Energy Consumption Bar Chart
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 157 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 20 minutes. Write at least 150 words.
The bar chart below shows the average annual energy consumption per person (in kilowatt-hours) in five different countries in 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. [Chart Data] Country | kWh per person USA | 12,154 Germany | 6,699 Japan | 7,232 Brazil | 2,570 India | 972
How to approach it
- 01Start with a paraphrase of the chart description
- 02Include an overview paragraph highlighting the main trend
- 03Use comparison language: 'nearly double', 'approximately one-fifth'
- 04Don't describe every single number — select the key features
- 05Use data to support your points but don't just list numbers
Model answer
157 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
The bar chart illustrates the average annual energy consumption per capita in five countries during 2020, measured in kilowatt-hours.
Overall, the United States had by far the highest energy consumption per person, while India recorded the lowest. There was a significant disparity between developed and developing nations.
The USA led with 12,154 kWh per person, which was nearly double that of Japan at 7,232 kWh. Germany followed closely behind Japan with 6,699 kWh per capita. These three developed nations consumed substantially more energy than the remaining two countries.
In contrast, Brazil's per-person consumption stood at 2,570 kWh, approximately one-fifth of the American figure. India recorded the lowest consumption at just 972 kWh per person — roughly twelve times less than the USA and nearly three times less than Brazil.
The data clearly demonstrates that industrialised nations consume significantly more energy per capita than developing countries, with the gap between the highest and lowest consumers exceeding a twelvefold difference.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 38 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
50.5 fewer than the median answer for this task type
10 words at the shortest, 29 at the longest
2 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 17.4 words and vary by 6.1 words either side of that, running from 10 words to 29. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 3 of the 9 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
3 in total, spread across 2 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
in contrast, while
overall
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 67 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 49 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 6 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
Cover all key features and make comparisons
Coherence & Cohesion
Organise information logically with linking
Lexical Resource
Use varied vocabulary for describing data
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use accurate structures for comparison
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