IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Land Degradation Pie & Table (Band 9 Sample)
This Academic Task 1 combines a pie chart showing the main causes of land degradation worldwide with a table breaking those causes down across three regions. A band-9 response gives an overview that draws both together, then reports the key figures with comparisons. Below is a model answer of roughly 170 words, followed by why it scores 9 on all four criteria.
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01 · The task
The pie chart below shows the main causes of land degradation worldwide, and the table shows how three regions were affected by these causes. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
02 · Band 9 sample answer
172 words · Band 9The pie chart shows the principal causes of land degradation across the world, while the table sets out how much land was degraded by each cause in three regions.
Overall, over-grazing was the single largest cause of degradation globally, though deforestation and over-cultivation were not far behind. The table reveals that Europe suffered by far the greatest total degradation, whereas North America was affected the least.
According to the pie chart, over-grazing was responsible for 35% of the world's land degradation, narrowly ahead of deforestation at 30% and over-cultivation at 28%. All other causes combined accounted for a mere 7% of the global total.
The regional table, however, shows that the dominant cause varied by area. Europe lost the most land overall, at 23%, most of it through deforestation (9.8%). Oceania, with a total of 13%, was affected almost entirely by over-grazing, which alone degraded 11.3% of its land. North America, by contrast, saw only 5% of its land degraded, spread thinly across the three causes, with over-cultivation (3.3%) the most significant.
03 · Why this scores Band 9
The response integrates the pie chart and the table, opens with an overview capturing over-grazing's global lead and the Europe-versus-North-America contrast, and then reports the key figures with comparisons. It highlights how the leading cause differs by region rather than reciting every cell.
The report is logically split — overview, then one paragraph for the pie chart and one for the table. Cohesion is smooth and varied — "narrowly ahead of...", "The regional table, however, shows...", "which alone degraded 11.3%", "North America, by contrast, saw only 5%".
Vocabulary is precise and varied — "the single largest cause", "not far behind", "was responsible for", "narrowly ahead of", "a mere 7%", "spread thinly across" — describing proportions and comparisons without repetition.
A range of structures presents the figures accurately: a concessive ("though deforestation and over-cultivation were not far behind"), a "whereas" contrast ("whereas North America was affected the least"), and a relative clause ("over-grazing, which alone degraded 11.3% of its land"). The percentages are reported without error.
04 · Useful collocations for this task
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural collocations like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
05 · Frequently asked questions
How do I combine a pie chart and a table in one answer?
Give a single overview naming the headline from each, then take one paragraph per source. Try to connect them — here, the table shows how the global picture (the pie) plays out differently by region. Comparing, not describing separately, earns Task Achievement.
How do I report the regional table without listing every cell?
Focus on the total for each region and the dominant cause behind it — Europe's deforestation, Oceania's over-grazing. Reporting each region's biggest cause and total is far more effective than reading out all twelve figures.
What tense should I use?
The past simple is safest, since the data describes a completed situation ("over-grazing was responsible for 35%", "Europe lost the most land"). Keep it consistent throughout.
How long should a Task 1 answer be?
At least 150 words; a band-9 answer is usually 170–200. This model is 172 words, enough for an overview plus the key features of both the chart and the table. Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1.
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