IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Bar Chart Analysis - Factors Influencing University Choice

The question

How to approach this bar chart question

A bar chart compares categories or shows change between points in time. Write an overview of the biggest differences, then compare the highest, lowest and any surprise.

1. Name the chart, the units and the time or places it covers in one sentence (paraphrase the question).
2. Write an overview: the largest and smallest categories, or the main change over time.
3. Group the bars into two body paragraphs by similarity, not one by one.
4. Quote the key numbers only, with units, and compare them.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Overview: one sentence stating that academic reputation was the most cited reason for choosing a university, and campus facilities the least.
2. Body 1: the two leading reasons, academic reputation (35 per cent) and specific course availability (25 per cent), which together account for 60 per cent.
3. Body 2: the middle reasons, career prospects (20 per cent) and location (10 per cent), with a comparison between them.
4. Body 3: the two smallest reasons, cost or tuition fees (7 per cent) and campus facilities (3 per cent), with a comparison to the leading reason.

Key features to spot

• Academic reputation is the most cited reason at 35 per cent, more than eleven times the share for campus facilities (3 per cent).
• Academic reputation and specific course availability together account for 60 per cent of the responses.
• Career prospects (20 per cent) were cited twice as often as location (10 per cent).
• Cost or tuition fees ranked fifth at 7 per cent, behind location, which is a notable finding given public debate about fees.
• Campus facilities were the least common reason, cited by only 3 per cent of students.
• The data are from the National Student Survey of 2023 and are presented as percentages of undergraduate students.

Useful vocabulary

• the most frequently cited reason: Academic reputation was the most frequently cited reason for choosing a university.
• accounts for: Academic reputation accounts for 35 per cent of the responses.
• a combined share of: Reputation and course availability together make up a combined share of 60 per cent.
• is cited by: A quarter of students cited course availability as their main reason.
• trail behind: Campus facilities trail far behind all other reasons.
• twice as often as: Career prospects were cited twice as often as location.
• a marginal factor: Cost was a marginal factor, at 7 per cent of responses.
• a small minority: A small minority, 3 per cent, chose campus facilities.
• roughly a fifth: Roughly a fifth of students chose career prospects.
• over a third: Over a third of students chose academic reputation.

Common mistakes

• Describing the values as numbers of students, when the chart shows percentages of responses.
• Describing 35 per cent as 'a third', rather than 'over a third'.
• Going through the six bars one by one instead of grouping them into high, middle and low.
• Stating that cost was the lowest reason, when campus facilities were lower at 3 per cent.
• Ignoring the 2023 date and the National Student Survey source, which provide context for the figures.

Examiner tip: Group the six bars into high, middle and low, and compare the first and last categories explicitly, quoting percentages so the comparison is precise.