Band 9: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The chart below shows the main causes of animal extinction based on a recent environmental study. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. You should: Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features Make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words

The bar chart illustrates the main causes of animal extinction worldwide, shown as percentages.

Overall, habitat loss is by far the most significant cause of animal extinction, while pollution and invasive species contribute the least. Climate change and overexploitation also play important roles, although to a lesser extent.

In detail, habitat loss accounts for 40% of animal extinctions, making it the leading factor by a considerable margin. Climate change is the second most important cause, responsible for 25% of extinctions. This figure is notably lower than habitat loss but remains a major threat to wildlife.

Overexploitation, which includes activities such as hunting and overfishing, represents 15% of the total. By comparison, pollution and invasive species are the least significant factors, each contributing 10%. Together, these two causes make up one fifth of all animal extinctions, which is still a substantial proportion.

In summary, while several factors contribute to animal extinction, habitat loss and climate change are the dominant causes, accounting for nearly two thirds of the total.