ACADEMIC 7
IELTS 10 Test 1, Task 1
Sample Response
The two charts present information on how energy is used in an average Australian household together with the relative contribution that each use makes to greenhouse gas emissions.
In overview, we can see that while heating far and away accounts for the greatest percentage of energy use, in the overall scheme of things it is a relatively minor contributor the greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, all other forms of energy use contribute a larger proportion of greenhouse gas emissions than the proportion of their use in Australian households.
The first chart reveals that 42% of energy consumed in Australian households is used for heating. However, the energy source for heating appears to be a relatively low emitter of greenhouse gases, as it contributes a meagre 15% of total emissions.
Of the remaining 58%, water heating is the next biggest user of energy in Australian homes, accounting for 30%, while the others are all at 15% or lower. The interesting thing to note is that the sources for these other energy uses are all relatively bigger emitters of greenhouse gases compared to heating. In particular, the proportion of greenhouse gases emitted from sources of energy used for refrigeration (14%), lighting (8%), and other appliances (28%) are all roughly double the actual percentages of energy consumed by these uses (7%, 4%, and 15% respectively)..
In conclusion, the charts suggest that different sources of energy are used for different purposes in Australian households and that these sources vary in the relative amount of greenhouse gases that they emit.
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NOTES
(1) Note that there are five sections in the response
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Description of the charts
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Overview
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Paragraph on energy uses that contribute a percentage of greenhouse gas emissions that is lower than the percentage of energy they consume.
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Paragraph on energy uses that contribute a percentage of greenhouse gas emissions that is higher than the percentage of energy they consume.
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Conclusion
Unlike Task 2, it is not necessary to write formal paragraphs (with topic sentences and supporting evidence, etc.)
(2) It is vitally important that your response to task 1 includes an overview that points out the salient features of the graphical information. I highly recommend that you begin your overview with the words, “In overview . . .”, just to make it clear to the examiner.
(3) Note that it would be a mistake to say, for example, that water heating emits 32% of the greenhouse gases from an average Australian household. Water heating doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases. But the source of energy used to heat water (e.g., electricity from coal-burning power stations) emits greenhouse gases. Failure to observe this distinction could be considered inaccurate information regarding a key point and bring your Task Achievement score down to a 6.
(4) There is no attempt to report all the information in the charts. The instructions say that you should select and report the main features. Failure to do so will affect your task achievement score.
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Vocabulary
far and away = by a large amount, to a large degree
Note that we tend use it in a different part of a sentence:
heating far and away accounts for the greatest percentage of energy use
heating accounts for the greatest percentage of energy use by a large amount
in the overall scheme of things = looking at the big picture
meagre = mere