IELTS Academic Writing Task 1/ Graph Writing – Bar Chart/ Column Graph:
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph below shows the daily water consumption for Americans in their homes.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Model Answer 1:
The column chart compares how much water Americans use per day at home for six activities, measured in gallons, under two conditions: without water conservation and with water-saving methods.
Overall, households that apply conservation measures consume substantially less water, especially for high-use tasks such as flushing toilets, washing clothes, and taking showers.
Without conservation, the highest amount of water is used for flushing the toilet, at 19 gallons per day, followed by taking showers (16 gallons) and washing clothes (11 gallons). After conservation methods are introduced, these figures drop sharply to 5 gallons for toilet flushing, 8 gallons for showering, and just 3 gallons for clothes washing. This means cleaning and toilet-related water use decreases by around 14 gallons, representing the most dramatic reduction overall.
The remaining activities account for far smaller amounts of water in both cases. Using faucets stays at about 11 gallons per day regardless of conservation, while other uses remain low at roughly 2 gallons. Similarly, washing dishes consumes the least water and shows no change, at only 1 gallon per day in each scenario. It is worth noticing that an average American can save up to 21 gallons of water if they consume water conservatively.
Sample Answer 2:
The graph presents data on the daily water usage by an average American for different purposes. The water consumption is measured in gallons per day and is compared, considering whether a conservation method is used or not.
Overall, water conservation saves a great deal of water, and the highest amount of water Americans consume is for flushing toilets, washing clothes and taking showers.
According to the bar chart, an average American uses the highest amount of water per day (19 gallons) for flushing toilets alone. Half of that consumption could be saved if the water conservation methods were used. An American citizen uses 15 gallons of water, the second-highest requirement for daily usage, to clean clothes using a washing machine, and this could be reduced by 4 gallons through conservation techniques. Interestingly, the same amount of water is needed for using faucets regardless of the conservation method, and this quantity is 11 gallons. Leaks waste 10 gallons of water a day, which could be reduced by 50% by using conservation. The least water consumption could be observed for washing dishes in dishwashers. Moreover, an average American consumes 13 gallons of water to take a shower, and this is even higher than the water required for using faucets. Three gallons of water could be saved from shower usage daily if it is done conservatively. It is interesting to notice that an American can save more than 20 gallons of water each day if the conservation method is in place.
The given bar chart displays the daily usage of water of an average American household for seven different purposes. The data is measured in gallons and there are comparisons regarding conservation methods.
Overall, four out of seven activities show the effectiveness of the methods. Furthermore, flushing toilet uses up the largest amount of water. More specific information will be summarized below.
As mentioned, with 19 gallons of water each day, flushing toilet stands on the top of the list. This figure is greatly reduced to 10 gallons with the usage of conservation methods. Another look at the diagram suggests that bathing and washing machines can reduce 3 to 4 gallons every day, from 13 and 15 gallons to 10 and 11 respectively. Leaks see a more significant decrease if the techniques are used, as they turn out to waste only half as much. Interestingly, the three other activities witness no changes regardless of the usage of conservation methods. Faucets use up 11 gallons each day, 11 times the figure of dishwashers and 5.5 times the water for other uses.