Academic Writing Task 1 · pie chart

Online shopping sales for retail sectors in New Zealand 2003 and 2013

The pie charts below show the online shopping sales for retail sectors in New Zealand in 2003 and 2013.

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

Online shopping sales in 2003 (%)

Travel: 36%
Film/ Music: 21%
Books: 19%
Clothes: 24%

View the data

Category	Value (%)
Travel	36
Film/ Music	21
Books	19
Clothes	24

Online shopping sales in 2013 (%)

Travel: 29%
Film/ Music: 33%
Books: 22%
Clothes: 16%

View the data

Category	Value (%)
Travel	29
Film/ Music	33
Books	22
Clothes	16

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 distribution of online shopping sales across four retail sectors in New Zealand during 2003 and 2013.

Overall, it is evident that while travel was the most popular category in 2003, film and music experienced the most significant growth over the decade, eventually overtaking travel as the leading sector in 2013. Conversely, the proportion of sales for clothes saw a marked decline.

In 2003, travel accounted for the largest share of online sales at 36%, followed by clothes at 24%. Film and music represented 21% of the total, while books comprised the smallest portion at 19%. By 2013, the landscape had shifted significantly. Film and music sales surged to 33%, making it the primary retail sector. Travel, despite a decrease, remained substantial at 29%.

Regarding the remaining categories, the share of online sales for books increased slightly from 19% in 2003 to 22% in 2013. In contrast, the popularity of online clothes shopping dropped noticeably, falling from 24% to 16% over the ten-year period, becoming the least purchased category by the end of the decade.

180 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.

accounted for: made up a specific portion of the total
surged: increased very quickly and by a large amount
marked decline: a very noticeable and significant downward trend
comprised: consisted of or made up a specific part
overtaking: becoming greater in amount than another category
proportion: the size or amount of a part compared

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While travel remained a significant sector, there was a notable shift in consumer preference towards film and music, which became the dominant category by 2013.

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.