By English Test Coach · Updated
Academic Task 1 · Charts and data
Passenger journeys and fares
An original IELTS practice question with a planning route and a sample answer to learn from.
Aim for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. Suggested practice level: advanced, not a predicted band.
Your writing task
The bar chart shows annual passenger journeys by three forms of regional transport in 2010 and 2025, while the table gives the average single fare for each form in the same years. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Open full-size diagram (new tab)Read the chart data as a table
These figures belong to the original English Test Coach practice visual. They are fictional teaching data, not measured statistics about real places.
| Mode | 2010 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Bus | 48 | 62 |
| Train | 35 | 58 |
| Ferry | 12 | 10 |
| Mode | 2010 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Bus | £1.50 | £2.20 |
| Train | £3.80 | £4.50 |
| Ferry | £2.50 | £3.00 |
Journeys count trips, not distinct people. Keep the two measures separate: a fare in pounds cannot be added to a number of journeys. Shared years do not establish that price changes caused changes in use.
How to approach this question
Give an overview of the main patterns and support selected comparisons with accurate figures and units.
Mixed charts: cover both visuals and keep their units clear →
Overview selection: connect the two visuals without implying that higher fares caused a change in journeys. Bus remains the most used mode, train records the largest passenger increase and nearly reaches the bus total, while ferry use falls slightly. All three average fares rise.
Detail grouping: compare passenger volumes together first, then compare fares in a separate paragraph. Keep millions of journeys distinct from pounds, and use arithmetic differences only where they clarify the strongest contrasts.
These are possible directions, not required opinions or facts to memorise. Develop your own response and check every claim against the task.
A possible plan
- Introduction: identify what is shown, including the time period or stages where relevant.
- Overview: select the largest changes, main contrasts or overall process without inventing causes.
- Details 1: group related features and support them with accurate data, locations or stages.
- Details 2: cover the remaining main features and make relevant comparisons. Check units, dates and direction of change.
Vocabulary you can use precisely
Choose language that fits your meaning. You do not need to include every phrase.
- narrowed the gap
- Reduced the difference between two values over time.
Train travel narrowed the gap with bus use from 13 million journeys to 4 million.
- average single fare
- The mean price paid for one one-way journey.
The average single fare for rail travel rose from £3.80 to £4.50.
Ready to write your own answer?
The workspace opens with this question selected, not the sample answer. Plan, write and review your own response. Public AI assessments are currently paused; the writing and study tools remain available.
Start this writing task →