You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The chart below shows the changes in sales of four different types of books from 2002 to 2012.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
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Sample Answer 1
The bar chart illustrates the changes in sales of four different types of books—hobbies books, entertainment books, history books, and art books—over the period from 2002 to 2012.
Overall, the most significant trend observed is the consistent growth in the sales of history books, which maintained the highest figures throughout the decade. In contrast, the sales of hobbies books showed a gradual decline, consistently marking the lowest figures across all the years. Art books and entertainment books displayed relatively stable sales patterns with some minor fluctuations.
In 2002, history books led the market, recording nearly 10,000 sales, whereas hobbies books had the weakest performance with fewer than 2,000 copies sold. Entertainment and art books sold at comparable levels, each reaching around 3,000 copies. In 2006, the trend for history books remained upward, increasing to about 11,000, while entertainment books rose to approximately 4,000 copies. Art books also saw a minor increase, and hobbies books remained the least popular with sales around 1,500.
By 2008, history books reached their peak, crossing 12,000 copies, the highest figure observed in any category during the period. Art and entertainment books sold close to 5,000 each, showing a steady demand, while hobbies books experienced a drop below 1,000 sales. In the final year, 2012, history books remained dominant at over 11,000 copies, with art books surpassing entertainment books slightly, both close to 4,500. However, hobbies books continued their downward trajectory, finishing with the lowest sales, hovering around 500 copies.
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Sample Answer 2
The bar chart illustrates the changes in sales of four different types of books—hobbies, entertainment, history, and art books—between the years 2002 and 2012.
Overall, history books emerged as the best-selling genre throughout the period, showing a significant rise in popularity. In contrast, hobbies books consistently recorded the lowest sales, with a gradual decline over the years. Meanwhile, entertainment and art books exhibited relatively stable trends, though their sales fluctuated slightly at various points during the decade.
In 2002, history books began with a sales volume of nearly 4,500 copies, making them the most popular category. This number rose sharply in the following years, peaking at around 10,000 copies in 2008. Although there was a slight drop afterward, history books remained the leading genre, ending 2012 with over 9,000 copies sold.
Entertainment and art books both started at approximately 2,000 copies in 2002, equating to about half the sales of history books that year. In 2008, each category reached around 3,000 copies sold, reflecting modest growth. By 2012, art books saw a further increase, surpassing 4,000 copies, while entertainment books experienced a slight decrease, settling close to 3,000. Meanwhile, hobbies books performed poorly throughout the entire period, fluctuating between 500 and 700 copies, and consistently remained the least popular genre by 2012.
Sample Answer 3
The bar graph highlights the changes in sales of four different types of books—hobbies books, entertainment books, history books, and art books—between the years 2002 and 2012.
In general, the demand for history books steadily rose, making it the most sought-after genre by the end of the period. In contrast, hobbies books experienced a steady decline in sales, positioning them as the least popular category throughout the given years. Meanwhile, art and entertainment books maintained relatively stable figures with minor variations.
In 2002, history books led the market with substantial sales, while hobbies books recorded the lowest performance. Entertainment and art books displayed almost identical numbers in the same year, showing a moderate level of demand. As the years progressed, the popularity of history books surged, reaching a peak in 2008, while hobbies books saw diminishing interest, remaining at the bottom of the list.
By 2008, history books reached their highest sales volume, outpacing the other genres by a significant margin. Around the same time, art and entertainment books witnessed similar growth trends, both hovering at moderate sales levels. However, hobbies books continued to struggle in popularity, with their sales falling even further. In the final year, 2012, history books maintained their dominance, while art books slightly outperformed entertainment books. Despite minor shifts among other genres, hobbies books ended with the lowest figures, marking a persistent decline across the decade.
Sample Answer 4
The bar chart presents the changes in sales of four different types of books—hobbies books, entertainment books, history books, and art books—over the period from 2002 to 2012.
Overall, history books consistently maintained the highest demand throughout the decade, reaching a peak during the middle of the period. Conversely, hobbies books experienced a steady decline in popularity, consistently trailing behind the other categories. Art and entertainment books demonstrated relatively stable sales, with minor fluctuations across the years.
In 2002, history books saw the most success, with sales figures significantly surpassing the other genres. The demand for these books continued to rise steadily and reached its highest point by 2008. Although the numbers dipped slightly in the subsequent years, history books remained the most popular category through to 2012.
Art and entertainment books followed a similar trend, with both starting around the same sales level in 2002. Throughout the period, these two categories witnessed gradual increases in demand, with sales peaking around the middle of the decade. By 2012, the sales of art books had edged slightly ahead of entertainment books. Meanwhile, hobbies books experienced poor performance across the entire period. Their initial sales were already low in 2002, and this downward trend continued, with the genre recording its lowest figures toward the end of the decade.
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