IELTS Writing Task 1 #84
Writing Tip
When comparing statistics we usually say: Comparing
the figures for 1950 and 2010, we can see some quite significant differences
between the two charts. NOT Compared the figures for 1950.
We use compared to or compared with
as follows: Compared to 1950, housing expenditure
in 2010 was relatively low. NOT Comparing with 1950.
Or: Housing expenditure in 1950 was quite high compared
to/with 2010. NOT comparing to 2010.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The pie charts below show the average household expenditures in a country in 1950 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Average Household Expenditures by Major Category
Look at the highlighted phrases. Choose the phrase which sounds more formal.
Model answer
The two pie charts give information about what households spent their money on / household expenditure on goods and services in 1950 and 2010. It is immediately obvious that there are some quite significant differences / some things are significantly different between the two charts.
In 2010 the largest proportion of expenditure was / most money was spent on food whereas in 1950 it was on housing, with food for just 11.2%. There is a great difference in terms of the amount of money people’s spent on housing / housing expenditure between the two years. In 1950 72.1% of the total household budget / the total of what households spent went towards housing, compared to only 22% in 2010.
There has been a notable increase in / People have notably increased the amount of money spent on transportation between the two dates. In addition, the charts show a significant rise in the proportion of money spent on health care / that people spent more on health care in 2010 compared to 1950.
There are some similarities, however. For example, in both 1950 and 2010 people spent a similar proportion on education. / the proportion of education expenditure was roughly the same.