TASK 1

THINGS TO REMEMBER

(1) This is a mixed task – the pie chart shows worldwide causes of land degradation,
while the table shows the causes of land degradation by region.
(2) You MUST have an overview (1-2 sentences) that report the main details – the
most noticeable or important information
(3) Think of some synonyms for the keywords e.g. “region” –> “area”, “causes” –>
“factors”, “percentage” –> “proportion” etc.
(4) Even though you’re only writing 150-200 words, try to have a clear structure –
something like (i) Intro (ii) Overview (iii) Paragraph for the pie chart (iv) Paragraph
for the table (v) a brief (one sentence) conclusion to sum up both charts (this can be
your overview if you don’t write if straight after the introduction!)

STEP ONE – INTRODUCTION

NOTES – (1) YOU NEED TO  PARAPHRASE  THE TITLE YOU ARE GIVEN IN
ORDER TO WRITE YOUR INTRODUCTION. THINK OF SOME SYNONYMS FOR
THE KEYWORDS. IF YOU CAN’T, THEN CHANGE THE FORM OF THE WORD
E.G. “…WHY AGRICULTURAL LAND BECOMES LESS PRODUCTIVE” COULD
BE CHANGED TO “WHY LAND USED FOR AGRICULTURE PRODUCES LESS
OVER TIME” (2) PAY ATTENTION TO   TENSE.  THE PIE CHART IS IN THE
PRESENT (GENERAL INFORMATION) BUT THE TABLE IS IN THE PAST (DATA
FROM THE 1990S).
The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less
productive. The table shows how these causes affected three regions of the world
during the 1990s.
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION “The pie chart outlines the key factors as to why land
used for agriculture produces less over time, while the table gives a breakdown of the
effect these causes had on agricultural land in three regions during the 1990s.”

STEP TWO – OVERVIEW

NOTES – LOOK AT THE CHART(S) AND TRY TO FIND THE “BIG” DETAILS. IN
THIS EXAMPLE, THE PIE CHART SHOWS US THAT THERE ARE THREE
CAUSES THAT ARE ALL ABOUT   THE SAME  IN TERMS OF THEIR EFFECT ON
AGRICULTURAL LAND (OVER-GRAZING – 35%, DEFORESTATION – 30%,
OVER-CULTIVATION – 28%). HOWEVER, THE TABLE SHOWS US THAT THE
INFLUENCE OF THESE CAUSES IS  DIFFERENT  IN EACH REGION. THESE
TWO PIECES OF INFORMATION FROM THE PIE CHART AND TABLE CAN
HELP US WRITE THE OVERVIEW.
SAMPLE OVERVIEW – “Overall, over-grazing, deforestation, and over-cultivation
are all significant causes of land degradation globally, but the causes of less
productive land in specific regions varies.”
STEP THREE – BODY ONE (PIE CHART) + BODY TWO (TABLE)

NOTES – THE PIE CHART ONLY HAS FOUR SECTORS, SO ORGANIZE YOUR
PARAGRAPH BASED ON THE BIGGEST THEN COMPARE IT TO THE OTHER
SECTORS.

SAMPLE BODY ONE – “The pie chart shows that over-grazing by livestock is the
most significant factor in land becoming degraded with 35% of land being affected in
this way. However, this is closely followed by deforestation (30%) and over-
cultivation (28%), with the remaining 7% being made up of other causes.”

NOTES – NOW  LINK  YOUR FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH (PIE CHART) TO THE
SECOND BODY PARAGRAPH (TABLE)
SAMPLE BODY TWO – “With respect to the table, it is clear that in the 1990s the
North American region had the lowest amount of degraded land at just 5%. Of this
land, about two-thirds was damaged by over-cultivation, just under a third by over-
grazing, and a minimal amount by deforestation. In contrast, at the same time almost a
quarter (23%) of arable land in Europe was degraded. Unlike the American region, the
main factor in Europe was deforestation, with 9.8% of total land affected. Moreover,
over-cultivation (7.7%) and over-grazing (5.5%) were also majorly responsible for the
deterioration of land quality. In the final region, Oceania, the main cause of land
degradation was clearly over-grazing with 11.3% of land being affected by this out of
a total of 13% of land degraded in total. Conversely, over-cultivation appeared to play
no role in this part of the world, while deforestation affected only a relatively small
amount (1.7%)”

NOTES – THIS ANSWER IS ALREADY OVER 200 WORDS AND ALL MAIN PARTS
HAVE BEEN COVERED, SO A CONCLUSION IS NOT NECESSARY (AND WILL BE
VERY SIMILAR TO THE OVERVIEW). IF YOU WANT TO CHECK THAT YOU’VE
WRITTEN A GOOD ANSWER, THEN TRY TO DRAW THE CHART(S) BASED ON
YOUR REPORT. IF YOU CAN RE-DRAW THE KEY DETAILS THEN YOU
SHOULD HAVE A CLEAR REPORT.
 FULL SAMPLE ANSWER

The pie chart outlines the key factors as to why land used for agriculture produces less
over time, while the table gives a breakdown of the effect these causes had on
agricultural land in three regions during the 1990s.

Overall, over-grazing, deforestation, and over-cultivation are all significant causes of

land degradation globally, but the causes of less productive land in specific
regions varies.

The pie chart shows that over-grazing by livestock is the most significant factor in
land becoming degraded with 35% of land being affected in this way. However, this is
closely followed by deforestation (30%) and over-cultivation (28%), with the
remaining 7% being made up of other causes

With respect to the table, it is clear that in the 1990s the North American region had
the lowest amount of degraded land at just 5%. Of this land, about two-thirds was
damaged by over-cultivation, just under a third by over-grazing, and a minimal
amount by deforestation. In contrast, at the same time almost a quarter (23%) of
arable land in Europe was degraded. Unlike the American region, the main factor in
Europe was deforestation, with 9.8% of total land affected in this way. Moreover,
over-cultivation (7.7%) and over-grazing (5.5%) were also majorly responsible for the
deterioration of land quality. In the final region, Oceania, the main cause of land
degradation was clearly over-grazing with 11.3% of land being affected by this out of
a total of 13% of land degraded in total. Conversely, over-cultivation appeared to play
no role in this part of the world, while deforestation affected only a relatively small
amount (1.7%)

(250 words)