Skip to main content

How to Answer Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1

IELTS Writing

How would you answer this IELTS Writing Task 1 question about: The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010?

How to answer IELTS Task 1 writing questions?

This is a question that many people ask when they are thinking about taking the International English Language Testing System exam.

Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 - The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English.

Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 - The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English.

IELTS Writing Task 1 Structure

If you want to do well in IELTS writing, it's important that you know how to answer Task 1 correctly!

In this post, we will discuss some of the basics and give advice on how to write your answers for Task 1.

IELTS writing Task 1 pie charts are an important part of the IELTS writing task.

Pie charts have three main components: a title, a description (including what the pie chart is showing), and labels for each slice.

Pie Chart Task 1 Writing Tips

Describing pie charts in the IELTS writing test

Pie charts have three main parts: a title, description and label.

1. Familiarize yourself with what the pie charts shows.

  • Double check the instructions in the question before you start to write your description.
  • Remember, you must report the facts or data shown, not give your opinion why something might have happened or changed.
  • Look carefully at any labels for each slice that are shown on the pie chart (in this case- languages spoken).

2. Identify main trends or changes

You don't need to describe every detail. Focus on the most important changes or trends the pie chart shows.

Example

"In 2000, 35% were able to speak another language and by 2010 it had risen to 40%."

"This is an increase from 2000-2010 of 15%."

"The pie charts show how there was a small decrease in the number of students who could speak both English and French."

3. Don't write a conclusion

But you can write a summarizing statement to describe the key takeaway of the pie chart - the most important thing it shows.

Example summary statement

"Overall, the pie charts show that the number of students at this university in England who were able to speak other languages increased from 2000-2010."

4. Check grammar and spelling

In IELTS writing, good grammar and spelling are essential to scoring highly. Your writing should be free of spelling and grammar mistakes, otherwise it will lower your score.

Cambridge IELTS Book 11 Task 1 Writing

IELTS Writing Test Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic:

The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
International English Language Testing System

Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1

The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010.

Sample Answer:

The pie charts illustrate the fact that there was an overall increase in the number of British undergraduates speaking a foreign language over the ten year period; increasing from 10% in 2000 to 20% in 2010, and that in both 2000 and 2010 Spanish was the most commonly spoken second language by British students at the university in question, increasing in popularity from 30% in 2000 to 35% in 2010.

There was also a 5% increase in the number of students who spoke two foreign languages other than English; however, there was a decrease of 5% in the amount of students speaking French and the number of students speaking German remained unchanged, with only 10% of students speaking it, exactly the same number as in 2000.

The data shows students opting for alternative languages to French and German, with Spanish and other languages accounting for the 10% overall increase in the languages spoken by students.


MORE

Best tips for describing data shown in a pie chart in IELTS writing Task 1

The best tips for describing data in a pie chart are:

  1. Mention the title of the chart and briefly describe what the information is about (1 or 2 sentences).

  2. Include a relevant statistic that is stated as an absolute figure, such as: "The total number of motor vehicles sold was 150,000".

  3. Compare and contrast any interesting data points or features of the chart. Then dig deeper into one or two of these points.

  4. Write at least one sentence about each section of the chart and include a relevant statistic that is shown.

  5. End with a sentence which briefly summarises what the information in the chart is about. For example, "The pie chart shows how many books were sold each day of the week during May 2011 at Xinhua Bookstore in Beijing. The pie chart shows that 60% of all books sold were children's textbooks; 38% were novels, and 2% were dictionaries and encyclopedias."

  6. Do not try to explain the reasons for the data shown. The objective is to 'report' the information or data - not try to explain the reasons behind it or how the data relates to other information.

  7. Try to use no more than 2 sentences per section of the pie chart (1-2 sentences for each part of the circle.

  8. In a Pie-chart, the size of the circle (pie) relates to how 'much' or 'many' that number represents.

  9. Do not use terms like "a total of" instead, say, "in total"

  10. Do not add unnecessary descriptive adjectives - only numbers and simple expressions such as "more than" or some numerical expression with no preposition between the number and its unit (example: 8 years old; 282 cm long). Also, avoid using adverbs such as well, best.

Reserve your place for the IELTS exam now!

Book your IELTS exam with IDP IELTS registration to choose your IELTS exam center, the type of IELTS exam (computer or paper) and your and the test date you want. Or use the British Council IELTS India form to arrange your IELTS exam date.


Popular posts from this blog

Cambridge IELTS 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1 Question and Answer

Task 1 Question How to Answer Task 1 Questions Sample Answer Cambridge 11 Writing Task 1 IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) tests your written communication skills - how well you can report/describe information. Cambridge IELTS Book 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1 IELTS Writing Test Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words. International English Language Testing System How would you answer this IELTS 11 Writing Task 1 question about water used for different purposes? IELTS 11 Writing Test 1, Task 1 Answer (useful vocabulary is highlighted ) The pie charts illustrates water usage in six different regions around the world. Notably , Europe consumes the greatest quantity of water for in

Computers Speaking Part 1 Questions & Answers

How would you answer these example questions about computers from Part 1 of the IELTS speaking test? What examples would you give? What details would you need to describe? What vocabulary would you need to express yourself well? Tips for IELTS Speaking | IELTS Speaking Part 1 | Computers, computer skills, children and computers, how important are computers? Computer Speaking Part 1 Questions You can use these questions in your IELTS preparation to help you think about what you would say in response to them. Computers Speaking Part 1 Do you often use computers? Yes, I do, very often, in fact every day I use my laptop. I use it for studying, researching, entertainment and also for shopping sometimes. Do you often use a computer? Not very often, I guess I just don't really need one in my day-to-day life. I have a smartphone for email and social media, and I can do most of the things I need to do on my phone. Plus, I like having some time away from screen