Academic Writing Task 1 · pie chart

Survey results on student satisfaction with university IT support and opening hours

The pie charts show the results of a survey conducted by a university on the opinions of full-time and part-time students about its services.

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

IT support: Full-time students
  • Not at all: 15
  • Quite happy: 31
  • Very happy: 54
View the data
CategoryValue
Not at all15
Quite happy31
Very happy54
IT support: Part-time students
  • Not at all: 45
  • Quite happy: 35
  • Very happy: 20
View the data
CategoryValue
Not at all45
Quite happy35
Very happy20
Opening hours: Full-time students
  • Not at all: 1
  • Quite happy: 12
  • Very happy: 87
View the data
CategoryValue
Not at all1
Quite happy12
Very happy87
Opening hours: Part-time students
  • Not at all: 5
  • Quite happy: 23
  • Very happy: 72
View the data
CategoryValue
Not at all5
Quite happy23
Very happy72

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 satisfaction levels of full-time and part-time students regarding university IT support and current opening hours. Overall, it is evident that full-time students are generally more content with these services than part-time students, and opening hours are viewed more favourably than IT support by both cohorts.

Regarding IT support, 54% of full-time students expressed being 'very happy', while only 15% were 'not at all' satisfied. Conversely, part-time students showed significantly lower satisfaction, with 45% reporting they were 'not at all' happy and only 20% feeling 'very happy'. The proportion of students who were 'quite happy' was relatively similar, at 31% for full-time and 35% for part-time students.

In terms of opening hours, satisfaction was notably higher. A substantial 87% of full-time students were 'very happy', with a negligible 1% feeling 'not at all' satisfied. Part-time students also expressed high levels of satisfaction, with 72% being 'very happy' and 23% 'quite happy'. Only 5% of part-time students were 'not at all' satisfied with the opening hours, reflecting a generally positive sentiment towards this aspect of university provision.

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

How to write about pie charts

cohorts
groups of people sharing a common characteristic
favourably
in a way that shows approval or liking
negligible
so small or unimportant as to be ignored
proportion
a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation
conversely
introducing a statement that reverses a previous one
provision
the action of providing or supplying something for use

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, full-time students reported higher levels of satisfaction with both services compared to their part-time counterparts, with opening hours receiving the most positive feedback across both groups.

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.

More pie charts