In this post: A rewritten overview and body paragraph for the Band 6.5 essay, a framework for mixed charts, a self-check list and practice tasks.
Mixed Chart Samples · 3 parts
- 1. At a glance and Band 6.5 essay
- 2. Band 7 essay and the gap
- 3. Rewrite, framework, checklist (you are here)
✦ In this post
5. Rewrite: overview + one body paragraph
Here is my rewrite of the Band 6.5 essay, done now, looking back; it is labelled “Rewrite”. The aim is not to make the sentences fancy but to fix the data errors and link the two charts.
Rewrite | Introduction + overview
The bar chart compares the value of five categories of exports from one country in 2015 and 2016, while the table shows the percentage change in each category over the same period. Overall, export earnings rose in four of the five categories, with gems and jewellery being the only one to decline. Petroleum products remained the most valuable export in both years, whereas textiles recorded by far the fastest growth.
| What changed | Why |
|---|---|
| line chart → bar chart | The chart type must be right |
| Added five categories and over the same period | Tells the reader that both charts cover the same categories and the same period |
| increased by far → rose in four of the five categories | Removes the inaccurate by far, saving it for textiles, which really are far ahead |
| Added Petroleum products remained the most valuable | The bar chart’s most obvious feature (which is highest) was missing from the original overview |
Rewrite | Body (values + percentages together)
Looking at the categories that grew, textiles saw the most dramatic rise, jumping by 15.24% from about $26 billion to just over $31 billion, which brought it roughly level with agricultural products. Engineered goods also increased considerably, by 8.5%, to around $62 billion, almost catching up with petroleum products, which grew only modestly (3%) to roughly $63 billion. Agricultural products, by contrast, were almost unchanged, rising by a mere 0.81%. Gems and jewellery was the only category to fall, with its value dropping by 5.18% to approximately $41 billion.
The point of this paragraph is that every category appears with both its value and its percentage. For textiles, for instance, both 15.24% and 26 → 31 are given, so the reader can see at once why its growth rate was the highest even though its value was still small. All five percentages are now included, and −5.18% for gems and jewellery and +0.81% for agricultural products are back in the right places.
The structure of the full rewritten essay would be: introduction + overview → Body 1 on the categories that grew (petroleum, engineered goods, textiles) → Body 2 on the categories that barely changed or fell (agricultural products, gems and jewellery). The demonstration above squeezes the two into one paragraph so you can see it all at once; in the exam, splitting it into two paragraphs is clearer.
6. A framework for mixed charts you can take away
First sentence: one verb for each chart
Sentence frames
The bar chart compares [topic 1], while the table shows [topic 2].
The pie chart illustrates [topic 1], and the bar chart gives information on [topic 2].
Overview: one key point per chart
Sentence frames
Overall, [the biggest or most obvious feature of chart 1]. In terms of [the topic of chart 2], [the most obvious feature or contrast in chart 2].
Overall, it is clear that [shared trend], with [the single exception] being the only exception.
Sentences that link the two charts
| Purpose | Sentence pattern |
|---|---|
| Using a percentage to explain a value | X rose by 15%, from about $26bn to $31bn. |
| Small base, fast growth | Despite starting from the lowest base, X recorded the fastest growth. |
| Value almost unchanged | X remained almost unchanged, rising by a mere 0.8%. |
| The only fall | X was the only category to fall, dropping by 5%. |
| Catching up | …, which brought it roughly level with Y. |
How to split the 20 minutes
| Time | What to do | Special attention for mixed charts |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 min | Study the charts; circle the highest, the lowest and the single exception | Decide whether the two charts share categories |
| 3–4 min | Decide how to paragraph | One chart per paragraph, or group by trend |
| 4–7 min | Write the introduction + overview | One key point per chart, no numbers |
| 7–17 min | Write the two body paragraphs | Check each figure against the chart as soon as you write it |
| 17–20 min | Check | Chart type, category names, subject–verb agreement |
The dance classes essay took me 18 minutes for 175 words, which was about right. If you always reach 20 minutes and still can’t stop, it is usually because your body paragraphs include too many unimportant numbers; check whether you have written two or three figures for every category. The 150-word minimum for Task 1 is not high, so rather than writing more, save the time for checking.
7. Self-check list and practice
A 2-minute check after you finish
- □ Is the chart type (bar / line / pie / table) in your first sentence correct?
- □ Does the overview have one key point for each chart? Does it include “highest / lowest” or “the only exception”?
- □ Have you checked every figure against the chart once: right row, right category, units included?
- □ Have you used all the figures in the table? If any are missing, is there a good reason?
- □ If the two charts share categories, is there at least one sentence linking them?
- □ Are emphasis words like by far and dramatically only used where the difference really is large?
- □ Subject–verb agreement: exception was, categories show, both years.
Common errors
| Error | My example | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong chart type | line chart (it was a bar chart) | Look at the task chart again as soon as you finish your first sentence |
| Reading the wrong row | 0.81% attached to gems and jewellery | Put your finger on that row of the chart as you write each figure |
| Incomplete coverage | Only three figures from the table | When a table has only a few categories (five or fewer), cover them all |
| Shortened category names | community halls (missing “and other”) | Copy category names in full from the chart |
| Word order in indirect questions | which classes do students attend | Questions inside a sentence always take statement word order |
Practice
- Rewrite the third paragraph (the percentages paragraph) of my Band 6.5 essay so that each category is given with both its value and its percentage, in about 70 words.
- Find a “pie chart + table” mixed-chart task. Before writing, decide: do the two charts share categories? One chart per paragraph, or group by trend?
- Write only the overview: give yourself 3 minutes for two sentences, one per chart. Then compare it with the overview of the Band 7 essay (in Part 2) and check whether you covered “the biggest” and “the contrast”.
Mixed charts look like a lot of information, but once you have decided how to paragraph and checked every figure, the gap between 6.5 and 7 is smaller than you think. I suggest making “spend one minute planning the paragraphs, then check every figure when you finish” a fixed habit; those two steps alone would have prevented most of the marks lost in my 6.5 essay.
Further reading
- How to check your IELTS sub-scores: the four scores your report does not show (in Chinese)
- My successful IDP re-mark: Writing from 6.5 to 7.0 (in Chinese)
- My review of tutor Ali: streamlining my essay structure from 400 to 300 words (in Chinese)
- Farid, a former examiner: live feedback on Speaking and Writing (in Chinese)
- All my IELTS preparation notes (in Chinese)
This is the last part of “Mixed Chart Samples”. To start again, go back to Part 1.
IELTS Notes in English · Band Score Samples (post 5 of 19)
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Task 1 Structure · Task 2 Structure · Topic Guides · Writing Language · Band Score Samples · Practice Methods · Speaking & Study Tips
✦ Target Your Future
Some days you practise for hours and the score still does not move. I hope these notes remind you that the setbacks are part of the road: every recording you replayed, every essay you rewrote and every sentence you finally dared to say is progress you have already made.
I wrote this down so the next person can take fewer detours. You do not have to follow my method exactly. Find a rhythm that works for you, rest when you need to, and come back for the next small step.
I hope what you take away is more than a number on a score report: a little more confidence in yourself, and the courage to step a bit closer to the world.
— Ting
← Back to IELTS notes in English
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