📊 IELTS Writing Task 1 – Topic 2

🎯 Question

The pie chart below shows the percentage of electricity generated from different sources in Country X in 2022.

(I will generate the pie chart after building the lesson content.)

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📝 Model Answer (Band 8–9, ~190 words)

The pie chart illustrates the proportion of electricity produced from five different sources in Country X in 2022.

Overall, fossil fuels were the dominant source of power, accounting for more than half of the total, while renewable energy sources together made up a smaller but still significant share. Nuclear energy contributed the least.

According to the chart, coal was the largest contributor, generating 35% of the electricity supply. This was followed by natural gas at 25%, meaning that together these two fossil fuels accounted for 60% of total production. Oil represented a smaller share of 10%.

In contrast, renewable sources made up nearly one-third of the total. Hydropower contributed 15%, and solar and wind combined provided another 20%. Despite this, their total still fell short of fossil fuel output. Nuclear power was the least significant source, producing just 5%.

In summary, electricity generation in Country X remained heavily dependent on fossil fuels, although renewables also played an important and growing role.

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🔑 Useful Vocabulary

• Dominant source / accounted for / represented

• Made up / contributed / provided

• Fell short of / in contrast / the least significant

• More than half / nearly one-third / together made up

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🔗 Linking Words

• Addition: in addition, furthermore, together, combined

• Contrast: whereas, in contrast, while

• Proportion language: accounted for, represented, made up

• Superlatives: the largest contributor, the least significant

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✍️ Guidelines for Writing This Essay

1. Plan (2–3 minutes)

   • Identify largest (coal, 35%).

   • Identify smallest (nuclear, 5%).

   • Group fossil fuels vs renewables.

2. Structure

   • Introduction: Paraphrase question.

   • Overview: Highlight main trends (fossil fuels dominate, nuclear least).

   • Body 1: Fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil).

   • Body 2: Renewables + nuclear.

   • Conclusion: Summarise.

3. Topic Sentences

   • “Fossil fuels together produced the majority of electricity.”

   • “By contrast, renewable sources contributed a smaller but notable proportion.”

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💡 Language Focus

• Comparisons:

  • Coal produced more than double the share of nuclear energy.

  • Gas accounted for 25%, slightly higher than hydropower at 15%.

• Verb phrases vs. Noun phrases:

  • Coal contributed 35% / Coal’s contribution was 35%.

  • Nuclear represented only 5% / Nuclear’s share was just 5%.

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🔟 Practice Exercises

Exercise A (fill-in)

1. Coal ______ 35% of electricity.

2. Nuclear was the ______ contributor at 5%.

3. Renewables together ______ nearly one-third of total power.

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Exercise B (rewrite)

1. “Coal produced 35%.” → Rewrite using a noun phrase.

2. “Gas accounted for 25%.” → Rewrite using a noun phrase.

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Exercise C (overview)

Choose the better overview:
a) Coal 35%, gas 25%, oil 10%, hydro 15%, solar + wind 20%, nuclear 5%.
b) Fossil fuels made up the majority, while nuclear was the smallest contributor.

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Exercise D (true/false)

1. Coal and gas together represented 60%.

2. Nuclear contributed the same share as oil.

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Exercise E (vocabulary match)

1. Dominant

2. Fell short of

3. Accounted for
   a) was the main part
   b) made up
   c) did not reach

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Exercise F (comparisons)

Rewrite: “Coal was 35%, nuclear was 5%” using:

• seven times as much as

• more than six times greater than

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Exercise G (spot the error)

Find the error: “Solar and wind makes up 20% of the total.”

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Exercise H (short writing)

Write one sentence comparing fossil fuels and renewables using whereas.

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Exercise I (expand)

Turn into full sentence: “Coal 35%, Hydro 15%, gap 20%.”

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Exercise J (mini-essay)

Write a 50-word overview of the pie chart.

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✅ Suggested Answers

A: 1. accounted for / contributed 2. least 3. made up
B: 1. Coal’s share was 35% 2. Gas’s share was 25%
C: b)
D: 1. True 2. False
E: 1=a, 2=c, 3=b
F: Coal produced seven times as much as nuclear. / Coal’s share was more than six times greater than nuclear’s.
G: Error: “makes” → should be “make up.”
H: Fossil fuels produced 60% of electricity, whereas renewables accounted for 35%.
I: Coal generated 35% of electricity, compared with 15% for hydro, a difference of 20%.
J: Overall, fossil fuels dominated electricity generation, led by coal, while renewables together formed a significant minority. Nuclear was by far the smallest source.