Pick out the main features of this pie chart for your overview, write your report on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The pie charts below show the distribution of world population by continent in 1950 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
| Category | 1950 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | 55% | 59% |
| Africa | 9% | 17% |
| Europe | 22% | 10% |
| Americas | 13% | 13% |
| Oceania | 1% | 1% |
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
An overview names the main trends or differences in one or two sentences, without numbers. These are the features a strong answer picks out:
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 150 minimum
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Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
The pie charts compare the distribution of the world's population between five continents in 1950 and 2020.
Overall, Asia remained home to the majority of people, while Africa's share grew substantially and Europe's shrank. The proportions living in the Americas and Oceania stayed the same.
In 1950 Asia contained 55% of the world population, and Europe came second with 22%, followed by the Americas with 13%. Africa accounted for 9% and Oceania for just 1%. By 2020 Asia's share had risen modestly to 59%.
The biggest changes occurred in Africa and Europe. Africa's proportion almost doubled, from 9% to 17%, which lifted it from fourth to second place. Europe moved in the opposite direction, with its share falling from 22% to 10%, less than half of its previous figure. As a result, Europe, which had been the second most populous continent, dropped to fourth place behind the Americas.
The Americas stayed at 13% and Oceania at 1% throughout, so that these two regions were the only ones to show no change over the seventy-year period.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| population share | proportion of all people |
| continent | large landmass |
| at the expense of | causing a loss to |
| almost double | rise to nearly twice |
| more than halve | fall under half |
| remain unchanged | stay the same |
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