IELTS Academic Writing:
TASK 1 Models
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Table of Contents:
1. Pie charts - changes over time (school spending)
2. Pie charts - changes over time (qualifications in Oz)
3. Pie charts - making comparisons
4. Bar charts - making comparisons
5. Bar charts (Living abroad - different ages)
6. Bar charts (men/women in Further Education)
7. Making predictions (environmental projects)
8. Multiple charts (Value of exports)
9. Line graph (teachers in state schools)
10. Line graph (cinema admissions)
11. Multiple Charts - describing changes in satisfaction
12. Multiple Charts (hospital bed use)
13. Multiple charts (Male/female health club attendance)
14. Describing changes to a PLACE
15. Describing a cycle
16. Describing a process
Copyright Fiona Wattam www.ieltsetc.com All Rights Reserved
1. Pie charts - changes over time (school spending)
The charts illustrate how much a UK school spent on different running costs over a 20-year period.
In all three years, the greatest expenditure was on staff salaries. But while other workers’ salaries saw a
fall from 28% in 1981 to only 15% of spending in 2001, teachers’ pay remained the biggest cost, reaching
50% of total spending in 1991 and ending at 45% in 2001.
Expenditure on resources such as books had increased to 20% by 1991 before decreasing to only 9% by
the end of the period. In contrast, the cost of furniture and equipment saw an opposite trend. This cost
decreased to only 5% of total expenditure in 1991 but rose dramatically in 2001 when it represented
23% of the school budget. Similarly the cost of insurance experienced a rising trend, growing from only
2% to 8% by 2001.(there was a rise in the cost of insurance)
Overall, teachers’ salaries constituted the largest cost to the school, and while spending increased
dramatically for equipment and insurance, there were corresponding drops in expenditure on things
such as books and on other workers’ salaries.
187 words
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2. Pie charts - changes over time (qualifications in Oz)
The pie charts show differences between two generations of people living in Australia in terms of the qualifications
they acquired after leaving school.
The first point to note is the considerable increase in the number of people with a degree, the younger group
being more than three times bigger than the older group (347,500 compared to 104,800).
When it comes to the subject areas, Architecture and Medicine decreased in popularity among the younger
graduates, with the latter declining by almost 4%. However, the biggest loss was to engineering which almost
halved, falling from around 19% to 9% of the whole.
The biggest gains in graduate numbers were made in Science, Maths and Computers, which almost doubled.
Administration also went up by 4%, becoming the most popular single subject, and the number of young people
studying Law went up slightly.
Overall, the graphs show a threefold increase in the number of graduates. The most noticeable change was the
fall in the number of Engineering graduates, which used to be one of the most popular degrees. The number of
students graduating in Education, Social Science and the Arts remained mostly the same.
Copyright Fiona Wattam www.ieltsetc.com All Rights Reserved
3. Pie charts - making comparisons
The charts compare sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in terms of their average proportions in four
different meals. Each of these nutrients are said to be detrimental to your health if consumed in excess.
Overall, it is clear that salt and fat make up the highest proportion of nutrients at dinnertime, while the
highest quantities of added sugar can mostly be found in snacks.
Looking more closely at the individual mealtimes, we can see that breakfast contains almost equal
proportions of the 3 nutrients (around 16%) and is therefore possibly the healthiest meal of the day.
Lunch holds almost twice the amount of sodium and fat as breakfast, but consists of only 19% sugar.
Dinner, however, has the largest proportions of both sodium and fat (43% and 37% respectively). When
it comes to sugar, it is clear that snacking between meals poses the greatest risk to health, as a huge
proportion of snack foods (42%) are made up of added sugar, whose percentage at other mealtimes is
relatively small.
To sum up, the pie charts show that there are large amounts of unhealthy ingredients in our everyday
meals, especially extra sugar in snacks, and a whopping 43% sodium and 37% fat at dinnertime.
(199 words)
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4. Bar charts - making comparisons
The charts below show the proportions of the world’s oil resources held in different areas, together
with the proportions consumed annually in the same areas.
The bar charts compare the percentage of global oil stocks that are kept in different locations and also
how much is used in those areas every year.
What immediately stands out is that over half of the world’s resources can be found in Middle Eastern
countries (around 57%), which holds more than the rest of all the other countries put together. Canada
accounts for the second largest amount, though this is barely a quarter of what is stored in the Middle
East. It is noticeable that, both of these countries use very little of this oil themselves, (6.15% and 2.48%,
respectively). Central and South America, Eastern Europe and Africa have similar storage and
consumption figures, keeping and using about 7% of oil reserves.
When it comes to the heaviest consumers of oil, Asia and the United States use the most - with almost a
quarter of the world’s annual consumption going to each of them, closely followed by Western Europe,
which consumes about 20%. Each of these countries only store between 1 - 3% of the world’s oil
resources.
Finally, in comparison with the rest of the world, Australia and New Zealand store and use an extremely
small amount of oil (0.30% for the former and 1.31% for the latter), and they use a lot more than they
store. This pattern is true for the remaining countries labelled as ‘Other’.
Overall, the majority of the areas tend to use more oil than they have, apart from the Middle East,
Canada and Africa, which stores twice as much as it uses.
262 words - this is longer because there is so much information to discuss!
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5. Bar charts (Living abroad - different ages)
The chart shows the difficulties people have when they move to a new country and how the problems
vary according to people's ages.
The greatest problem for young people aged 18 - 34 is forming friendships, a problem experienced by
46% of the people in this age group. However, only 36% of 35- to 54-year-olds find it hard to make
friends, while even fewer people over 55 (23%) have this problem.
54% of the older age group find learning to speak the local language the most problematic. In
comparison, the youngest age group finds this easier, and the percentage who have problems learning
the language is much lower, at 29%.
In contrast to their language-learning difficulties, only 22% of the people in the oldest age group have
trouble finding accommodation. However, this is the most significant problem for middle-aged people,
with 39% of them finding it hard. A similar percentage of the younger group (40%) also struggled with
finding a home.
Overall, all age groups experience the same problems to some extent, but the percentage of older
people who find language learning difficult is much higher than the others.
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6. Bar charts (men/women in Further Education)
The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three
periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.
The charts compare the popularity of part-time and full-time further education courses in the UK among
male and female students over a 20-year period.
Overall, it can be clearly seen that numbers in general increased for both genders studying part-time.
The number of women in full-time education also rose, but this was not true for men, whose numbers
decreased.
Looking more closely at the figures for part-time education, there was a noticeable increase in the
number of women in part-time education at the start of the period, jumping from just under 50 to
almost 200 in a decade, and finishing at the same level as male students a decade later. For men, the
increase was more gradual, going up by about 50 per decade.
As for the full-time students, men outnumbered women in 1970 (1000 men compared with just 700
women) but then the trend was downwards, falling to about 800 in 1980 before recovering in 1990
when there were about 900 male students on full-time courses. Meanwhile, numbers for women
increased significantly, overtaking the men by 1990 (1100 women as opposed to 900 men).
To conclude, despite differences between the genders in terms of numbers, it is obvious that full-time
education was by far the most popular choice for both men and women throughout the whole period.
(218 words)
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7. Making predictions (environmental projects)
The table predicts how much 3 environmental projects in different areas of the world will cost. The pie
chart gives details about how that money will be spent in the first year.
Overall it can be seen that the costs are expected to decrease steadily in West Africa and Central
America, but increase considerably in SE Asia, where the highest amount of money will be spent in total
over the course of 5 years.
In Africa and America, it is likely that similar patterns will occur. Starting with a large initial outlay of
$10.5m for the former and twice that ($20m) for the latter, costs are expected to fall to a quarter of this
amount by Year 5 ($2.5 and $5m respectively, though this sum increases to $3.5m for Africa in the final
year). By contrast, expenditure in SE Asia is predicted to almost double, going from an initial $30m to a
massive $50m in Years 4 and 5, despite a slight dip in Year 2.
As for where the money will go, salaries will account for half of the total costs, and a third will be
invested in setting up the project. Only a small amount has been set aside for training and office
expenses (10% each)
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8. Multiple charts (Value of exports)
The chart compares the amount of money earned from exports of 5 different types of goods in two
separate years, while the table illustrates how much the value of each product altered in terms of
percentage throughout the time period.
Overall it can be seen that there was an increase in the value of most exports, with the exception of
gems and jewellery, whose value fell by about 5%. We can also note that although the changes seem
small, this fall of 5.18% represented a drop in earnings of around $3 billion.
Looking at the increases in more detail, the biggest rise by far was in the value of textiles, which went
up by a hefty 15%, almost twice as much as that of Engineered Goods. Agricultural products, on the
other hand only saw a slight rise of less than 1% and the same goes for petroleum products, which rose
by only 3%. Textile products were worth the least in 2015, but they caught up with farming products and
they were both worth roughly the same in 2016.
The value of precious stones and jewellery, however, bucked the trend and saw a noticeable loss in
value, with earnings going from $43 billion in 2015 to around $41 billion in 2016.
211 words
Copyright Fiona Wattam www.ieltsetc.com All Rights Reserved
9. Line graph (teachers in state schools)
The chart provides information about how many teachers taught in nursery/primary and secondary
schools in the United Kingdom over a 27-year period. The figures are divided according to gender.
Overall it is clear that while the number of female teachers increased noticeably, especially in secondary
school, numbers of male teachers declined steadily in both categories of school.
Looking first of all at nursery and primary level, it can be seen that female teachers constituted the
largest number throughout, at around 165,000 in 1981/2 and going up to 175,000 in 2007/8. It is
noticeable that there were almost 4 times as many female primary teachers as there were male.
Meanwhile, the number of men who taught at nursery and primary schools saw a slight fall, from about
45,000 to about 35,000 in 2007/8.
The pattern for the secondary level was markedly different with an inverse relationship between the
two genders. Male teacher numbers went down substantially (by about a third) from about 155,000 in
1981/2 to about 100,000 in 2007/8, whereas there was a clear upward trend in the number of female
secondary school teachers, rising from about 125,000 at the beginning of the period compared to
approximately 135,000 at the end.
215 words
Copyright Fiona Wattam www.ieltsetc.com All Rights Reserved
10. Line graph (cinema admissions)
The chart provides information about cinema attendance among a range of age groups in the UK
between 1997 and 2009.
We can see that there was a noticeable rise in cinema admissions for those aged 45 and over. Between
1997 and 2009, admissions more than doubled from approximately 20 million to around 43 million,
peaking in 2008 at about 50 million. Similarly, the trend for those aged 34 - 44 was upwards, rising
significantly from 20 million admissions to just over 30 million, an increase of approximately 50 per cent.
By comparison, for those in the 15 - 24 age group, the most frequent cinema-goers, the overall trend
was flat, fluctuating between about 60 million and 62 million admissions.
As regards those aged 25 - 34, this was the only group where there was a slight decline in admissions,
with a fall from around 40 million in 1997 to about 36 million in 2009.
Overall, it is clear that while cinema admissions within the four age groups fluctuated, the general trend
was upwards from about 140 million in 1997 to 170 million in 2009.
179 words
Copyright Fiona Wattam www.ieltsetc.com All Rights Reserved
11. Multiple Charts - describing changes in satisfaction
The table below shows the numbers of visitors to Ashdown Museum during the year before and the
year after it was refurbished. The charts show the results of surveys asking visitors how satisfied they
were with their visit, during the same two periods.
The table and chart compare the levels of satisfaction and the number of people who visited a museum
before and after it was renovated. Overall we can see that both visitor numbers and levels of satisfaction
increased after the refurbishment.
First of all it is clear that there were a number of people who were not satisfied with the museum
before it underwent changes. In fact, half of the respondents said that they were either dissatisfied or
very dissatisfied (40% and 10% respectively). Two years later, this had fallen significantly, with only 5%
saying they were very unhappy with the museum’s facilities. By contrast, the people who said they were
very pleased more than doubled, going from 15% to 35% and those who responded that they were
satisfied increased from 30% to 40%, meaning that the overall levels of satisfaction increased from
below half (45%) to a whopping 75% just one year after the improvements had been made. At the same
time, visitor numbers went up significantly, jumping from 74,000 to 92,000.
To conclude, the majority of visitors expressed dissatisfaction with the museum before its
transformation whereas the majority were very satisfied a year later, though 5% did not respond to the
survey on both occasions.
(206 words)
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12. Multiple Charts (hospital bed use)
The graph provides details about the average number of beds that were used each year in 3 similar
hospitals before and after the introduction of day-care surgery.
Day-care surgery seems to have had an impact on bed use in all three hospitals. At the French hospital,
the figures show an overall upward trend over the period, from 40 beds to 46. However in 2003 bed
occupancy reached a peak of just under 70 beds, before falling back. A similar pattern was repeated for
the Ukrainian hospital, except that the decline in bed use after 2003 was not so marked (76 beds in 2003
as against 71 in 2006).
The Chinese hospital, by comparison, experienced a continual rise in bed use between 1997 and 2006,
71 and 93 respectively. However, we see that after 2003 the rate of increase was significantly slower
than in previous years.
Overall, it is clear that the fall in bed use coincides with the reduction in the average budget at the three
hospitals for in-patient care (35% compared to 27%) between 2002 and 2006.
Copyright Fiona Wattam www.ieltsetc.com All Rights Reserved
13. Multiple charts (Male/female health club attendance)
The graph and charts illustrate trends relating to how often full-time members used a specific health
club in the USA over the course of a year. The pie charts compare male and female members in terms of
their age.
First of all, we can see that both men and women went to the gym more often in the summer months.
For men, numbers increased gradually from 550 in February to a peak of 850 in June before falling
steadily back to 620 in December. The trend was similar but less consistent for women, with numbers
going up significantly in June and remaining at a high point of around 700 in August and September.
Turning now to the pie charts, we can see that there are many similarities between the age groups of
male and female members, with just over half coming into the 21 - 45 age bracket (55% and 51%
respectively). However it is noticeable that almost a third of the women were over 65 compared with
only a quarter of the men.
Overall, men used the health club more frequently than women, especially in the warmer months.
Copyright Fiona Wattam www.ieltsetc.com All Rights Reserved
14. Describing changes to a PLACE
The plans show how a park has altered
since it was built in 1920. Overall we
can see that despite significant
adaptations, the park retains the basic
elements of flowers, water, seating and
music with the addition of a cafe and a
children’s play area.
When Grange Park opened in 1920,
there was a large fountain dominating
the centre. This has now been replaced
with a sizeable rose garden and seats
all around it. In addition, the
glasshouse to the right of the Eldon
Street entrance has gone and in its
place there is a water feature.
To the left of where the fountain once
stood, there used to be a bandstand
with a stage for musicians. An
amphitheatre for concerts and
associated seating now takes up this space. Similarly, the pond for water plants has been
removed and there is a children’s play area in the north east corner and a cafe has been built
nearby. Around the edges of the park there were rose gardens with park benches for people to
smell the flowers and listen to music. Only one of the smaller rose gardens remains on the
north side of the park and the seats have been taken away.
Access to the park is still via the two original entrances, but there is now a third entrance near
the water feature from an underground park.
230 words
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15. Describing a cycle
The diagram shows how greenhouse gases trap energy from the Sun.
The image depicts the natural process of solar energy being trapped by gases such as carbon dioxide
(CO2).
During the cycle, energy from the Sun reaches the Earth as heat. Some of this heat energy is
subsequently radiated into space, while some of it is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
and reflected back to Earth. Human activities lead to an increase in the amounts of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere which traps too much heat.
One of the main greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, and extra quantities of this are released into the
atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels as a source of energy in power stations, factories and
homes. Exhaust gases from cars and lorries result in further emissions of CO2.
Plants remove some of the CO2 by absorbing it through their leaves.
However, as large areas of forest are felled, less carbon dioxide is removed in this way.
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16. Describing a process
The diagram shows the technology behind Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) that takes advantage of the
differences in temperature of deep and surface seawater to generate electricity.
First, the warm water on the surface of the ocean heats a fluid with a low boiling point, such as ammonia or a
mixture of ammonia and water and converts it into a vapour. The resulting gas creates enough pressure to drive a
turbine that generates power.
The gas is then cooled by passing it through cold water pumped up from the depths of the ocean through tubes
that stretch down 1000 metres, where the temperature is 5*C.
While the gas condenses back into a liquid that can be used again, the water is returned to the deep ocean.
In conclusion, the system works just like a conventional power plant, where a fuel like coal is burned to create
steam. However, it is clear that it has the potential to be a clean, renewable energy source as no pollution is
generated.
170 words
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17. Describing a process
The diagrams illustrate two ways in which
water can be used to generate electricity. In
both diagrams, water turns a turbine and a
spindle which powers a generator. However,
there are slight differences between them.
In the hydroelectric dam, the process
begins when a gate in the dam is opened to
allow water from a reservoir to enter and flow
down a passage called a penstock. The
water turns the turbine and the spindle,
which then turns round in the generator to
produce electricity. This is distributed to
power lines.
The wave-air generator consists of two
chambers: an upper chamber which
protrudes above sea-level and a lower
chamber which is anchored to the sea bed.
When waves go into the lower chamber, the
air is compressed and forced into the upper
chamber where the pressure pushes the
spindle. As with the hydroelectric dam, the
spindle then produces electricity in the
generator, but instead of being sent to
power lines, the electricity travels directly to
a lighthouse or buoys.
Overall, both methods provide a renewable
source of energy. The only obvious
difference is that one relies on the natural
ebb and flow of the tides whereas the other
has to be regulated by the opening and
closing of a gate built into an artificially
created reservoir.
215 words
Copyright Fiona Wattam www.ieltsetc.com All Rights Reserved
18. Describing a process - hydroelectric dams
The diagram illustrates the basic principle of hydroelectric power generation.
Overall we can see that the system is based on the regulated flow of water
between two reservoirs. The process involves 2 key stages that are reversed at
night.
First of all, natural river water is channelled into the upper reservoir, where it is
stored. A large dam has been built to contain the water. However, during the day
the water is released beneath the dam when the intake is opened, and the water
passes through pipes leading to the power station. The enormous force of the
water falling from a height and generates electricity when it passes through a
turbine. This electricity is then fed to the national grid via power cables. Once the
water has passed through the turbine it flows into a lower level reservoir. Then,
when there is less demand for electricity at night, the water is pumped back up to
the higher reservoir using the same turbines which operate in reverse.
(166 words)
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