The column graph shows the percentage of males in a particular country who prefer watching sports to males who prefer participating in sports.

Males Watching vs Participating Sports Country Bar Chart - IELTS Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 9 · 203 words.

The bar chart compares the percentages of men in a particular country who prefer watching sports with those who prefer participating in them across six different activities.

Overall, watching sports is more popular than taking part in them in most categories. The only exception is fishing, where participation is significantly higher. In addition, football attracts the highest percentage of viewers, while fishing has the greatest level of participation.

Looking at the figures in detail, football is the most watched sport, with about 40% of men choosing to watch it, compared to only around 10% who prefer to play it. A similar pattern can be seen in basketball and horse riding and racing, where viewing rates are approximately 35%, while participation stands at around 25% and 20% respectively.

Rugby and badminton show smaller differences between the two preferences. Around 28% of men enjoy watching rugby, whereas 20% participate in it. In badminton, the percentages are almost equal, at roughly 27% for watching and 25% for participating.

By contrast, fishing stands out as the most unusual category. Only about 12% of men prefer watching it, while as many as 50% choose to take part in it, making it the highest participation figure on the chart.

Examiner feedback

This is an exceptional response that meets all the criteria for Band 9. It provides a clear, concise overview and follows up with logical, data-supported paragraphs that highlight the most interesting comparisons and contrasts.

Task Achievement - 9

- All requirements of the task are fully satisfied with a very clear overview identifying the main trends and the exception (fishing). - Key features are skillfully selected and highlighted, focusing on the significant differences and similarities. - Data points provided are accurate based on the typical visual representation of this common IELTS task.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- Paragraphing is logically managed with a clear introduction, overview, and detail paragraphs based on trends. - Cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'whereas', and 'in addition' are used naturally and effectively. - The progression of ideas is effortless to follow, with smooth transitions between comparing different sports.

Lexical Resource - 9

- Sophisticated control of lexical features is evident (e.g., 'viewing rates', 'participation stands at', 'stands out'). - Vocabulary is precise and varied, avoiding repetition of 'watching' or 'playing' through synonyms like 'viewers' and 'taking part'. - Collocations are used naturally throughout the response.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of complex structures is used with full flexibility and accuracy (e.g., 'making it the highest participation figure'). - The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled masterfully. - Tense usage is consistent and appropriate for describing a static chart.

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