How to Read a Pie Chart
- 1Identify what the whole pie represents (100%).
- 2Find the largest and smallest segments — these are your anchors.
- 3Check the units: usually percentages, but sometimes actual figures.
- 4If there are TWO pie charts: identify what changed and what stayed similar.
- 5Group segments: "roughly equal", "much larger than", "combined total of".
Introduction
The pie chart illustrates the breakdown of [topic] in [place/year] by [category].
The charts show the distribution of [topic] across [X] categories in [year 1] and [year 2].
The pie chart depicts the proportion of [topic] accounted for by each [category] in [year].
Proportion Language
[X] accounted for the largest proportion, at [%].
[X] and [Y] together made up [%] of the total.
The smallest segment was [X], which represented just [%].
[X] constituted almost a third / half / a quarter of the total.
By [year 2], the share of [X] had risen/fallen to [%], compared to [%] in [year 1].
Two Pie Charts – Change Language
The proportion of [X] increased significantly, rising from [%] to [%].
[X]'s share fell considerably, dropping from [%] in [year 1] to [%] in [year 2].
While [X] remained the dominant category in both years, its share declined slightly.
The most notable change was the rise in [X], which more than doubled its share.
Sample Answer – Band 7
Question
The charts below show the percentage of household water used for different purposes in two countries.
Introduction
The pie charts compare water consumption by household purpose in two countries.
Overview
Overall, toilet flushing was the primary use of water in both countries, though the proportions varied considerably. Washing and bathing accounted for a larger combined share in Country B.
Body
In Country A, toilet flushing represented the largest proportion of household water use at 35%, followed by bathing and showering at 30%. Washing clothes and dishes combined accounted for a further 25%, while garden use and other purposes made up the remaining 10%. Country B showed a broadly similar pattern, with toilet flushing again dominating at 38%. However, cooking and drinking represented a notably larger share in Country B (12%) compared to Country A (just 5%), suggesting different domestic habits between the two nations.
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