Household Expenditure Pie Charts
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 205 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 20 minutes. Write at least 150 words.
The two pie charts below compare household expenditure in the UK and Japan in 2022. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. [Chart Data] UK: Housing: 32% Food: 15% Transport: 14% Recreation: 13% Clothing: 6% Healthcare: 5% Other: 15% Japan: Housing: 25% Food: 23% Transport: 10% Recreation: 9% Clothing: 7% Healthcare: 12% Other: 14%
How to approach it
- 01Start with an overview that highlights the key similarities and differences
- 02Use percentage data accurately and make direct comparisons between the two countries
- 03Group similar categories together rather than listing every figure separately
- 04Use comparison language: 'by contrast', 'considerably more', 'broadly similar'
- 05Don't try to explain why the differences exist — just report what you see
Model answer
205 words in 4 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
The two pie charts compare how households in the UK and Japan allocated their spending across seven categories in 2022.
Overall, housing was the largest expenditure category in both countries, though it consumed a greater share in the UK. The most notable differences were in food and healthcare spending, where Japan allocated significantly more than the UK.
In the UK, housing dominated household budgets at 32 per cent, nearly a third of all spending. Food and transport were the next largest categories at 15 and 14 per cent respectively, followed closely by recreation at 13 per cent. Clothing and healthcare represented relatively small proportions, at 6 and 5 per cent.
Japan showed a somewhat different pattern. While housing was still the largest single expense at 25 per cent, it was seven percentage points lower than in the UK. By contrast, Japanese households spent considerably more on food at 23 per cent — eight points more than British households. Healthcare was another striking difference, accounting for 12 per cent in Japan compared to just 5 per cent in the UK. Transport and recreation were both lower in Japan at 10 and 9 per cent respectively, while clothing and other expenses were broadly similar between the two countries.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 38 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
2.5 fewer than the median answer for this task type
6 words at the shortest, 27 at the longest
1 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 18.6 words and vary by 5.2 words either side of that, running from 6 words to 27. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 3 of the 11 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
6 in total, spread across 3 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
by contrast, though, while
next
overall
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 63 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 46 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 5 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
Identify key features and make clear comparisons between the two charts
Coherence & Cohesion
Organise information with clear comparisons rather than describing each chart separately
Lexical Resource
Use varied language for proportions and comparisons
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Accurate comparative and superlative structures
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