Choose the most important points to write about first

These will usually be the largest ones. As you can see in the model answer,
definite job, looking for work, and formal study were all written about first, in
order of importance, as these are the main reasons that were chosen for
moving.

Items such as‘other’ are usually less important and account for small amounts,
so can be left till the end.
Make it easy to read
When you write a task 1, you should always group information in a logical
way to make it easy to follow and read.

With an IELTS pie chart, the most logical thing to do is usually to compare
categories together across the charts, focusing on similarities and
differences, rather than writing about each chart separately.

If you write about each one separately, the person reading it will have to keep
looking between the paragraphs in order to see how each category differs.

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:

Percentag
Fraction
e
80% four-fifths
75% three-quarters
70% seven in ten
65% two-thirds
60% three-fifths
55% more than half
50% half
more than two
45%
fifths
40% two-fifths
more than a
35%
third
30% less than a third
25% a quarter
20% a fifth
less than a
15%
fifth
10% one in ten
5% one in twenty

Match the numbers with their wordings:

10%
80%
50%
25%
40%
5%
60%
75%
20%
66%
three-fifths
two-thirds
a quarter
a fifth
two-fifths
one in twenty
one in ten
four-fifths
half
three-quarter

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:

proportion / number / amount /

Percentage
majority / minority
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.

Match the numbers with their wordings:

49%
32%
27%
18%
68%
58%
77%
5%
85%
97%
a very small number
just under/nearly a half
around two thirds
a very large majority
approximately 60%
almost/nearly a third
just over a quarter
just over three quarters
just under/nearly a fifth
almost all
1 / 14
1. The number of CD sales from 800 per month to 100 per
month.
Fell gradually
Dropped to a peak
Fluctuated
Fell sharply

2 / 14

2. CD sales from May to September.

Remained unchanged
Fluctuated
Jumped around
Changed significantly

3 / 14
3. CD sales throughout the month of October.
Remained stable
Reached a trough
Reached a midpoint
Stayed the same

4 / 14

4. CD sales ……..of 50 in February.

Hit a low of
Hit the bottom
Troughed out
Hit a peak of

5 / 14
5. From February to March, the number of CDs purchased.
Increased dramatically
Rose significantly
Stood at
Rose gradually

6 / 14

If you describe the above graph, should you write about every change
you see?
No
Yes
7 / 14

Should you make sure you write about every country?

Yes
No

8 / 14

Is this description of the graph ok? "From 1975 to 1995, hamburgers

increased from 10 to 100".
No
Yes
9 / 14

This is the rubric for the graph you just looked at. Which
is the best introduction for the graph?
The line graph shows changes in the amount and type of fast food
consumed by Australian teenagers from 1975 to 2000.
The line graph compares the quantity and kinds of fast food eaten by
teenagers in Australia between 1975 and 2000.
The line graph illustrates changes in the fast food consumed by
Australian teenagers from 1975 to 2000.

10 / 14

It’s good to group items that are doing similar things

together on the graph. You can then put them together
in paragraphs. What could you group together in this
graph so that you have two body paragraphs?
Pizza with fish and chips, and hamburgers separately
Pizza with hamburgers, and fish and chips separately
Fish and chips with hamburgers, and pizza separately

11 / 14

How would you group this one?

Japan with Sweden, and USA Separately
USA with Japan, and Sweden separately
USA with Sweden, and Japan separately

12 / 14

How many body paragraphs should a line graph have?

No fixed number
3
2
4

13 / 14

Any Academic Task 1 should have an overview, which

identifies the general overall trends occurring. Which is the
best one for the graph?
Overall, Japan ended the period with the most people aged over 65, at
27%
Overall, the proportion of people over the age of 65 increased in every
country over the time period shown.
Overall, the proportion of people over the age of 65 in Sweden fluctuated
over the period.

14 / 14
Does an Academic Task 1 such as a line graph need a
conclusion?
Yes
No
 Choose the Correct Word

The table 1. the amount of household income that

five countries in Europe spend per month on four items.

Overall, 2. all five countries spend the majority of

their income on food and drink and housing,

but 3. clothing and entertainment.

Housing is 4. expenditure item for France,

Germany and the UK, with all of them spending around
one 5. third of their income on this, at 30%, 33% and

37%, . In contrast, they spend

around 6. food and drink. 7. , this

pattern is reversed for Turkey and Spain, who spend around a fifth
of their income on housing, but approximately one third on food
and drink.

All five countries spend much less on 8. two items.

Regarding clothes, France and Spain spend the least, at less than
10%, 9. the other three countries spend around

the same amount, 10. 12% and 15%. At 19%,

Germany spends the most on entertainment, whereas UK and
Turkey spend approximately half this amount, with France and
Spain between the two.

Choose the correct word/phrase to go in the gap.

1. The bar chart ___________ the monthly expenditure on food, gas and clothing of a family
living in the USA in 2010.

1. illustrates
2. shows
3. explains

2. Overall, it can be seen that levels of expenditure ___________ over the period.

1. increased steadily
2. fluctuated
3. fell steeply
3. To begin, in January ____________ money was spent on food, at approximately $500 per
month.

1. the most
2. the least
3. the highest

4. Expenditure on gas followed ___________ the spending on food, falling at first, then
steadily increasing.

1. a very similar trend to

2. the same trend as
3. an opposite trend to

5. Clothing expenses, which at just over $200 accounted for the lowest levels of spending at
the beginning of the period, _____________ over the time frame.

1. dramatic fluctuation
2. fluctuated dramatically
3. fluctuating dramatically

6. Expenditure on clothing ______________ in March, and then jumped to just under $700 in
the final month.

1. was markedly dropping

2. drop markedly
3. dropped markedly

7.In March, around $450 was spent on food, ________ just over $300 was spent on gas and
clothing.

1. however
2. whereas
3. in contrast

8. Spending on gas started at about $350 per month, falling in the following month, and then
increasing significantly __________ just under $600 in April.

1. to finish at
2. to finalise at
3. finished at

9. The money spent on clothing in April ________ the amount spent on food.

1. was more than half

2. was more than triple
3. was more than double

10.With the exception of _______________ in March, average spending decreased slightly

over the four months.

1. an increase
2. spending increased
3. increasing
 Choose the correct word to go in the gap

with at in by at

to between from to of

1. In may, the price of gold rose slightly $1,500.

2. Holidays to foreign destinations remained constant about
85,000 per month for the last two months of the year.

3. Profits increased 4 million dollars to 6 million dollars last

year.

4. From 2001 to 2010, the price of electricity has increased

125%.

5. Bike sales reached a peak 20,000 in September.

6. There is a sharp increase in traffic levels from 8am to 9am,

nearly 3000 cars traveling on the road.

7. The last decade has seen a steep increase the number of

people diagnosed with diabetes.

8. At the start of the year, the turnover of the company stood

£1.3 million.

9. During the summer, student numbers at the school

fluctuate 150 and 170 per week.

10. Following this, the number then fell a low of 20 per

month.
Place the right word into the space.
 at approximately 8%
 in percentages
 at only 5%
 are similar
 gender
 the least
 more than
 around 33%
 at the same level
 percentages for
 school children
 equal
 is exactly
 4% for
 bar chart illustrates

Place the correct word in the gapThe 1. information on

the quantity of drugs 2. in New Zealand take, divided
by 3. and measured 4. . Overall, it is
immediately apparent that hashish or marijuana is used 5.
any of the other drugs, whereas LSD and medical drugs are
used 6. . At first glance we can see that boys take more
 drugs than girls for 6 out of 7 of the drugs listed, however
an 7. number of boys and girls take cocaine.

To begin with, boys use more hashish or marijuana than girls

at 8. and 29% respectively. Following this, boys take

heroin, opium or morphine 9. but girls 10.

On the other hand, the 11. amphetamines and

solvents 12. for both boys and girls at 2% and 3% for girls

and 13. both drugs for boys. Next, the pattern for LSD and

medical drugs 14. the same for both genders at 1% for

girls and 3% for boys. Finally, boys and girls take

cocaine 15. , 4%.

Language of Change
Decide which word or words fit in the gap to create the correct language of change.

1. The number of registered voters in the district __________ by 15% between 2012 and
2016, reflecting a growing civic engagement.
has increased
was increasing
increased
2. The number of students pursuing online courses saw a remarkable __________, with a
30% increase from 2018 to 2020.
surge
surging
surged
3. During the years 2012 and 2016, GDP in India __________.
grows steadily
grew steadily
grew steady
4. In the early 2000s, there was a __________ in the use of traditional mail services, as
electronic communication methods gained prevalence.
sharp decline
sharply declined
sharply declining
5. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted by industrial facilities __________ from 2010 up to
the present day.
gradually fell
had gradually fallen
has gradually fallen
6. The period between 2013 and 2016 witnessed a __________ in consumer spending, with
peaks corresponding to holiday seasons and troughs during economic downturns.
fluctuating pattern
fluctuating patterns
fluctuated pattern
7. By 2019, the average household size ___________ sharply, with families opting for
smaller living arrangements.
has declined
had declined
declined
8. The data illustrates a consistent upward trend in educational attainment, with the number
of individuals holding degrees ___________ over the decade.
steadily rising
steadily rose
rose steadily
9. The amount of rainfall in the region __________ in the 2000s, signalling a concerning
trend in water scarcity.
significant decreased
decreasing significantly
decreased significantly
10. The data from 2005 to 2010 reveals a cyclic pattern in housing prices, __________
periods of growth and contraction.
with alternated
with alternating
with alternate