Seven tasks, seven model answers, all written for this guide. Each answer is followed by a short note on what it is doing.
Use them the hard way. Read the task, write your own answer in 20 minutes, and only then read the model.
How to read these samples
Every Academic answer below has the same four parts:
- Introduction — what the visual shows, in different words from the task.
- Overview — the two or three main features, with no figures.
- Detail 1 — one group of information, with figures.
- Detail 2 — the other group.
The Task 1 guide explains the structure and how it is marked. What these samples add is the part that is hard to explain and easy to see: how the detail is split into two groups.
Sample 1: line graph
The graph below shows the number of visitors to three museums in one city between 2010 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| Museum | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| History Museum | 400,000 | 520,000 | 650,000 |
| Science Museum | 550,000 | 500,000 | 430,000 |
| Art Gallery | 150,000 | 300,000 | 320,000 |
The line graph compares how many people visited three museums in a particular city over a ten-year period from 2010 to 2020.
Overall, visitor numbers rose at the History Museum and the Art Gallery but fell at the Science Museum. As a result, the History Museum replaced the Science Museum as the most visited of the three.
In 2010, the Science Museum was the most popular, with 550,000 visitors, compared with 400,000 at the History Museum. Over the following decade these two moved in opposite directions. Attendance at the History Museum climbed steadily to 650,000, while the figure for the Science Museum declined to 430,000, and the History Museum had overtaken it by 2015.
The Art Gallery attracted far fewer people throughout. However, its visitor numbers doubled from 150,000 to 300,000 in the first five years, before growing only slightly to 320,000 by 2020. Despite this increase, it remained the least visited museum at the end of the period.
159 words.
Why it works. The two lines that cross are described together, because the crossing is the story. The third line gets its own paragraph. The overview names the change in ranking without a single number. More on this type in how to describe a line graph.
Sample 2: bar chart
The chart below shows the percentage of people in four age groups who used a public library at least once a month in one country in 2023.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| Age group | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 16–24 | 38% | 31% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 15% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 19% |
| 65 and over | 46% | 41% |
The bar chart illustrates what proportion of men and women in four age groups visited a public library at least monthly in a particular country in 2023.
Overall, library use was highest among the oldest and youngest groups and lowest among people of working age. In every age group, a larger share of women than men used a library.
People aged 65 and over were the most frequent users, at 46% of women and 41% of men. They were followed by the 16 to 24 age group, where the figures were 38% and 31% respectively.
By contrast, far fewer people in the two middle groups visited a library regularly. Among those aged 25 to 44, only 24% of women and 15% of men did so, the lowest figures on the chart. Use was slightly higher among 45 to 64 year olds, at 27% and 19%. The gap between women and men was also widest in the 25 to 44 group, at nine percentage points.
164 words.
Why it works. There are no dates across a period, so nothing “rises” or “falls”. The answer compares sizes. The groups are high users and low users, not the order the bars are printed in. See how to describe a bar chart.
Sample 3: pie charts
The charts below show how households in one country spent their income in 2000 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| Category | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 28% | 36% |
| Food | 30% | 22% |
| Transport | 14% | 15% |
| Leisure | 10% | 14% |
| Other | 18% | 13% |
The two pie charts compare the way households in a particular country divided their spending among five categories in 2000 and in 2020.
Overall, housing took up a growing share of spending and replaced food as the largest category. Leisure also became more important, while the proportion spent on food and on other items fell.
In 2000, food was the biggest expense, at 30% of the total, just ahead of housing at 28%. Twenty years later this order had been reversed. Housing accounted for more than a third of spending, at 36%, whereas food had dropped to 22%, or just over a fifth.
Among the smaller categories, the share spent on leisure increased from a tenth to 14%. Transport was the most stable category, rising by only one percentage point to 15%. The remaining spending, grouped as other, declined from 18% to 13%, making it the smallest category in 2020.
150 words.
Why it works. The answer does not describe the 2000 chart and then the 2020 chart. It takes categories in groups and follows each across both years. Fractions are mixed with percentages, and the category that barely moved is named as stable. See how to describe a pie chart.
Sample 4: table
The table below shows the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom flat and the average monthly salary in four cities in 2022.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| City | Rent | Salary | Rent as share of salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northam | $1,800 | $4,500 | 40% |
| Eastvale | $1,200 | $4,000 | 30% |
| Southport | $900 | $2,500 | 36% |
| Westbrook | $600 | $2,400 | 25% |
The table gives information about typical rents and salaries in four cities in 2022, together with the proportion of a monthly salary that rent represented.
Overall, cities with higher salaries also had higher rents. However, rent did not take up the same share of income everywhere: it was the heaviest burden in Northam and the lightest in Westbrook.
Northam was the most expensive city, with an average rent of $1,800 a month, three times the figure for Westbrook, the cheapest, at $600. Salaries followed a similar pattern but the differences were smaller, ranging from $4,500 in Northam to $2,400 in Westbrook.
As a result, the share of salary spent on rent varied considerably. Tenants in Northam paid 40% of their income, compared with only a quarter in Westbrook. Southport stands out, because although its rent was relatively low at $900, salaries there were also low, so rent consumed 36% of income, more than in the wealthier city of Eastvale, where the figure was 30%.
164 words.
Why it works. Twelve figures, and the answer uses most of them only because the table is small. Each one is tied to a comparison. The exception, Southport, is picked out and explained from the table’s own numbers, not from outside knowledge. See how to describe a table.
Sample 5: process
The diagram below shows how recycled paper is produced.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The diagram has seven stages: waste paper is collected from homes and offices → sorted by hand → mixed with water and chemicals to make pulp → pulp is cleaned and ink removed → spread on a wire mesh and pressed by rollers → dried with heated cylinders → wound onto large reels for delivery.
The diagram illustrates the stages by which waste paper is turned into new paper.
Overall, this is a linear process of seven steps. It begins with the collection of used paper and ends with reels of recycled paper that are ready for delivery, and it involves both manual work and machinery.
In the first stage, waste paper is collected from homes and offices. It is then sorted by hand, after which it is mixed with water and chemicals so that it breaks down into a soft pulp. Once the pulp has been produced, it is cleaned and the ink is removed.
The clean pulp is next spread across a wire mesh, where rollers press it into thin sheets and squeeze out most of the water. Following this, the sheets are passed over heated cylinders to be dried. Finally, the finished paper is wound onto large reels, which are then delivered to customers.
152 words.
Why it works. A man-made process, so the passive carries it: is collected, is sorted, are passed. The overview gives the shape of the process, not just the number of boxes. The split comes where the material changes from waste into clean pulp. See how to describe a process diagram.
Sample 6: semi-formal letter (General Training)
You have been working in the same job for two years and would like to attend a training course.
Write a letter to your manager. In your letter
- describe the course you would like to attend
- explain how it would help you in your job
- say what arrangements would be needed while you are away
Dear Ms Rahman,
I am writing to ask whether I could attend a training course in project management next month.
The course is run by the City Business Institute and lasts three days, from 14 to 16 November. It covers planning, budgeting and managing a team, and it leads to a certificate that is recognised across our industry. The fee is $450.
I believe the course would make me more useful to the department. Since March I have been coordinating the website project, and I have had to learn how to plan deadlines and costs as I go. Formal training would help me to do this more efficiently and to avoid the delays we had in the summer.
While I am away, Daniel has kindly offered to answer any urgent questions from clients, and I would complete my weekly report before I leave. I would also be available by email each evening.
I would be grateful if you could let me know whether this is possible.
Yours sincerely,
Aisha Karim
170 words.
Why it works. The reader is known by name and is senior (the letter guide explains how to choose the register), so the tone is polite and complete without being stiff. The purpose is in the first line. Each bullet point has its own paragraph, and invented details (dates, a fee, a colleague’s name) do the developing.
Sample 7: informal letter (General Training)
A friend from another country is coming to visit your city for the first time and has asked for your advice.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
- suggest when to come
- recommend what to see and do
- offer some help with the visit
Dear Marco,
It was great to hear from you, and even better to hear that you’re finally coming to visit!
If you can choose your dates, I’d come in October. The summer heat has gone by then, it hardly ever rains, and the hotels are much cheaper than in August. Try to avoid the first week, though, because there’s a national holiday and everything gets crowded.
There’s plenty to do. You have to see the old town, which is full of narrow streets and tiny cafes, and I know you’ll love the food market by the river. If you like walking, we could spend a day in the hills just outside the city. The view from the top is amazing.
You’re welcome to stay with me, of course. I’ve got a spare room, and I can pick you up from the airport if you send me your flight details. I’ll also take a couple of days off work so I can show you around.
Let me know what you decide. I can’t wait to see you!
Best wishes,
Sam
179 words.
Why it works. Contractions, direct questions and friendly phrases are right here, and would be wrong in sample 6. The register is informal from the first line to the sign-off and never slips into business language. All three bullet points are still covered, one paragraph each.
What the seven have in common
- None explains a cause that the visual does not show.
- None has a conclusion. The Academic answers end when the detail ends.
- Every Academic answer has an overview without figures.
- Every letter states its purpose at the start and gives each bullet point a paragraph.
- All are between 150 and 190 words.
Practise it
Pick one task above, set a timer for 20 minutes and write your own answer before you look at the model again. Then put it through the IELTS writing checker, which scores Task 1 on all four criteria for both Academic tasks and General Training letters.
Sources
- IELTS Writing band descriptors (PDF) The public Task 1 descriptors, including the Band 7 requirement for a clear overview and, for letters, a clear purpose and consistent tone.
- IELTS Academic Writing test format Official Task 1 format: at least 150 words in about 20 minutes.
Last reviewed October 5, 2026. See our editorial policy for how guides are checked and corrected.
Frequently asked questions
- Are these real IELTS Writing Task 1 questions?
- No. Every task and every answer on this page was written for this guide in the format of the test. Real test questions are copyrighted and are not reproduced here.
- What band are these Task 1 sample answers?
- They are written to show what the Band 7 and above descriptors ask for: a clear overview, data grouped logically, and accurate language. Only an examiner can award a band, so treat them as models of structure, not as certified scores.
- Should I memorise IELTS Task 1 sample answers?
- No. Memorised wording rarely fits the data in front of you, and examiners disregard language that is clearly rehearsed. Learn the four-paragraph structure and the way each answer groups its information, then write your own.
- How should I use Task 1 samples to practise?
- Cover the model answer, write your own in 20 minutes, then compare. Check four things: whether you wrote an overview, how you grouped the detail, which figures you chose, and whether your tenses match the dates.
- Do Task 1 answers for different chart types use the same structure?
- Yes. An introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of detail works for line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, tables, maps and processes. What changes is how you group the detail and which language you need.
- How long should a General Training Task 1 letter sample be?
- The same as an Academic answer: at least 150 words, and 160 to 190 in practice. A letter needs a greeting, a line stating its purpose, one paragraph for each of the three bullet points, and a closing.