Academic Writing Task 1 · mixed chart

Student satisfaction levels regarding IT support and library opening hours: 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.
  • 180 words
  • Mixed charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The table and three pie charts show students’ reported satisfaction with campus IT support and library opening hours. The full-time IT-support figures are reproduced as stated in the source and total 104%, so they are shown in a table rather than a pie chart.

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

IT Support Service: Full-time students — stated percentages
ResponseStated percentage
Happy52%
Quite44%
Not at all8%

The source labels are 52%, 44% and 8%, which total 104%. They are preserved as stated in this table rather than drawn as shares of a whole. No category has been adjusted to force a 100% total.

IT Support Service: Part-time students (%)
  • Happy: 48%
  • Quite: 37%
  • Not at all: 15%
View the data
CategoryValue (%)
Happy48
Quite37
Not at all15
Current Opening hours: Full-time students (%)
  • Happy: 88%
  • Quite: 11%
  • Not at all: 1%
View the data
CategoryValue (%)
Happy88
Quite11
Not at all1
Current Opening hours: Part-time students (%)
  • Happy: 72%
  • Quite: 23%
  • Not at all: 5%
View the data
CategoryValue (%)
Happy72
Quite23
Not at all5

Adapted practice visual. Inconsistent source percentages are preserved in a table and explained beside it, without changing the original figures.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8180 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The table and three pie charts present reported satisfaction with campus IT support and library opening hours among full-time and part-time students. The full-time IT-support percentages are shown in a table because their total is inconsistent.

Overall, the reported Happy figures are higher for library opening hours than for IT support. Full-time students also record higher Happy figures than part-time students for both services.

For IT support, the full-time figures are 52% happy, 44% quite satisfied and 8% not at all happy. These add up to 104%, so they cannot represent a consistent division of the group into three categories. They are retained as reported rather than adjusted. Among part-time students, the corresponding figures are 48%, 37% and 15%, totalling 100%.

The library results show a larger difference between the two student groups. Some 88% of full-time students are happy with the opening hours, compared with 72% of part-time students. A further 11% and 23%, respectively, are quite satisfied. The proportions who are not at all happy are much smaller, at 1% for full-time students and 5% for part-time students.

Write your own response

0 words

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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.
  • corresponding

    matching the categories in the same order

  • respectively

    in the same order as the groups already mentioned

  • proportions

    shares of a whole

  • inconsistent

    not agreeing with the expected total

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

The reported Happy figures are higher for library opening hours than for IT support, and higher among full-time than part-time students. The full-time IT-support percentages have an inconsistent total.

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

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