What Pie Charts Test
A pie chart shows proportions of a whole. Your job is not to list every percentage — it is to identify the most significant features: the largest category, the smallest, notable comparisons, and any surprising proportions.
The Overview paragraph — where you summarise the two or three most striking features — directly determines your Task Achievement score. A response without a clear overview cannot score above Band 5.
The Four-Paragraph Structure
| Paragraph | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Paraphrase the question — what does the chart show? |
| Overview | The 2–3 most significant features (largest, smallest, any notable groupings) |
| Body 1 | Detailed description of the larger categories with exact figures |
| Body 2 | Detailed description of the smaller categories and comparisons |
Language for Pie Charts
Describing Proportions
- accounted for — “Transport accounted for 35% of expenditure”
- comprised — “Housing comprised the largest share at 42%”
- represented — “Food and drink represented just over a quarter”
- made up — “Education made up the smallest proportion at 8%”
The percentage of transport was 35% — this is grammatically correct but weak. Use the active verbs above (accounted for, comprised, represented) to show lexical range.
Comparing Proportions
- more than double — “Transport was more than double the figure for education”
- roughly equivalent — “Healthcare and utilities were roughly equivalent at around 12% each”
- the combined total — “Together, housing and transport accounted for over half”
- a negligible proportion — “Entertainment represented a negligible proportion at just 3%”
Two Pie Charts (Before and After)
When given two pie charts showing change over time:
The most common error with two pie charts: describing Chart 1 completely, then Chart 2 completely. Instead, compare the same categories across both charts. In 2000, transport accounted for 20%; by 2020 this had risen to 35%.
Structure for two pies:
- Overview: which category changed most? Which stayed stable?
- Body 1: categories that increased significantly
- Body 2: categories that decreased or remained stable
What NOT to Do
- Do not speculate about why the figures are what they are — this is Task 1 (report, not analysis)
- Do not write “as we can see from the chart” — this is redundant
- Do not express personal opinions — “it is interesting that…”
- Do not round percentages so aggressively that you misrepresent the data
Approximately one third is acceptable if the figure is 32–34%. Roughly half is acceptable for 48–52%. But do not round 38% to “about half” — this misrepresents the data and lowers your score.
Pie charts reward candidates who group and compare — not those who list. Always ask: what is the most striking feature? Start your overview there.