IELTS Writing Practice: Academic Task 1 (Pie Charts)

IELTS Writing Practice: Academic Task 1 (Pie Charts)

IELTS Writing Practice

Topic: Academic Task 1 (Pie Charts)

Part 1: Report Writing

The Question

The pie charts below show units of electricity production by fuel source in Australia and France in 1980 and 2000.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

(Write at least 150 words)


Click to reveal model answer

The given pie charts illustrate the changes in the units of electricity produced in Australia and France using five different sources of fuel in 1980 and 2000.

Overall, the units of electricity produced has increased over the period in both the countries.

In Australia, a major proportion of electricity was produced using coal. Out of the total 100 units of electricity produced in 1980, half of it was generated using coal which increased to 130 units in 2000. The electricity produced with hydro power also showed an increase by 16 units in the year 2000 (36 units). In contrast, the generation of electricity using oil and natural gas reduced to 2 units each in 2000 which were 10 and 20 units respectively in 1980.

In the case of France, nuclear power became the most prominent source of electricity generation increasing from 15 units in 1980 to a high figure of 126 units by 2000. Similarly, a slight increase was seen in units of electricity generated using oil in 2000 (25) compared to 1980 (20). While the units of electricity generated by coal remained unchanged in both the years at 25 units, the figures of production by natural gas and hydro power which were 5 and 25 units respectively went down to 2 units each.

Study Tip: When describing pie charts, pay attention to whether the graph shows percentages or total units (as in this case). This essay correctly uses "units" rather than "%", which is a common mistake students make.