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Task 1 Pie Chart
Sample Answer
by Bianca and Laura (students of IELTS Dublin)
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.The pie charts show the electricity generated in Germany and France from all sources and renewables in the year 2009.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. |
The graph compares the different percentages of the main sources of energy between Germany and France in 2009. Some of the main sources included conventional thermal, nuclear and renewables. The various sources of energy are divided into “all types” and “renewables:. Renewables are broken down into biomass, hydroelectric and wind.
The main source of electricity in Germany came from conventional thermal, while in France power originated from Nuclear sources. On the other hand, in terms of renewables, there were not substantial differences between the two countries, indeed in both countries the percentage of this type of electricity was less than a fifth. In addition the pie shows that the main source of renewables in Germany originated from biomass, whereas in France it came from hydroelectric. Lastly, in both the countries the percentage of the geothermal was non-existent.
To sum up, the methods of electricity generation was very different when we compare the sources in the two countries.
Writing by Laura and Bianca, who are students at Everest Language School.
This example would get between 6 and 7 in the IELTS:
Some more useful language for IELTS task 1 Pie Charts:
Vary your language
As with any task 1, this is important. You should not keep repeating the same structures. The key language when you write about pie charts is proportions and percentages.
Common phrases to see are “the proportion of…” or “the percentage of…”
However, you can also use other words and fractions. These are some examples from the model answer:
A large number of people
over a quarter of people
a small minority
A significant number of people
less than a fifth
This table presents some examples of how you can change percentages to fractions or ratios:
Percentage | Fraction | ||
Percentage | Fraction | 40% | two-fifths |
80% | four-fifths | 35% | more than a third |
75% | three-quarters | 30% | less than a third |
70% | seven in ten | 25% | a quarter |
65% | two-thirds | 20% | a fifth |
60% | three-fifths | 15% | less than a fifth |
55% | more than half | 10% | one in ten |
50% | half | 5% | one in twenty |
45% | more than two fifths |
If the percentages are not exact as above, then you can use qualifiers to make sure your description remains accurate. Here are some examples:
Percentage | Qualifier |
77% | just over three quarters |
77% | approximately three quarters |
49% | just under a half |
49% | nearly a half |
32% | almost a third |
This table presents some examples of how you can change percentages to other phrases:
75% – 85% | a very large majority |
65% – 75% | a significant proportion |
10% – 15% | a minority |
5% | a very small number |
The words above are interchangeable, though number is for countable nouns and amount is for uncountable nouns.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”24631″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://everestlanguageschool.com/ielts-writing-correction”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Something very helpful here is to stress the importance of adding data in brackets when supporting points in Test Paper One; e.g. “The main source of electricity in Germany came from conventional thermal (59%)”. By adding a statistic in brackets improves the band score in the Task Achievement category: if data is not used to support descripitions, then the maximum band score for this category is 5.
Hi Tomás. Thanks for dropping by. Yes, I agree, there should definitely be more explicit reference to the precise data. I wouldn’t agree that it is necessary to mention specific data to get over a 5. According to the band descriptors, you need to “present the key features” to get into the higher bands. What do you think? – Rob
Hi!
In my experience as an IELTS examiner, the absence of statistics or any other details to support the description would only grant the task achievement a band five. These are the rules an examiner has to adhere to, regardless of how well the text is composed.
Hope that helps!
Tom