Household Waste Composition Pie Charts
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 203 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 show the composition of household waste, by percentage, in the cities of Bristol (United Kingdom) and Hanoi (Vietnam) in 2022. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. [Chart Data] Category | Bristol (%) | Hanoi (%) Food waste | 22 | 51 Paper & card | 24 | 9 Plastic | 14 | 16 Glass | 8 | 3 Metal | 5 | 2 Garden waste | 17 | 4 Other | 10 | 15
How to approach it
- 01Paraphrase the question and identify both cities, the year, and the unit (percentages)
- 02Write a separate overview sentence highlighting the most striking contrast
- 03Group categories — describe the dominant category in each city before listing minor ones
- 04Use comparative language: 'more than twice as', 'almost three times', 'marginally ahead'
- 05Use percentage and proportion vocabulary: 'accounted for', 'represented', 'made up'
- 06Do not list every single number — select features that support your comparison
Model answer
203 words in 5 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 the percentage breakdown of household waste in Bristol, in the United Kingdom, and Hanoi, in Vietnam, during 2022.
Overall, food waste dominated the rubbish stream in Hanoi, whereas Bristol produced a more even spread across several categories, with paper and card making up the largest single share. Both cities generated comparable proportions of plastic waste.
In Hanoi, food waste accounted for more than half of all household refuse at 51%, by far the largest single category. The 'other' category contributed a further 15%, and plastic represented 16%, making these three groups responsible for over four-fifths of the city's waste. Paper and card (9%), garden waste (4%), glass (3%) and metal (2%) together formed only a minor share.
Bristol's waste, by contrast, was distributed more evenly. Paper and card was the leading category at 24%, marginally ahead of food waste at 22% and garden waste at 17%. Plastic followed at 14%, and the remaining categories — 'other' (10%), glass (8%) and metal (5%) — each made a modest contribution.
The most striking contrast lies in food and paper waste: food waste was more than twice as prevalent in Hanoi, while paper and card was almost three times as significant in Bristol.
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.
4.5 fewer than the median answer for this task type
8 words at the shortest, 32 at the longest
1 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 20.3 words and vary by 7.3 words either side of that, running from 8 words to 32. 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. 2 of the 10 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
4 in total, spread across 2 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, whereas, while
overall
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 70 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 55 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 4 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
Compare both charts with a clear overview and accurate selection of key features
Coherence & Cohesion
Logical organisation, ideally chart by chart followed by direct comparison
Lexical Resource
Wide range of vocabulary for proportions and comparison
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Accurate comparatives, superlatives and fractions/percentages
You have read one model answer. Now get one marked.
Paste your own attempt at this question and get a band for each criterion, with the exact sentences costing you marks.
Score my answer