Academic Writing Task 1 · mixed chart

Students by Faculty and Non-US Arts Students at North West University: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 mixed chart question with a Band 8 sample answer, the chart redrawn with its data, the vocabulary that lifts the report and how to write about mixed charts.
  • 195 words
  • Mixed charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The pie chart shows the percentage distribution of students by faculty at North West University. The table reproduces the numerical labels for non-US arts students by region from a second chart. The original does not specify the unit for these regional values; do not assume they are percentages or student counts.

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

Students by Faculty (percent of students)
  • Arts: 23%
  • Business: 14%
  • Computing: 22%
  • Law: 6%
  • Medicine: 5%
  • Science: 21%
  • Engineering: 9%

The original faculty chart explicitly labels each value as a percentage.

View the data
CategoryValue (percent of students)
Arts23
Business14
Computing22
Law6
Medicine5
Science21
Engineering9
Arts Students (Non-US) — Values as Labelled
RegionValue shown (unit unspecified)
South American79
European21
Asian6
African2
Australian4

The original regional chart gives these values without a unit. They are reproduced as labels, not identified as percentages or student counts.

Adapted practice visual. The original image is titled “Students by Faculty” and “Arts Students (Non-US)”. Faculty values are explicitly percentages. The regional labels have no stated unit and total 112, so they must not be presented as percentages. The second pie chart is reproduced here as a table of its labels, without inferring student counts or normalising the values.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8195 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The pie chart presents the percentage distribution of students across seven faculties at North West University, while the table lists regional values for non-US arts students. Unlike the faculty figures, the regional values have no specified unit, so they cannot be described as percentages or confirmed student counts.

Overall, Arts, Computing and Science account for very similar proportions and together represent nearly two thirds of students. Medicine has the smallest share. In the regional table, South America has by far the highest listed value, whereas Africa has the lowest.

Arts accounts for 23% of students, just one percentage point above Computing and two points above Science. Their combined share is 66%. Business represents a further 14%, followed by Engineering at 9%. Law and Medicine comprise 6% and 5%, respectively, making a combined contribution of 11%.

The regional values show a marked contrast. The South American figure is 79, compared with 21 for Europe. The remaining labels are much lower: Asia is shown as 6, Australia as 4 and Africa as 2. These figures allow a comparison of the labels, but the missing unit prevents a reliable statement about exact regional percentages or numbers of students.

Write your own response

0 words

Get AI feedback before creating an account. 100–350 words.

Mixed charts

How to write about mixed charts: tips and vocabulary

  • →Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals.
  • →Give each visual its own detail paragraph.
  • →Point out where one chart explains the other.
  • percentage point

    the unit used to express the difference between two percentages

  • combined share

    the total proportion represented by two or more groups

  • unspecified

    not explicitly stated or defined

  • respectively

    in the same order as the things already mentioned

  • marked contrast

    a clear and noticeable difference

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

Arts, Computing and Science have similar shares and together account for nearly two thirds of students, while Medicine has the smallest share. In the regional table, the South American label has by far the highest value and the African label the lowest; their unit is unspecified.

How many words and how long for IELTS Writing Task 1?+

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 is IELTS Writing Task 1 scored?+

On four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A clear overview of the main features is what most separates Band 6 from Band 7 and above.

How do I describe mixed charts?+

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals. Give each visual its own detail paragraph. Point out where one chart explains the other.

Keep practising

More mixed charts

© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy