IELTS Graph # 11 - The two graphs show the main sources of energy in the USA in the 1980s and the 1990s.

Graph # 11 - Pie charts

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The two graphs show the main sources of energy in the USA in the 1980s and the 1990s. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the changes which occurred.

Write at least 150 words.

The given pie charts compare the proportion of energy produced from five different energy sources in the US for two decades - 1980 and 1990. It is clear that the most used source of energy is oil.

In 1980, 42% of the total energy was obtained from oil, which went down by 9% in 1990, still ranking it at the top of the list though. The second most common source of energy was natural gas which dispensed a quarter of the entire energy supply, for the entire period mentioned. Energy produced from coal was 22% in the 1980s, and it increased by 5% in the next decade. Nuclear energy that accounted for only 5% of the total energy production in 1980, same as hydroelectric power, doubled in 1990, while the proportion of hydroelectric power remained unchanged.

It can be concluded that oil was the most prominent source of energy production for both the decades, while hydroelectric power was the least.

(160 words)