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Academic Task 1BeginnerTarget Band 5.5–6.0

Pie Chart / Table (Static) Template

A basic structure for comparing static percentage or numerical data at a single point in time.

Paragraph Structure

Introduction

The pie chart or table compares the Subject in Year.

Simply rewrite the prompt. Name the subject and the year.

Overview

Overall, Category A is the biggest part and Category B is the smallest part.

Identify the largest and smallest slices of the pie (or highest or lowest numbers in the table). No numbers here.

Details 1 (The Largest Parts)

The percentage for Category A was Number%. This was the most popular choice. Category C was the second highest at Number%.

Describe the biggest categories. Give their exact numbers.

Details 2 (The Smallest/Remaining Parts)

On the other hand, Category B and Category D were very low. They only had Number% and Number%.

Describe the minor categories using 'On the other hand' to show contrast.

Useful Phrases

The pie chart or table compares the...
Overall, Category A is the biggest part...
and Category B is the smallest part.
The percentage for... was...
This was the most popular choice.
was the second highest at...
On the other hand...
They only had...

Sample Band 9 Answer

The pie chart compares the different types of transport used by students to travel to university in 2022. Overall, traveling by bus is the biggest part and walking is the smallest part. The percentage for taking the bus was 45%. This was the most popular choice for students. Driving a car was the second highest at 30%. On the other hand, riding a bicycle and walking were very low. They only had 15% and 10%. Walking was the least popular way to travel.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Describing movement in static charts

If a pie chart is only for ONE year (e.g., 2022), you cannot write 'the number increased'. Nothing increased; it is frozen in time.

Fix: Only use comparative words: 'was higher than', 'was the largest', 'accounted for'.

Failing to summarize in the overview

Writing 'There are five slices in the pie chart' is not an overview of the data.

Fix: Always point out the absolute maximum and minimum points in the Overview.

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Pie Chart / Table (Static) (Beginner) - IELTS Writing Template