Academic Writing Task 1 · pie chart

Reasons why people choose to travel to work by bicycle or car

The charts below show the reasons why people travel to work by bicycle or by car.

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

Reasons for cycling to work

Health and fitness: 30
Less pollution: 30
No parking problems: 15
No costs: 13
Faster than driving: 12

View the data

Category	Value
Health and fitness	30
Less pollution	30
No parking problems	15
No costs	13
Faster than driving	12

Reasons for driving to work

Comfort: 40
Distance to work: 21
Faster than cycling: 14
Need to carry things to work: 14
Safer than cycling: 11

View the data

Category	Value
Comfort	40
Distance to work	21
Faster than cycling	14
Need to carry things to work	14
Safer than cycling	11

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 provided pie charts illustrate the primary motivations for individuals choosing to commute by bicycle versus those who prefer driving to work. Overall, it is clear that the reasons for cycling are more evenly distributed compared to the driving motivations, which are heavily dominated by comfort.

Regarding cycling, health and fitness and the desire for less pollution are the most significant factors, each accounting for 30% of the total. These are followed by the convenience of having no parking problems at 15%. The remaining reasons, no costs and being faster than driving, represent 13% and 12% respectively, making them the least cited motivations for cyclists.

In contrast, the reasons for driving to work show a more pronounced disparity. Comfort is the most prominent factor, cited by 40% of drivers. Distance to work is the second most common reason at 21%. Interestingly, the perception of being faster than cycling and the need to carry things to work are equally important, each at 14%. Finally, safety concerns relative to cycling account for the smallest proportion of driving choices, at 11%.

178 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.

account for: to make up a specific portion of something
disparity: a great difference between two or more things
prominent: important, noticeable, or standing out from others
evenly distributed: spread out in a balanced or equal way
proportion: a part, share, or number considered in comparison
dominate: to have a commanding influence or largest share

Write your own report and get a band

Take a timed Academic writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Practise IELTS Academic writing

On your phone? Get the BandLadder app.

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While health and environmental concerns are the primary motivators for cyclists, comfort and distance are the most significant factors influencing those who drive to work.

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.