Sunday, January 9th, 2022

IELTS lesson 3 – Writing – Pie chart

No Stage/ Activity + Task
time
1. Warm-up Q: What do you know about the IELTS writing task 1?
15 mins 1. How long is the IELTS writing test? – 60 mins
2. How many tasks does the IELTS writing test have? – 2 tasks
3. How many types of chart does the IELTS writing task 1 have? – line, pie, bar
4. What do you do in the task 1 of the test? – overview the chart, give opinion about the
data, write a report about the chart
5. How many words must you write? – 150 words
6. How many minutes should you take? – 20 mins
Act1: - Free talk – 5 mins – 1-2 students
Act2: - Challenge: candidate, complete, describe, report, spend – 5mins – 2 students

2. Pre-teach
20 mins

Task 1 – 10 mins
Look closely at the chart and answer the questions above

Task 2 – 10 mins
Read the model paragraph and analyze
The pie chart shows the fast foods that teenagers prefer in the USA. In general, teenagers
prefer hamburgers, pizza and French fries. Hamburgers are the most popular food of all,
because they account for the largest proportion of the pie chart, at 33 per cent. Pizza is
the second most popular, and this makes up 26 per cent of the total survey. Teenagers
also like French fries, which represent 22 per cent of the chart. Only 9 and 7 per cent of
teenagers choose fried chicken and tacos respectively, so they are less popular than the
first three. The least popular fast food in the survey is sushi. Only 3 per cent of
teenagers prefer this kind of food.
- Bold: comparatives and superlatives
- Highlight: yellow – useful words/verbs for describing graphs; green – subject
- Color: brown – topic sentence, red – overview sentence
3. While
teach – 55 Useful words for describing: make up, represent, account for – 15 mins
mins Example:
- Pizza makes up 26% of the total survey.
- Hamburgers account for the largest proportion of the pie chart.
- French fries represent 55% of the total.
-
Task 1: 5 mins
Write sentences using the information below. Use all three verbs and watch S-V
agreement.
a. French fries – 26% - the fast food preferences.
French fries make up/ represent/account for 26% of fast food preferences.
b. ice cream – biggest percentage – pie chart
Ice cream makes up/ represents/accounts for THE biggest percentage of the pie chart.
c. chips – 55% - survey
Chips make up/ represent/account for 55% of the survey.
e. tacos – 12% - total
Tacos make up/ represent/account for 12% of the total.
f. sushi – smallest percentage – fast food
Sushi makes up/ represents/accounts for the smallest percentage of the fast food.

Key:
a. French fries make up/ represent/account for 26% of fast food preferences.
b. Ice cream makes up/ represents/ accounts for the biggest percentage of the pie chart.
c. Chips make up/ represent/account for 55% of the total.
e. Tacos make up/ represent/account for 12% of the total.
f. Sushi makes up/ represents/ accounts for the smallest of the fast food.

Essential grammar – comparatives and superlatives – 25 mins

Task 1 – 5 mins
Use the date from the pie graph to fill in the gaps in these sentences.
Hints:
- Tobe: is/ are
- Expressions: more popular than, less popular than, the most popular, the least popular,
the second most popular
a. French fries ______ ________________sushi.
French fries are more popular than sushi.
b. Sushi _____ ____________ of the fast foods in the pie chart.
Sushi is the least popular of the fast foods in the pie chart.
c. Tacos ____ ____________ sushi, but ___________ fried chicken.
Tacos are more popular than sushi, but less popular than fried chicken.
d. Fried chicken __ ____________pizza.
Fried chicken is less popular than pizza.
e. Pizza ____ ______________fast food.
Pizza is the second most popular fast food.
f. French fries _____ ______________ fried chicken.
French fries are more popular than fried chicken.
g. Hamburgers ____ ____________ of the fast foods.
Hamburgers are the most popular of the fast foods.
h. ______ third ______________ fast food is French fries.
The third most popular fast food is French fries.
i. Tacos ____ ______________ fried chicken and French fries.
Tacos are less popular than fried chicken and French fries.
j. Pizza ___ ________________ hamburgers, but __________________ French fries.
Pizza is less popular than hamburgers, but more popular than French fries.

Keys
a. French fries are more popular than sushi.
b. Sushi the least popular of the fast foods in the pie chart.
c. Tacos are more popular than sushi, but less popular than fried chicken.
d. Fried chicken is less popular than pizza.
e. Pizza is the second most popular fast food.
f. French fries are more popular than fried chicken.
g. Hamburgers are the most popular of the fast foods.
h. The third most popular fast food is French fries.
i. Tacos are less popular than fried chicken and French fries.
j. Pizza is less popular than hamburgers, but more popular than French fries.

Task 2: - 5 mins
Use the language structures above to write your own sentences, using the data below.
There are many possible correct answers. Try to use a variety of structures in your
writing.
a. fruit juice 45% - soda 22% - mineral water 10%
=> Fruit juice is the most popular of the drinks/beverages.
b. coffee 10% - tea 15%
=> coffee is less popular than tea.
c. ice cream 45% - frozen yogurt 30%
=> Ice cream is more popular than frozen yogurt.
d. ice cream 30% - frozen yogurt 45% - chocolate 25%
=> Ice cream is less popular than frozen yogurt, but more popular than chocolate.
e. pizza 20% - dumpling 40% - fried chicken 45%
=> Pizza is the least popular fast food.
f. mineral water 10% - coffee 15% - soda 22%
=> Soda is the most popular drink/beverage.
g. fruit juice 15% - soda 18%
=> Fruit juice is less popular than soda.
h. frozen yogurt 19% - ice cream 17%
=> Frozen yogurt is (slightly) more popular than ice cream.

Keys
a. Fruit juice is the most popular of the drinks/beverages.
 b. coffee is less popular than tea.
c. Ice cream is more popular than frozen yogurt.
d. Ice cream is less popular than frozen yogurt, but more popular than chocolate.
e. Pizza is the least popular fast food.
f. Soda is the most popular drink/beverage.
g. Fruit juice is less popular than soda.
h. Frozen yogurt is (slightly) more popular than ice cream.

Varying your sentence structures – 15 mins

Task 1 – 2 mins
Find and mark the subject of each sentence below.
a. Hamburgers are the most popular food of all.
b. Pizza is less popular than hamburgers.
c. Teenagers also like French fries.
d. Only 9 and 7 per cent of teenagers choose fried chicken and tacos respectively.
e. The least popular fast food in this survey is sushi.

Task 2 – 5 mins
Rewrite the paragraph below, varying the sentence structures to match the example
above. You do NOT need to include all the words given below.
1. Pizza is the most popular fast food with teenagers.
2. Hamburgers are less popular with teenagers than pizza.
3. French fried are less popular with teenagers than hamburgers.
4. Sushi is less popular with teenagers then French fries.
5. Fries chicken is less popular with teenagers than sushi.
6. Tacos are less popular with teenagers than fried chicken.

3. Post – 1. Look at the chart and answer the questions below. 5 mins
teach
- 20 mins
 2. Writing – 15 mins
The pie chart shows ____________________________.
In general, ____________________.
Soda is ___________________.
High school students also like ___________________________________, respectively.
Only 9 and 7 per cent _________________.
The least ______________________.

Find and mark:

- All the comparatives and superlatives
- The subjects of all the sentences
- The topic sentences
- The overview sentences
- The useful words for describing graphs

4. Wrap up – What have Ss learnt today?

5 mins - Words
- Comparison
- Structure

5. Homewor Task 1:
k – 5 mins

Task 2: Rewrite the paragraph below.

Pizza is the most popular fast food with teenagers (35%). Hamburgers are less popular
with teenagers than pizza (23%). French fried are less popular with teenagers than
hamburgers (20%). Sushi is less popular with teenagers then French fries (11%). Fries
chicken is less popular with teenagers than sushi. Tacos are less popular with teenagers
than fried chicken (2%).

Task 3
Write your own paragraph about the pie chart below. The chart shows the fruit
preferences of primary school children in New Zealand. Follow the models in this unit
and focus carefully on the grammar point that you have practiced. Try to include some of
the vocabulary words as well.