Bar Chart IELTS Sample: Family Expenditure Analysis Guide

How to Effectively Describe a Bar Chart of an American Family’s Monthly Expenditures

Overview

The bar chart compares a U.S. family’s monthly spending on food, gas, and clothing over four months. Food spending leads in January, but clothing overtakes it in February, while gas remains the lowest throughout. By March, all categories dip, yet the overall average spending peaks. In April, the average slightly declines as gas and clothing expenses rise sharply, contrasting with a modest drop in food costs. This fluctuating pattern highlights the family’s shifting priorities and the volatility of household budgets.

Key Features

• Clear trend lines for each category (food = blue, gas = pink, clothing = purple).
• Month‑by‑month shifts: food dominates early, clothing spikes in February, gas climbs late.
• Overall average peaks in March then eases in April.
• Pronounced variability indicating unstable expenditure patterns.

Our Review

We find the sample’s core idea solid but its execution needs tightening. The description captures the main movements, yet the organization is fragmented and linking devices are misused (“First thing first,” “In contrast of”). Vocabulary repeats “expenditures” and misapplies terms like “rate.” To boost the band score, writers should adopt precise synonyms, varied sentence structures, and logical paragraphing. By integrating accurate data references and cohesive transitions, the essay will convey a more authoritative, polished analysis.

Student Submission

The bar chart illustrates the monthly expenditures of an American family in three different items.

First thing first, the items are portrayed in three different lines. Which are, food in blue, gas in pink and clothing in purple. As stated in the chart, the propotion of the expenditures had never been steady. Thus, the average rate had drastically changed because of the unstable expenditure rates.

In January, the rate of food expenditures are greater than gas and clothing expenditures. Nevertheless, in February the expenditures of clothing overtook the first place from food expenditures. According to this increase in clothing expenditure rates, the average propotion had increased. In the following month, all of the expenditure rates had fallen down. In contrast of, food expenditures. Besides, the average rate had reached to its peak. Nevertheless, in April the average rate had slightly decreased. On the other hand, the expenditures of gas and clothing had increased drastically. Unlike, the food expenditures.

In a nutshell, all of these three expenditure rates had changed bunch of times over months.

IELTS Essay Assessment

1. IELTS Writing Score: 5/9 ■■■■■□□□□

2. Score Breakdown:

• Task Achievement: 5/9 - The essay addresses the task by describing the trends in the bar chart. However, the description is somewhat disorganized and lacks detailed analysis of the fluctuations. Key features are mentioned but not explained in sufficient depth. The concluding sentence is weak and doesn't summarise the main trends effectively.

• Coherence and Cohesion: 4/9 - The essay lacks a clear structure. Paragraphing is inconsistent and illogical. The use of linking words is haphazard and often inappropriate (e.g., "First thing first," "In contrast of"). The overall flow of ideas is disjointed.

• Lexical Resource: 5/9 - The vocabulary is adequate but contains some inaccuracies and inappropriate word choices (e.g., "propotion," "overtook the first place"). The range of vocabulary is limited, and there's repetition of words like "expenditures" and "rate."

• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 5/9 - Grammatical errors are frequent, including incorrect tense usage, preposition errors ("In contrast of"), subject-verb agreement issues, and article misuse. Sentence structures are often simple and lack variety.

3. Error Analysis:

• Vocabulary Errors:

  • [propotion] -> [ proportion ] : Incorrect spelling.
  • [overtook the first place] -> [ became the highest ] : More natural and precise phrasing.
  • [rate] -> [ amount, spending, cost ] : Overuse of "rate"; more varied vocabulary needed.
  • [bunch of times] -> [ significantly, substantially, repeatedly ] : Informal and imprecise.
  • [fallen down] -> [ decreased ] : More formal and concise.
  • [reached to its peak] -> [ reached its peak ] : Unnecessary "to."

• Grammar Errors:

  • [First thing first] -> [ Firstly, ] : Informal and grammatically incorrect phrase.
  • [the rate of food expenditures are] -> [ the amount spent on food was ] : Subject-verb agreement error.
  • [In contrast of, food expenditures] -> [ In contrast, food expenditures ] : Incorrect preposition.
  • [Nevertheless, in April the average rate had slightly decreased] -> [ However, in April, the average expenditure decreased slightly. ] : Improved sentence structure and word choice.
  • [all of these three expenditure rates had changed bunch of times over months] -> [ These three expenditure amounts fluctuated considerably over the months. ] : Improved sentence structure and word choice.

4. English Model Essay:

The bar chart displays the monthly expenditure of an American family on food, gas, and clothing. Expenditure on each item fluctuated considerably throughout the period shown.

In January, food expenditure was highest, exceeding that of gas and clothing. However, in February, clothing expenditure surpassed food, becoming the largest expense. March saw a decrease in spending across all three categories, although food expenditure remained relatively high. April showed a slight decrease in overall spending, but gas and clothing expenditures increased significantly, contrasting with a further reduction in food spending.

In summary, the family's spending habits exhibited considerable month-to-month variation, with clothing and gas expenditure showing the most dramatic changes.