Cambridge IELTS 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1: Water Use Pie Charts
Cambridge IELTS 11 · Test 1 · Academic Writing Task 1Pie chart
The six pie charts show the percentage of water used for industrial, agricultural and domestic purposes in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Central Asia and South East Asia. All figures are percentages of each region's total water use, and no time period is given, so the comparison is between regions rather than over time.
The question
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
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Key features to report
- Agriculture is the main user of water in four regions: Central Asia (88%), Africa (84%), South East Asia (81%) and South America (71%).
- North America and Europe follow a different pattern: industry is the largest user there, at 48% and 53% respectively, with agriculture second at 39% and 32%.
- Industrial use is very small wherever farming dominates, ranging from only 5% in Central Asia and 7% in Africa to 10% in South America and 12% in South East Asia.
- Domestic use is never the largest category and never exceeds a fifth of the total; it ranges from 7% in Central Asia and South East Asia to 19% in South America, with 13% in North America, 15% in Europe and 9% in Africa.
- Central Asia has the most extreme distribution, with almost nine tenths of its water used for agriculture, while Europe has the highest industrial share of all six regions.
Model overview
Overall, agriculture accounts for the vast majority of water use in four of the six regions, whereas North America and Europe use the largest share for industry. Domestic use is the least significant or second least significant purpose everywhere and never exceeds a fifth of the total.
Paragraph plan
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase the task in one sentence: the six pie charts compare the proportions of water used for agriculture, industry and households in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Central Asia and South East Asia.
- 2
Overview
Give the two main patterns without figures: farming dominates in four regions, industry is the largest user in North America and Europe, and domestic use is relatively small everywhere.
- 3
Body paragraph 1: the four agriculture-dominated regions
Group Central Asia (88%), Africa (84%), South East Asia (81%) and South America (71%). Then give the small industrial shares (5% to 12%) and the domestic shares (7% to 19%), noting that South America has the highest domestic figure of all six regions.
- 4
Body paragraph 2: North America and Europe
Explain that industry is the main user in both, at 48% and 53%, compare this with the tiny industrial shares elsewhere, and give the agricultural figures (39% and 32%) and domestic figures (13% and 15%).
Useful comparisons
- Group the six charts into two clear patterns: four regions where agriculture dominates and two where industry is the largest user.
- Compare the highest and lowest agricultural shares: 88% in Central Asia against 32% in Europe.
- Compare industrial use across regions: Europe's 53% is more than ten times Central Asia's 5%.
- Treat domestic use as a separate point: it is the smallest or second smallest category everywhere, peaking at 19% in South America.
- Contrast South America with the other farming regions: agriculture still dominates, but its share (71%) is noticeably lower and its domestic share is the highest.
- Compare North America and Europe directly: the same order of uses, but Europe relies slightly more on industry and less on agriculture.
Band 8+ model answer
201 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.
The six pie charts compare the proportions of water used for agriculture, industry and households in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Central Asia and South East Asia.
Overall, farming accounts for the vast majority of water consumption in four of the six regions, whereas North America and Europe use the largest share for industry. Domestic use is relatively minor everywhere and never exceeds a fifth of the total.
Agriculture dominates most strongly in Central Asia, where it takes 88% of all water, followed closely by Africa at 84% and South East Asia at 81%. South America shows a similar pattern, although its agricultural share is somewhat lower at 71%. In these four regions, industry uses only between 5% and 12% of water, while households use between 7% and 19%, South America having the highest domestic share of all six areas.
By contrast, industry is the main consumer of water in North America and Europe, at 48% and 53% respectively, which is roughly five to ten times the industrial share in Africa or Central Asia. Agriculture comes second in both regions, using 39% of water in North America and 32% in Europe, while domestic consumption accounts for 13% and 15% respectively.
Why this answer scores highly
- Task Achievement
- The answer gives a clear overview of the two contrasting patterns and the minor role of domestic use, then supports it with accurate figures from all six charts without trying to report every number mechanically.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- The six regions are grouped into two logical paragraphs according to their main water use, and devices such as by contrast, in these regions, respectively and meanwhile link the comparisons smoothly.
- Lexical Resource
- Purposes are paraphrased with farming, industry, households and domestic consumption, and comparative phrases such as the lion's share, almost nine tenths and roughly ten times show a wide and precise range.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- The answer uses present tenses consistently for data with no time frame, and combines relative clauses, participle phrases and comparative structures accurately.
Useful vocabulary
- water consumption
- the amount of water used; a useful synonym for water use
- agricultural purposes
- farming activities such as irrigating crops and keeping animals
- irrigation
- supplying water to land so that crops can grow
- industrial use
- water used by factories, power generation and manufacturing
- domestic use
- water used in homes for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning
- account for
- form a particular part or percentage of a total
- the lion's share
- the largest part of something
- the vast majority
- almost all of something
- a negligible proportion
- a share so small that it is hardly important
- respectively
- in the same order as the items just mentioned
- by contrast
- used to introduce a difference between two things
- a mirror image
- a pattern that is the reverse of another
- nine tenths
- a fraction used to paraphrase a figure close to 90%
Common mistakes
- Describing the six charts one by one in six separate paragraphs instead of grouping regions with similar patterns.
- Using time language such as increased or decreased, when the charts compare regions at one point and show no change over time.
- Writing about the amount of water used, when the charts only give percentages of each region's total, so a region with a higher percentage does not necessarily use more water.
- Missing the main contrast between the farming-dominated regions and the two regions where industry is the largest user.
- Writing an overview that is just a list of percentages, or leaving the overview out completely.
- Adding explanations that are not in the data, such as claiming that Africa is poorer or that Europe has more factories.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cambridge book is this question from?
- These six pie charts about water use in different world regions are Writing Task 1 of Test 1 in Cambridge IELTS 11 Academic, published in 2016.
- Which tense should I use for these pie charts?
- No year is shown, so the present simple is the natural choice, for example agriculture accounts for 88% of water use in Central Asia. Avoid trend verbs such as rose or fell because nothing changes over time.
- How do I organise six pie charts in only two body paragraphs?
- Group the regions by their main use: one paragraph for the four regions where agriculture dominates and one for North America and Europe, where industry is the largest user.
- How many words should I write for this Task 1?
- Write at least 150 words; about 170-200 words is enough to cover an overview and the key comparisons in around 20 minutes.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.