IELTS Academic Writing Task 1/ Graph Writing – Pie Charts:
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graphs below show how people in a European city reached their office and got back home in 1959 and 2009.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Journeys to and from work
Model Answer 1:
The pie charts depict how people in a European city commuted to their offices in 1959 versus 2009, and also show the average journey distance and time in those years.
Overall, there was a dramatic shift from walking to commuting by car over the 50-year span. Furthermore, the average commuting distance increased about fivefold, with journeys becoming much longer and faster due to improvements in transport.
In 1959, more than half of commuters (55%) walked, while only one-tenth of them used a car. Buses and trains each accounted for 15%, and “other” modes made up 5% of the commutes that they made. By 2009, the proportion of people who walked to their offices dropped sharply – only a quarter of the total, but the percentage of car users surged to 35% – a 25% increase. Train usage ratio remained unchanged, but bus travel witnessed a slight drop (by 2%), while other transport modes more than doubled to 12%.
It is worth noting that the average length of commuting trips increased from approximately 3.5 km in 1959 to 19 km in 2009. Moreover, people in this European city travelled for 17 minutes on average, which also increased to 42 minutes. Despite this increase, their commute got faster as they travelled a far greater distance on average.
Sample Answer 2:
The pie charts delineate how citizens in a European city commuted to and from their offices in 1959 and 2009. Overall, more than half of the office-goers walked in 1959, while car use for that purpose in 2009 significantly increased. Besides, people travelled a greater distance in 2009 at a faster speed.
According to the illustration, more than half of the jobholders walked to reach their office and get back home in 1959, while only a quarter of them did so in 2009. Bus commuters in this city accounted for 15% in 1959, while it was 2% less after 5 decades. The ratio of office executives (15%) who used trains in both years remained the same. Moreover, one in ten office commuters drove cars in 1959, but after five decades, their percentage soared significantly, 35% to be exact. The use of different other transportation in 2009 surged compared to 50 years earlier.
It is worth noticing that the speed and average distance travelled by these commuters considerably increased in 2009, when a commuter travelled 19 kilometres on average in 42 minutes, compared to their average 3.5-kilometre journey in 17 minutes in 1959.
Good.
The pie charts compare how people travelled to work and returned home in one European city in 2009 comparing to 1959, with a 50 years gap. Generally speaking, the proportion of those people’s walking reduced while car became significantly more popular. Additionally, the distance covered on average in 2009 was much longer than 5 decades ago.
More than half of the workers went to their offices on foot in 1959, however, only a quarter still did so after 50 years. In contrast, the percentage of those using cars increased more than 3-fold to become 35% in 2009. The figure regarding train commuters in 1959 was 15%, and similar to that after 5 decades. As for other types of vehicles, they represent 12% in 2009, more than doubled the previous statistic, 5%.
It is worth noticing that in 1959, the average distance stood at 3.5 kilometres but then soared to 19 kilometres. Interestingly, people only spent 17 minutes on average in 1959 and 42 minutes in 2009 for each trip, meaning they travelled at a much faster speed after 50 years.
How is that European is a city? I think it should be ‘European cities’.