Onterra TutorBar chart: new car sales by fuel type, 2018 to 2024
A real-format chart task with a band 8 report written from its data, the plan behind it, and the phrases worth keeping. Aim for 150 to 190 words in 20 minutes.
The task
| New cars sold by fuel type (thousands) | 2018 | 2021 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 820 | 610 | 400 |
| Diesel | 510 | 300 | 150 |
| Electric | 40 | 190 | 520 |
Band 8 model answer
172 words. The minimum is 150, and anything under it is penalised on Task Achievement; a strong answer sits between 150 and 190, which leaves time to check the figures.
Why this answer earns band 8
- "electric car sales grew rapidly from a very small base" gives the overview a trend and its starting point, so the reader knows the growth is dramatic because the base was tiny, which is Task Achievement.
- "electric cars were a niche product at only 40,000" uses a vivid, accurate noun phrase for a small figure, the Lexical Resource that separates a band 8 report from a list of numbers.
- "The trend continued in 2024." is a short topic sentence that links the last paragraph to the one before, the Coherence and Cohesion signpost for a three-point time series.
- "Electric sales reached 520,000, thirteen times their 2018 level and 120,000 above petrol, which had fallen to 400,000" stacks two comparisons and a relative clause in one sentence, the Grammatical Range and Accuracy expected at band 8.
- "Total sales also shrank, from 1.37 million in 2018 to 1.07 million in 2024" adds a total the chart never prints, and both sums are correct, which is the extra insight Task Achievement rewards when it is accurate.
The plan, reusable on any chart of this kind
- Introduction (1 sentence, 20-30 words): the measure, the unit, the three fuel types and the three years.
- Overview (1 long sentence, 30-40 words): the fall of the two older fuels and the rise of the newcomer, with where it ended. No numbers.
- Body 1 (40-50 words): the first two years, each fuel with its figure and a comparison between fuels.
- Body 2 (65-75 words): the final year, the crossover, the steepest proportional fall, and a total for the whole market.
Phrases worth learning
| from a very small base | to explain why a rise looks so dramatic |
| the clear favourite | for the category far ahead of the others in a given year |
| had risen nearly fivefold | for a figure about four to five times the earlier one |
| thirteen times their 2018 level | to give a large multiplier with its base year |
| fell furthest in proportion | to name the biggest percentage fall, not the biggest fall in units |
The totals and multipliers here are not on the chart, so each was worked out and rechecked: 820 plus 510 plus 40, and 520 divided by 40. Calculating a total is a good way to add insight, but only if the arithmetic is right, since a wrong total is worse for Task Achievement than no total at all.
Questions about this answer
What band is this model answer?
It is written to band 8, and the notes under it quote the answer's own words to show why.
How long should a Task 1 answer be?
Aim for 150 to 190 words in 20 minutes. This model answer is 172 words, and anything under 150 is penalised on Task Achievement.
What is the most common mistake on Task 1?
Writing under the 150 word minimum, which is penalised on Task Achievement, or running out of time to check the figures.