WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task
The following two pie charts show the results of a survey into the popularity of various leisure activities among European adults in 1985 and 1995.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model Answer A: IELTS 5+
The two pie charts given show the popularity of several different hobbies among European adults in 1985 and 1995.
Clearly, watching television was the number on leisure activity in both years, at 32 percent in 1985 and 30 percent in 1995. However, the most obvious change to occur during this time was that computer games became much more popular. In 1985, nobody said that playing computer games was their favourite leisure activity, but in 1995 some 27 percent of European adults named this as the activity that they enjoyed the most. The only other hobby that became more popular was talking with friends, which rose from 21 percent in 1985 to 26 percent in 1995.
By contrast, all other activities became less popular. For instance, while 23 percent of European adults named eating out as their favourite leisure activity in 1985, this figure was just 8 percent in 1995. Similarly, the percentage of people who said that they liked talking with family, other activities or watching TV also decreased.
(169 words)
Model Answer B: IELTS 7+
A glance at the two pie charts provided reveals the relative popularity of various leisure activities among European adults in 1985 and 1995.
Of these activities, watching TV was the most widely enjoyed in both years, at 32 percent in 1985 and a slightly lower 30 percent in 1995. Yet, by far the most significant change to take place during this period was the increased popularity of computer games. Not a single respondent to the survey rated playing computer games as their preferred leisure activity in 1985. However, by 1995 this figure stood at 27 percent – the second highest overall. Also more popular in 1995 was talking with friends, at 26 percent compared to 21 percent a decade earlier.
In stark contrast, however, all other activities decreased in popularity. Eating out – which was the second most widely enjoyed pastime in 1985, accounting fot 23 percent of respondents – slipped to a mere 8 percent in 1995. Likewise, there were also considerable decreases in the popularity ratings of talking with family, other activities and (as previously mentioned) watching television.
(177 words)
