IELTS Writing Task 1- Pie Chart
A common diagram in the IELTS Writing Task 1 is the Pie Chart where you will be required to write a short descriptive report based on the visual data in the diagram. Pie chart presents data in a circle where the divisions in the pie chart represents a proportion of the whole and is usually illustrated in percentages.
You should note that in the Writing Task 1- Pie Chart, you may have to write about only one or sometimes even two pie charts. As the task requires you to ‘Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant’ it is important that you only write facts and make comparisons. No personal opinion is required in this task.
Always give yourself time to analyse the diagram and plan on how to group the information. It is easier to group the information for a single pie chart as you will only have to observe each segment. However, writing about two pie charts could be a little challenging.
Generally, the language of proportion and comparison is used when writing about two pie charts on a different topic but the same time frame. The language of proportion and comparison along with the language of change is used when writing about two pie charts on a related topic but with a different time frame.
The language of proportion is used to describe the percentages in the pie charts. The language of comparison is used to describe and compare the smallest/ biggest data in the diagram. The language of change or trend is used to describe the changes in trends or patterns over time.
In terms of the tenses you should use, always check the graph title and subtitles and look for any dates available. In case there is no date/ year mentioned, you should simply use the present simple tense. In some cases, it is possible that you may be required to use more than one tense.
Once you have carefully analysed the pie chart and thought of the language you will use to describe it, you should also look for the largest and smallest sections of the pie charts to understand what they represent. It is important that you organize the information in groups and you should focus on identifying major trends, majors groups and any exceptions or similarities.
Regardless of the type of diagram, the Writing Task 1 generally uses the same structure for all diagrams which includes Introduction, Overview and Details in the body paragraphs. It requires you to write a minimum of 150 words in a time frame of 20 minutes.
Following the general structure for Writing Task 1, begin writing an introduction in one to two sentences to introduce the diagram. Usually, you can paraphrase the information in the question for the introduction followed by an overview that will describe the key features or the overall trend in the diagram.
The number of body paragraphs could vary however, it is important that you write about the details of the grouping you identified when analyzing the diagram. Using various types of languages and cohesive devices/ transition words required you should ensure that you have logically organized the information making comparisons wherever relevant. It is important to note that the task only requires you to write a summary of the details henceforth, you should be mindful of the word limit and the time and only focus on the important trends.
Lastly, vocabulary is a key essential and you should practice using a wide range of vocabulary that will help you avoid repetition of words and phrases.
And again, PRACTICE IS THE KEY!
