IELTS Writing Task 1 mixed charts: question and model answer
Some Task 1 questions give you two different visuals, such as a line graph and a pie chart. You still have only 20 minutes and about 180 words, so the skill is choosing the key point from each chart and showing how they connect.
Updated 2026-10-23
What a mixed-chart question asks you to do
Two visuals usually describe the same topic from different angles: a trend over time on one, a breakdown at a single point on the other. Your job is to:
- pick out the main feature of each chart;
- connect them in the overview if a link exists;
- give supporting figures for each chart in its own body paragraph.
The risk is running out of words before you reach the second chart. Plan your figures before you start writing.
A structure for two charts
| Paragraph | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | What both charts show (one sentence can cover both) |
| Overview | The main point of each chart, linked if possible |
| Body 1 | Chart 1 with key figures |
| Body 2 | Chart 2 with key figures |
Practice question
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The line graph below shows the amount of electricity generated from three renewable sources in Country X between 2010 and 2022. The pie chart shows all sources of the country's electricity in 2022.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The figures are invented for practice.
Band 9 model answer
The line graph shows how much electricity Country X produced from wind, solar and hydro power between 2010 and 2022, while the pie chart breaks down the country's total electricity supply by source in 2022.
Overall, wind and solar generation grew rapidly over the period while hydro power stayed flat. Even so, fossil fuels still dominated the energy mix in 2022, with gas alone supplying more electricity than all three renewables combined.
Wind power overtook hydro as the leading renewable source by 2016, rising more than fivefold over the whole period from 10 to 55 terawatt hours. Solar generation grew even faster from a much smaller base, increasing twentyfold from just 2 to 40 terawatt hours. Hydro output, by contrast, hardly changed, remaining at around 25 terawatt hours throughout.
In 2022, gas accounted for 38% of the country's electricity and coal for a further 12%. Nuclear power provided 16%. Of the renewables, wind made the largest contribution at 14%, followed by solar at 10% and hydro at 6%, so together they generated almost a third of the total. The remaining 4% came from other sources.
Word count: 185
Why this answer scores highly
Task Achievement. The overview covers both charts and connects them: renewables grew fast, but gas still supplied more than all three together (38% against 30%). Both body paragraphs give accurate supporting figures.
Coherence and Cohesion. One paragraph per chart, with by contrast, even so and followed by signalling how ideas relate. The introduction covers both charts in a single sentence joined by while.
Lexical Resource. Fivefold, twentyfold, from a much smaller base, the energy mix, made the largest contribution and dominated are precise and natural.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Comparative structures (grew even faster, more electricity than all three combined), participle clauses and the result clause (so together they generated…) are all accurate.
Linking two charts
- While the line graph shows…, the pie chart breaks down…
- This growth is reflected in the pie chart, where…
- Despite this rise, …still accounted for only…
- Taken together, the charts show that…
Only link the charts with information they actually contain. Do not explain why the figures changed.
Common mistakes on mixed charts
- An overview that covers only one chart. Both charts need a main point in the overview.
- Spending 150 words on the first chart. Plan to split your words roughly equally.
- Mixing units. The line graph is in terawatt hours and the pie chart in percentages. Do not write "wind was 55%".
- Inventing a link that the data does not show.
Before you hand it in
- Does your overview mention both charts?
- Have you kept the units of each chart separate?
- Did you leave enough words for the second chart?
Back to the Task 1 overview, or practise single charts such as the line graph and pie chart.
Frequently asked questions
Should I write one paragraph for each chart?
Usually yes: one body paragraph per chart is the clearest structure. The overview should cover both charts, ideally in a way that links them.
Do I need to connect the two charts?
If there is a natural link, use it. Here, the growth in wind and solar on the line graph explains why they hold a combined 24% share on the pie chart. Linking the charts shows the examiner that you understood the whole task.
Is a mixed-chart answer longer than a normal Task 1?
It does not need to be. Aim for 170 to 200 words, and select fewer details from each chart instead of writing more.