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IELTS / Guides / Writing · Task 1: pie charts
IELTS Writing · Guide

IELTS Writing Task 1 Pie Charts: how to describe proportions clearly

Pie charts show how a whole is divided into parts, usually as percentages. There are often two or three, for different years or places, and you compare them. The task tests whether you can express proportions accurately and see the main shifts between the charts.

About Writing practice

Format

  • Task 1 of Academic Writing: about 20 minutes of the 60, a minimum of 150 words, and one third of the Writing mark because Task 2 counts twice as much.
  • Pie charts show shares of a total, not amounts, unless the total is given. This affects the words you can use: a share can rise or fall, but you cannot say a number increased unless a number is shown.
  • There are usually two or three charts with the same categories, so the comparison is the main task.
  • Four equally weighted criteria apply, including Task Achievement, which requires an overview.
  • Typed on computer with a live word count. Aim for about 160 to 190 words; fewer than 150 is penalised.

Strategy

  1. Check what the whole represents, the unit, the date or place of each chart and whether the categories are the same in each. Note if a total is given.
  2. Rank the segments in each chart and look for the largest, the smallest and the biggest change between charts. Check that the percentages total about 100.
  3. Write the introduction as a paraphrase: 'The pie charts illustrate the proportion of electricity generated from five sources in the UK in 1990 and 2020.'
  4. Write the overview with the largest segment in each chart and the single largest shift: 'Overall, coal's share fell sharply while gas became the leading source.'
  5. Organise the body by category, not by chart, so that the comparison is made inside each sentence: 'Coal supplied 40% of electricity in 1990 but only 22% in 2020.'
  6. Use proportion language: 'accounted for', 'made up', 'a quarter', 'the vast majority', 'a tiny fraction', 'one in five', 'the second largest share'. Vary it so that you do not repeat 'account for' in every sentence.
  7. Use the right tense for the dates and be careful with 'increase' and 'decrease': say the share or proportion of something rose or fell, not that the pie increased.
  8. Check percentages against the charts and, if useful, combine segments ('together, the two renewables made up 30%'). Then count words.

Common traps

  • Describing one chart after another with no comparison. Two paragraphs of separate descriptions make comparison the reader's job.
  • Writing that a number increased when the chart gives only a share. A share can rise while the number falls.
  • Mentioning every tiny segment, which wastes words and gives the reader no help.
  • Leaving out the biggest change because you were focused on the largest segment of each chart.
  • Reporting percentages that do not add up because you misread the key, especially when colours or shades are similar.

Practise it inside a real Writing section

Practice on PrepFreely is always a complete section, so you meet this question type in the same place and proportion as on test day. Random sections never repeat until you've done them all. Every answer is explained.

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FAQ

What if there is only one pie chart?

Describe the largest and smallest segments, group related ones and make comparisons within the chart. The structure is the same: introduction, overview and two body paragraphs.

Can I say that something 'increased' in a pie chart?

Only when comparing two charts, and say what increased: its share or proportion. A single pie shows a snapshot, so describe sizes rather than changes.

What about very small segments?

Group them ('the remaining sources each contributed less than 5%') or leave them out if they add nothing.

Should I organise the body by chart or by category?

By category usually works better when comparing, because each sentence can contain the comparison. By chart is acceptable if you still compare.

Do I need to mention that percentages total 100?

No. It is a check for you, not something to report.

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