How would you answer this Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 question: 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 Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 Question
This is a question that many people ask when they are doing IELTS exam prepartion.
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)
- 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.
Examples
- "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. Avoid these 7 common writing errors.
To improve your IELTS writing skills, try to expand your vocabulary by a few words each day. This will help you describe or define things better when you write.
Cambridge IELTS Book 11 Task 1 Writing
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
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.
Task 1: Percentage of water used in different areas of the world
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:
- Mention the title of the chart and briefly describe what the information is about (1 or 2 sentences).
- Include a relevant statistic that is stated as an absolute figure, such as: "The total number of motor vehicles sold was 150,000".
- Compare and contrast any interesting data points or features of the chart. Then dig deeper into one or two of these points.
- Write at least one sentence about each section of the chart and include a relevant statistic that is shown.
- 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."
- 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.
- Try to use no more than 2 sentences per section of the pie chart (1-2 sentences for each part of the circle.
- In a Pie-chart, the size of the circle (pie) relates to how 'much' or 'many' that number represents.
- Do not use terms like "a total of" instead, say, "in total"
- 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.
How would you answer this IELTS Writing Practice Task 1 question about Pie Charts?
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