(Cambridge IELTS 8, page 30)

For example, in the question above we are asked to

summarise both a pie chart and a table. You could also
be given a line graph and a bar chart, a pie chart and a
line graph or any other combination. Students normally
score lower on these types of questions, not because
they are more difficult, but because they are unfamiliar
with this type of question.
Common Problems

Writing too much- Because there is more than one

data source, students tend to write about everything
and this causes two problems. The first problem is you
only have 20 minutes to answer task 1 questions and
you therefore don’t have time to write about
everything. The second problem is that the question
asks you to ‘summarise‘ and ‘report the main
features‘, therefore you have to pick only a few
features and report them. In other words, if you write
about everything, you have not answered the question
properly.

Solution– Pick 2 of the most obvious features from

each graph and limit yourself to writing about these
things and these things only. Don’t worry about leaving
information out; the examiner will be actually looking
for your ability to leave insignificant information out
because this shows that you are summarising and
only reporting the mainfeatures. More on how to do
this in the question analysis below.

Can’t find the main features– This is related to the

first point. As stated above you will be looking for just 2
features in each graph. It is often very difficult for
students to decide which features are the most
significant.

Solution– The first important points should be very

visual. By that I mean, you should be able to identify
them without looking at the data; just by looking at the
graphs. Also, look for extremes (highs and lows), major
trends, major changes (from beginning to end) and any
obvious comparisons that can be made between either
the two graphs or within the same graph.
Remember that the most obvious things are the ‘main
features’. The examiners are not trying to trick you and
want you to tell them the very obvious things about the
graph, so don’t get too clever and try to find something
less obvious.

Not grouping information into paragraphs– It is

very important that you organise your ideas into
paragraphs. Paragraphs should be logical and have one
main idea. Lots of students fail to do this because they
get confused between the multiple pieces of data in the
question and group data from different graphs into one
paragraph. This is very difficult to read and understand
and you will lose marks if you do this.

Solution– Don’t write about both graphs in one

paragraph. Follow the structure I suggest below. Group
ideas for each paragraph separately i.e. 1 paragraph for
1 graph.

Making comparisons– The question states ‘make

comparisons where relevant‘. The keyword here is
‘relevant’ and this is what tricks many students.
Sometimes there will be a relevant comparison to
make, but in some questions there will not. Some
students see two different graphs and they assume that
there must be a comparison. They then spend too long
looking for a comparison and then write about one even
if they don’t find one.

Solution– If you don’t notice a very obvious

comparison between the two sources of data, then stop
looking for one and don’t write about one. It should also
be noted that there may also be comparisons to be
made between the data in the same graph.

Structure
This structure can be used for every question in which
you are given two different graphs.

Paragraph 1

Sentence 1- Paraphrase question sentences.

There will normally be two question sentences and you

should combine them into one sentence by using ‘and’
or ‘while’. This will allow you to produce a complex
sentence and gain points for grammatical range and
accuracy.

Paragraph 2

Sentence 2- Overview of two of the main features from

graph number 1.

Sentence 3- Overview of two of the main features from

graph number 2.

Sentence 2- Overview of any comparisons if necessary

(optional).

Body 1

Sentence 5- Details of first main feature of graph

number 1,

Sentence 6- Details of second main feature of graph

number 1.

Body 2

Sentence 7- Details of first main feature of graph

number 2.

Sentence 8- Details of second main feature of graph

number 2.
Sentence 9- Details of any comparisons (if any).

So paragraph 2 should just be an overview of the main

features and should not include any details. The details
come in paragraphs 3 and 4.

Sample Answer

Question– The pie chart below shows the main reasons

why agricultural land become less productive. The table
shows how these causes affected three regions of the
world during the 1990s. (graphs in picture above).

Answer

The pie graph displays the principal causes why farming

land deteriorates while the table illustrates how three
regions of the planet were affected by these factors in
the 1990s.

As you can see all I have done is change the words in

the questions using synonyms and then connected
them using the word ‘while’.

We can clearly see from the pie chart that there are
three primary causes of farmland degradation, and
over-grazing is the major one. The table shows that
Europe had a far higher percentage of unproductive
land compared to the other two regions in this time
period.

For this paragraph I have picked out the main features

from each graph and wrote them in a general way.
Notice that I have not included any numbers. We will
support our ideas with number in the next two
paragraphs. Also, notice that I am using the present
simple for the pie chart because there is no date and
the past tense for the table because it was in the
1990s.
The pie chart represents four causes, with over-grazing
representing the biggest proportion at just over a third.
Widespread clearing of trees and the over-use of crops
constitute nearly one third and just over a quarter
respectively.

Here I have varied my language by using synonyms for

the causes and proportions and fractions for the data.

The table shows that nearly one quarter of Europe’s

entire surface had fallen victim to degeneration. Only a
small proportion of North America’s total land became
less productive at 5% and Oceania was marginally
higher with a value of 13%.

(151 words)
IELTS Writing Task 1: graph and table essay
Last week I wrote a plan for this question. Now I've added my full essay below.
The graph and table below give information about water use worldwide and water
consumption in two different countries.

The charts compare the amount of water used for agriculture, industry and homes
around the world, and water use in Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is clear that global water needs rose significantly between 1900 and 2000, and that
agriculture accounted for the largest proportion of water used. We can also see that
water consumption was considerably higher in Brazil than in the Congo.
In 1900, around 500km³ of water was used by the agriculture sector worldwide. The
figures for industrial and domestic water consumption stood at around one fifth of that
amount. By 2000, global water use for agriculture had increased to around 3000km³,
industrial water use had risen to just under half that amount, and domestic consumption
had reached approximately 500km³.
In the year 2000, the populations of Brazil and the Congo were 176 million and 5.2
million respectively. Water consumption per person in Brazil, at 359m³, was much
higher than that in the Congo, at only 8m³, and this could be explained by the fact that
Brazil had 265 times more irrigated land.
(184 words, band 9)
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The pie chart shows the percentage of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emitted by the 6
biggest polluters in 2015 while the bar graph shows the top 6 emitters per capita
in the same year.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The two charts data about the biggest carbon dioxide producers by

country and per person 2015.

yOverall, it is clear that China and the USA generated almost half of the

world’s emissions in that year, the highest on an individual level were

Saudi Arabians. Interestingly, despite in the top 3 emitters globally, the

developing nations of China and India were not among the highest CO2 producers on a
per person basis.

According to the pie chart, 31% of global CO2 emissions came from China in

2015, by 17% produced by the USA. India, Russia, Japan and

Germany for approximately one fifth and the rest of the carbon dioxide
came from all the other nations of the world.
In terms of the emissions per person, it is clear that developed countries were the

highest contributors. Saudis produced 16 metric tonnes per capita, the US,
Australia and Canada were not far behind. South Koreans and Russians were also in

this top 6, accounting for 12 and 10 metric tonnes .

The two charts compare data about the biggest carbon dioxide producers by country
and per person in 2015.

Overall, it is clear that although China and the USA generated almost half of the
world’s emissions in that year, the highest polluters on an individual level were Saudi
Arabians. Interestingly, despite being in the top 3 emitters globally, the developing
nations of China and India were not among the highest CO2 producers on a per person
basis.

According to the pie chart, 31% of global CO2 emissions came from China in
2015, followed by 17% produced by the USA. India, Russia, Japan and
Germany accounted for approximately one fifth and the rest of the carbon dioxide
came from all the other nations of the world.

In terms of the emissions per person, it is clear that developed countries were the
highest contributors. While Saudis produced 16 metric tonnes per capita, the US,
Australia and Canada were not far behind. South Koreans and Russians were also in
this top 6, accounting for 12 and 10 metric tonnes respectively.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The line graph shows visits to and from the UK from 1979 to 1999, and the bar
graph shows the most popular countries visited by UK residents in 1999.

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

Write at least 150 words.