Academic Writing Task 1 · pie chart

Customer service ratings at the Parkway Hotel in 2005 and 2010

The charts below show the results of a questionnaire that asked visitors to the Parkway Hotel how they rated the hotel's customer service. The same questionnaire was given to 100 guests in the years 2005 and 2010.

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

Customer service ratings in 2005

Excellent: 5
Good: 14
Satisfactory: 45
Poor: 21
Very poor: 15

View the data

Category	Value
Excellent	5
Good	14
Satisfactory	45
Poor	21
Very poor	15

Customer service ratings in 2010

Excellent: 28
Good: 39
Satisfactory: 17
Poor: 12
Very poor: 4

View the data

Category	Value
Excellent	28
Good	39
Satisfactory	17
Poor	12
Very poor	4

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Band 8 sample answer

The two pie charts illustrate the results of a survey conducted at the Parkway Hotel in 2005 and 2010, regarding guests' perceptions of the hotel's customer service. Each survey involved 100 participants.

Overall, there was a significant improvement in customer service ratings between 2005 and 2010, with positive feedback becoming the dominant sentiment by the end of the period.

In 2005, the majority of guests felt the service was only satisfactory, accounting for 45% of the total. Negative feedback was also notable, with 21% of guests rating the service as poor and 15% as very poor. Conversely, positive ratings were relatively low, as only 14% of visitors described the service as good and a mere 5% considered it excellent.

By 2010, the trend shifted dramatically towards more favourable ratings. The proportion of guests who rated the service as good rose substantially to 39%, while those who considered it excellent increased more than fivefold to 28%. In contrast, the percentage of guests who found the service satisfactory dropped to 17%. Furthermore, negative perceptions declined significantly, with the poor rating falling to 12% and the very poor rating decreasing to just 4%.

190 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

How to write about pie charts

Name the largest and smallest shares in the overview.
Use proportion language: a quarter, just under half, the majority.
With two pies, compare the same slice across both.

favourable: expressing approval or positive opinion about something
proportion: a part or share of a whole number
dramatically: in a sudden, striking, or very noticeable way
account for: to make up a specific amount or percentage
conversely: introducing a statement that reverses a previous one
dominant: having the most influence or being most common

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, there was a significant improvement in customer service ratings between 2005 and 2010, with positive feedback becoming the dominant sentiment by the end of the period.

How long should an IELTS Task 1 answer be?

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How do I describe pie charts?

Name the largest and smallest shares in the overview. Use proportion language: a quarter, just under half, the majority. With two pies, compare the same slice across both.