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Comparing two charts

Learn how to write about and compare two pie charts.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Reading text



Overall, the two pie charts show that smartphones and tablets are used for the same purposes but to very different extents. 

The first pie chart shows how people spend their time on smartphones while the second pie chart illustrates how time is spent on tablets. For both types of device, the top use is for games, but the figures differ greatly. 57% of the time spent on a tablet is given to playing games, while only 35% of the time spent on a smartphone is used for this. In contrast, smartphone users spend 29% of their time on their gadget accessing social networking sites compared with just 15% of tablet time spent on the same activity.

The third most popular use of the tablet is for consuming entertainment, with users spending 13% of their tablet time watching videos and listening to music. Smartphone users, however, dedicate only 8% of their smartphone time to such entertainment, preferring instead to spend 20% of their time on their phone accessing utilities. These can include maps, weather information and calculators.

There is a clear difference in the way people are using their smartphones and tablets. In general, while tablets are being used more for gaming and other forms of entertainment, smartphones seem to be the preferred option for tasks as well as communication with the world around us.

Please note: This page was designed for writing practice only. Information in the charts may not be accurate.

Tips

  1. Before writing about the detailed figures, give an overview of what the graphs or charts represent.
  2. Say precisely what the data refers to. There is a difference between, for example, a user spending 57% of their time on games and a user spending 57% of their tablet time on games. (You can write % or per cent, but be consistent.)
  3. You don't need to describe all the information in the diagrams. Select the most important things.
  4. Don't repeat vocabulary. Use different words and phrases with the same or similar meanings, e.g. playing games = gaming.
  5. Use similarly, in the same way or also to show similarities.
  6. Use however, in contrast, but, while or instead to show differences.

Task 1

Exercise

Task 2

Exercise

Task 3

Exercise

Discussion

Do you own a smartphone and a tablet? What differences do you notice between the way you use them? Are there any similarities?

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Language level

Upper intermediate: B2

Comments

hanaa abed alhadi's picture hanaa abed alhadi replied on Lebanon

yes l have both smartphone and tablet , most of usage for smart phone is for contacting with family and friend , while quarter of tablet usage is for working . however both device are using for entertainment and social media .

amanda ferreira's picture amanda ferreira replied on Brazil

I do not have a tablet because I constantly use my smartphone for everthing and he's responds to all my requirements, but my sister owned it once and she enjoyed it. I think to have a tablet you might need to use more space in your bag and it is not pratice at all, so that's probably I will never buy one.

thaysilva's picture thaysilva replied on Brazil

I only have a smartphone, but I wish to have a tablet in the future. As I work with drawing an ipad would be perfect in comparison with the Wacom I own. However, while I don't have enough money I'll keep doing my best with my current work set.

cin5's picture cin5 replied on Mexico

I have both devices: a tablet and a smartphone, but I spend more time on my smartphone because I have it with me most of time. However, when I need to read a pdf, tablets have advantage over the smartphones: the bigger screen, so I choose mine for reading and leave my smartphone for entertainment and utilities use.

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