middle groups were the only exceptions to this with increases for 4 people homes and declines for 3 person homes.
The overall leaders in both time periods belonged to 1 and 2 people households. Both increased by 3%, finishing the time surveyed at 26% for the former and 34% for the latter. This contrasted with 5 person households (falling by a quarter to 6%) and 6 or more people in a home, which plummeted from 6% to 2%.
The middle groups showed divergent trends with 4 people homes rising by 3% to 15% and 3 people homes declining by the same margin to 17%.
Analysis
1. The bar chart details percentages for the number of people living in households across a twenty year period beginning in 1981 in the UK. 2. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that the households with more people declined and the reverse was true of smaller homes. 3. The middle groups were the only exceptions to this with increases for 4 people homes and declines for 3 person homes.
- Paraphrase what the chart shows.
- Write a general overview. Include whether each category increased/decreased.
- Be sure to mention any possible exceptions.
1. The overall leaders in both time periods belonged to 1 and 2 people households. 2. Both increased by 3%, finishing the time surveyed at 26% for the former and 34% for the latter. 3. This contrasted with 5 person households (falling by a quarter to 6%) and 6 or more people in a home, which plummeted from 6% to 2%.
- Begin to compare and describe the data.
- Include the starting and ending points (or imply them as I do).
- Make sure you include all the data.
1. The middle groups showed divergent trends with 4 people homes rising by 3% to 15% and 3 people homes declining by the same margin to 17%.
- Don’t forget to write about all the categories on the chart.
Vocabulary
What do the words in bold below mean?
The bar chart details percentages for the number of people living in households across a twenty year period beginning in 1981 in the UK. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that the households with more people declined and the reverse was true of smaller homes. The middle groups were the only exceptions to this with increases for 4 people homes and declines for 3 person homes.
The overall leaders in both time periods belonged to 1 and 2 people households. Both increased by 3%, finishing the time surveyed at 26% for the former and 34% for the latter. This contrasted with 5 person households (falling by a quarter to 6%) and 6 or more people in a home, which plummeted from 6% to 2%.
The middle groups showed divergent trends with 4 people homes rising by 3% to 15% and 3 people homes declining by the same margin to 17%.
Answers
details illustrates, describes, gives information about
across over
twenty year period 10 years
Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that Overall
declined decreased
the reverse was true of the opposite was the case for
only exceptions cases that don’t fit the pattern
declines noun for decreases
belonged to owned by
finishing the time surveyed at at the end of the period stood at
the former the first mentioned category
the latter the last mentioned category from the sentence before
contrasted with compared to
falling by a quarter to decreased 25%
plummeted from fell sharply
showed divergent trends had different patterns
rising increasing
declining decreasing
margin the difference/gap
Pronunciation
Listen and repeat:
ˈdiːteɪlz
əˈkrɒs
ˈtwɛnti jɪə ˈpɪərɪəd
ˈlʊkɪŋ frɒm ən ˈəʊvərɔːl pəˈspɛktɪv, ɪt ɪz ˈrɛdɪli əˈpærənt ðæt
dɪˈklaɪnd
ðə rɪˈvɜːs wɒz truː ɒv
ˈəʊnli ɪkˈsɛpʃənz
dɪˈklaɪnz
bɪˈlɒŋd tuː
ˈfɪnɪʃɪŋ ðə taɪm sɜːˈveɪd æt
ðə ˈfɔːmə
ðə ˈlætə
kənˈtrɑːstɪd wɪð
ˈfɔːlɪŋ baɪ ə ˈkwɔːtə tuː
ˈplʌmɪtɪd frɒm
ʃəʊd daɪˈvɜːʤənt trɛndz
ˈraɪzɪŋ
dɪˈklaɪnɪŋ
ˈmɑːʤɪn
Vocabulary Practice
Remember and fill in the blanks:
The bar chart d_________s percentages for the number of people living in households a__________s a t____________________d beginning in 1981 in the UK. L____________________________________________________t the households with more people d_____________d and t_________________________f smaller homes. The middle groups were the o____________________s to this with increases for 4 people homes and d_____________s for 3 person homes.
The overall leaders in both time periods b_______________o 1 and 2 people households. Both increased by 3%, f___________________________t 26% for t__________________r and 34% for t_______________r. This c__________________h 5 person households (f_________________________o 6%) and 6 or more people in a home, which p______________________m 6% to 2%.
The middle groups s______________________s with 4 people homes r_____________g by 3% to 15% and 3 people homes d______________g by the same m___________n to 17%.
Listen and check:
Listening Practice
Learn more about overcrowding here:
Reading Practice
See some more charts here about people living alone:
https://ourworldindata.org/living-alone
Speaking Practice
Answer the following questions from the new IELTS speaking booklet:
Where you Live
Did you like the house you grew up in?
What was your favourite area of the house you grew up in?
How do you want to live in the future?
Real IELTS Speaking Exam
Writing Practice
Write about the following related graph showing the percentages of young people studying in higher education:
The pie charts illustrate the proportion of households of different sizes in the UK and two separate years, 1981 and 2001.
Overall, two people families made up the largest proportion in both years, and the percentages of small households with two people and one person increased considerably over the given period. Figures for the remaining categories decreased with an exception of 4-people families, which showed a reverse trend.
Two people families were leading in both periods with 31% and 34% respective. The second most popular categories, single person households, also recoded a 3% rise to just over a quarter in the latter year. Likewise, figures for 4-people families climbed from 12% to 15% over the years.
In contrast, households with three people used to made up a fifth of the total in 1981, and this number fell to 17% at the end of the period. Similarly, the percentages of families with 5 people and 6 or more dropped from 8% and 6% respectively at the beginning to 6% and as low as 2% in turn two decades after.
hi
Hi , I believe the sentence ” The overall leaders in both time periods belonged to 1 and 2 people households. Both increased by 3%,” is not exactly truthful. the rise from 23% to 23.69% is a 3% increase. From 23% to 26% is a roughly 13% increase. And this tend to be a common mistake in all percentage essays here.
You are not expected to do advanced mathematical calculations on the exam. This is simply another way to describe an increase – it’s not a math test!