Consumption of energy in the USA since 1980

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 with answer.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below gives information from a 2008 report about consumption of energy in the USA since 1980 with projections until 2030.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You should write at least 150 words.

                   U.S. Energy Consumption by Fuel (1980-2030)

U.S. Energy Consumption by Fuel (1980-2030)

Sample Answer:
The given line graph demonstrates the consumption of different forms of energy in the USA commencing from the year 1980 and also gives forecast of this consumption till 2030. As is observed from the given illustration, petrol and oil consumption in the USA is highest among the given energy sources.

According to the line graph, in 1980 petrol and oil was the most used energy source in the USA. In this year petrol and oil were consumed 35 quadrillion units. Consumption of natural gas was 20 quadrillion units while coal as energy source remained in the third position with about 16 quadrillion unit consumption. Nuclear, solar and wind hydropower all were consumed less than 5 quadrillion units in this year.

Over time the consumption of all these fuels increased and in 2015 petrol and remains the most consumed energy source. The use of coal and natural gas intersected in earlier 2014 and the trends show that coal would be used more than natural gas in the USA in the future.

The projection of the consumption of fuels in the USA shows that the consumption of those energy sources would increase gradually and nuclear power would decrease the consumption of natural gas to some extent.