IELTS Writing Task 1 : Structure, FAQs, Tips, model answers
In IELTS writing part divide on two parts where first one is writing a report like article from different types of charts, maps or diagrams. This article mainly focused on IELTS academic part.
Here I try to accumulate information from different websites and generate whole structure of writing task 1.
Types of writing task 1
1. Diagrams
2. Maps
3. Building plans
4. Bar charts
5. Line charts
6. Pie charts
7. Tables
It also possible to get more than one type in task 1 test.
For example a bar chart with a pie chart.
Marks
One third of marks of total IELTS writing marks.
Time
20 minutes but anyone can use more than that. But 20 minutes
time for task 1 is recommended.
Word limit
150 words (Under count will get penalty), maximum 200 words.
Difference between academic and general training paper
In the general training paper have to write a letter. Marks
count in general paper is different than academic test. Check the link to see
the difference in marks:
Structure of IELTS writing task 1(academic)
Try to provide a general organization of information in
different paragraphs for task 1
1. Introduction
2. Overview (key features)
3. Body paragraph A (Accurate detail in a logical order)
4. Body paragraph B (Accurate detail in a logical order)
Necessary to compare and contrast all the time
The instructions say to compare and contrast where relevant
so it is not appropriate to compare and contrast everything. It depends on the
data either anyone write a detail report or compare and contrast. For example
the given data show literacy rate of several countries than you must compare
and contrast and if data shows a map then only write a detail report. So plan
first than proceed into the writing.
Instructions for introduction
The introduction is quite formulaic and can be learned. Look
at the information and generally keep it short and not more than two sentences.
Usually paraphrase the given sentence in different vocabulary and change the
sentence structure such as passive voice. For example “The graph illustrates
the percentage of water use in six regions for different purposes”. Anyone can
also add information about the time frames: “Times are considered between ….”
Necessary to write conclusion
No need to write conclusion rather than an overview. There
is a difference between conclusion and an overview.
IELTS Writing task 1 marking criteria
Examiner assess writing based on 4 criteria each criterion
worth 25% marks
1. Task achievement
2. Coherence and cohesion
3. Lexical resource (Vocabulary)
4. Grammatical range and Accuracy (Including spelling
mistake)
These criteria will evaluated by examiner in according
format:
1. Task achievement
Task Achievement” as a
measurement of “how appropriately, accurately and relevantly the response
fulfills the requirements set out in the task, using the minimum of 150 words (Source: IELTS, Test
format in detail).
2. Coherence and cohesion
3. Lexical resource
4. Grammatical range and Accuracy
Tips:
1. Don’t include below in paraphrase sentence of
introduction
2. Decide if the graph you are describing is a comparison,
progression or both. You will need to use the appropriate language for each
type. For example, if it is comparative, use ‘the same as’ or if it is
progressive, use ‘a slight increase’
3. Change noun and adjectives phrases into verbs and adverbs
to create a range of expressions, for example ‘a slight increase’ to ‘increase
slightly’. Also, try to learn a few different ways to say the same thing so you
don’t have to repeat yourself (‘increase’, ‘go up’, ‘rise’). Remember you will
be marked on your language range and accuracy
4. You need to add linker to help your essay to help with
its cohesion and coherence; in other words, it’s flow. Here are some useful
expressions: in addition, furthermore, however, although
5. Write an overview as you second sentence of your
introduction. Look at the beginning and the end of the chart to help determine
your overview
6. Describe the most general trends in second paragraph,
including the most striking characteristics
7. In the 3rd paragraph you need to give a more
detailed description. You still need to focus on main trends, but focus
more on elements within each part of the graph (For 10 years, there was a
gradual upward trend until it peaked at 250 units in 2002, followed by a dip.).
Add data to support your information
8. Don’t describe all small details as this creates lists
which sound mechanical
- Instead of writing :It went up by 2% and then dropped up 5%, then rose again for 2 years, and again dropped by 2%
- Write: It fluctuated between 5% and 2% for the first quarter of the year
9. Never write something that is not given in the chart or
assumed.
10. Never use
bullets, write as if you were writing an essay
11. Anyone need to write
about all the periods of time and all the subjects of graph. If it shows
several years (1992, 1993, 1994) – write about all of them, if it is about men
and women – write about both. Remember, summarizing doesn’t mean throwing away
information. The secret here is to select what’s important, organize it,
compare and contrast
How to “Read” IELTS Writing Task 1 Questions?
1. Read the summary and titles first
IELTS Writing Task 1 instructions include a short summary sentence in the instructions. Also, the visuals usually have a title. Read these things first because they give you a good overview of what is contained in the visual(s). This summary information will be very useful to you in the first paragraph of your response where you need to “introduce the visuals” (see the template below for more details).
2. Take note of categories / units.
Next, take note of the types of information contained on the visual(s). To get a high band score, you must provide accurate descriptions of this information. You can’t do this if you don’t understand it. Ask yourself questions like these as you take in the data:
·Do your
visuals involve time? Is time presented in hours, days, weeks, months, etc?
·Do your
visuals show trends? In general, what are the trends? Increases, decreases,
fluctuating, etc?
·Do the
visuals show a sequence of events? Steps in a process?
·Do the
visuals categorize different types of things?
- Are
numbers presented in hundreds, thousands, millions, percentages, decimals?
etc.
3. Find an interesting “angle” on the data.
As you’ll read below, Paragraph’s 2 – 4 of the IELTS Writing task template involve reporting on the main features of the visual(s). You have to select which information to include and, importantly, which to leave out. This can be tough, but it becomes much easier if you can quickly find an “angle” on the data to help you filter out what you need and what you don’t.
For
example, let’s imagine you’re looking at a chart that shows a list of 5
different TV shows. These shows are ranked by their popularity among 5
different age groups. Here are some possible “angles”:
- Which shows are most popular/least popular among all age groups?
- Which shows got more popular as viewer age increased/decreased?
- Which shows were only popular in the middle-aged group?
The “angles” you take should be the things that seem most
interesting or striking to you as you look at the visual(s). Another way to
think about this–if you had to give a report at a meeting or in a college
class, which information would interest the audience most? The answer to this question will provide the content
for much of your IELTS Writing Task 1 response.
Th
Sample IELTS Writing Task 1 Question and Template
IELTS Writing Task 1 Template Overview
·
Paragraph 1: Introduce the visuals (1-2 sentences).
· Paragraph 2: Summarize the visuals.
· Paragraphs 3 and (sometimes) 4: Use data/details to highlight a
key feature of the visual(s).
· Optional: Concluding sentence
We’re
going to go through each part of the IELTS Writing Task 1 template one by one
below, showing an IELTS academic writing sample with answers.
Question
The graphs above give information about computer ownership as a
percentage of the population between 2002 and 2010, and by level of education
for the years 2002 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Paragraph 1: Introduce the Visuals (1 – 2 sentences)
Introducing
the visuals is very straightforward, but it can present challenges because it
tests your grammar and vocabulary. Basically, all you need to do in these
introductory lines is explain, in very general terms, what the visuals contain.
You should try to do this in one sentence if possible.
Fortunately, you can find this information easily because it’s provided for you very clearly in the question prompt. In our example, this is the sentence just below the second chart above (“The graphs above give information about….”) The titles of your visuals also provide useful information for Paragraph 1.
Paragraph 1 requires a lot of practice because your have to paraphrase the language from the prompt and the titles. That means you need to put this information in your own words. Do your best to avoid using the same vocabulary and sentence structure as the prompt. Failing to do this will definitely lower your score! The IELTS is testing your vocabulary and grammar here. Please note, however, that you don’t always have to paraphrase key terms. In our sample, the phrase “computer ownership” would be difficult to replace, for example. Everything else should be paraphrased!
Below is a sample Paragraph 1. Notice how the vocabulary and sentence structure differ from both the question prompt and the titles of the visuals.
Fortunately, you can find this information easily because it’s provided for you very clearly in the question prompt. In our example, this is the sentence just below the second chart above (“The graphs above give information about….”) The titles of your visuals also provide useful information for Paragraph 1.
Paragraph 1 requires a lot of practice because your have to paraphrase the language from the prompt and the titles. That means you need to put this information in your own words. Do your best to avoid using the same vocabulary and sentence structure as the prompt. Failing to do this will definitely lower your score! The IELTS is testing your vocabulary and grammar here. Please note, however, that you don’t always have to paraphrase key terms. In our sample, the phrase “computer ownership” would be difficult to replace, for example. Everything else should be paraphrased!
Below is a sample Paragraph 1. Notice how the vocabulary and sentence structure differ from both the question prompt and the titles of the visuals.
The charts show rates of computer ownership from 2002 – 2010,
including a more detailed look at ownership patterns by level of education.
Paragraph 2: Summarize the visuals (2 – 4 sentences)
In this paragraph, you will provide a summary of the visuals
without going into too much detail. IELTS Writing Task 1 instructions tell you
to, “summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features” of
the visuals (Source: IELTS, Test format in detail).
Paragraph 2 is your opportunity to do just that.
Avoiding details in this paragraph helps to focus your answer on the most important points contained in the visual(s). You don’t want your summary to get lost in numbers and figures. Save these details for your next paragraph(s). Instead, in Paragraph 2, you’ll need to provide an accurate overview, or summary, of the contents of the visuals. In the previous paragraph (Paragraph 1), you explained what the visuals are about — the topic. Now, in Paragraph 2, you need to describe the main information contained in the visuals. You should select the information that stands out to you most. It might be a general trend in the data, or a striking or interesting overall pattern. In Paragraph 2, you should report in very general terms, whatever seems most noteworthy in the visuals. Take a look at this sample below:
Avoiding details in this paragraph helps to focus your answer on the most important points contained in the visual(s). You don’t want your summary to get lost in numbers and figures. Save these details for your next paragraph(s). Instead, in Paragraph 2, you’ll need to provide an accurate overview, or summary, of the contents of the visuals. In the previous paragraph (Paragraph 1), you explained what the visuals are about — the topic. Now, in Paragraph 2, you need to describe the main information contained in the visuals. You should select the information that stands out to you most. It might be a general trend in the data, or a striking or interesting overall pattern. In Paragraph 2, you should report in very general terms, whatever seems most noteworthy in the visuals. Take a look at this sample below:
These data show a constant increase in the percentage of the
population that owned computers during the eight-year timeframe. This rising
trend occurred across all education levels. However, although having more
education correlated directly with higher computer ownership percentages from
2002 – 2010, the ownership percentage increased most among those with the least
education during those years.
Paragraphs 3 and (sometimes) 4: Use data/details to highlight a
key feature of the visual(s)
Now that you’ve presented a summary of the main information in the
visuals, you’re ready to go into details in Paragraph 3. This is where you report
data related to the summary information you just provided in Paragraph 2.
You should not attempt to describe ALL of
the data you see in the visuals. This would probably be impossible within the
time limit even if you tried. You have to make choices. Instead, you should
report about data that relate directly to the main feature(s) — the key
information — that you just presented in Paragraph 2.
In
Paragraph 2 of the sample response, I focused on how 1) computer ownership rose
steadily from 2002 – 2010 in general and across education levels, but that 2)
those with the least education increased their computer ownership most over
this period. Therefore, it would make sense to follow this paragraph with
detailed information on these trends. As I described earlier in this post,
these are the “angles” or perspectives I’ve taken on the graphs.
At this
point, you have a second choice to make. Should you present all of the data in
one paragraph (Paragraph 3), or should you separate it into two shorter
paragraphs (Paragraphs 3 and 4)? It is not necessary to include a 4th paragraph
in your response and it won’t always add to your score include one (unless you
haven’t met your 150 word minimum!). However, many times having two shorter
paragraphs can be best. This is especially true in cases where you need to
present data/details about two distinct key features. In these cases, a 4th
paragraph helps you to present different ideas clearly. For this reason, I
chose to present the information in two shorter paragraphs in our sample
response. The following are same paragraphs 3 and 4:
In 2002, slightly more than half the population owned computers.
That number increased to roughly 75% over the next eight years. Postgraduates
were always ahead of the general population. While roughly three-quarters of
postgraduates owned computers in 2002, that rose to nearly 95% by 2010. By
contrast, those who had not finished high school began with only a 15% computer
ownership rate, which increased to about 45% after eight years.
Notably,
the three groups at the lowest end of the education spectrum saw the most
significant computer ownership gains over this period. Their rate rose
approximately 30 percentage points. College graduates and postgraduates saw
more modest gains with 20 point increases between 2002 and 2010.
Optional: Concluding Sentence
You may
include a concluding sentence on IELTS Writing Task 1, but it is optional. It
can be very helpful to include one if you’re struggling to reach your word
count minimum of 150 words. Otherwise, a concluding sentence won’t help your
score significantly. Review the following sample concluding sentence:
The first decade of the 21st century saw steady gains in computer
ownership among a variety of education levels.
Boosting Academic task 1 score
Grammar tip 1: Don’t use the same simple sentence structures over and over
v
Avoid all be verb (am, is, are, was, were) in IELTS exam
v
Use adjective, adverb or adverbial phrase etc.
Grammar tip 2: Use complex sentence structures
Complex
sentences include “subordinates conjunctions”
Example
of subordinate conjunctions is given here:
Adverbial Subordinators (there are many!):
Even
though
Whereas
While
When
Because
Since
Etc
Whereas
While
When
Because
Since
Etc
Adjective Clause Subordinators:
Who
Whom
Which
That
Whose
Whom
Which
That
Whose
Noun Clause Subordinators:
What
When
Where
How
Who
When
Where
How
Who
A few complex sentence examples:Adverbial:
Even
though it rained all weekend, we had a great time.
I like playing chess because it provides a mental challenge.
I like playing chess because it provides a mental challenge.
Adjective:
I threw the ball to my friend, who was not ready to catch it.Unfortunately, I can’t find pen that you loaned me.
Noun clause:
I didn’t hear what you said.Please show me how I can fill out this form correctly.
You
don’t want to overuse these complex structures. It’s best to mix complex
sentences with simpler ones for clarity. Also, don’t confuse the word “complex”
with the word “long.” In general, you should try to avoid very long sentences
to make your writing clear and easy to understand. Having some longer sentences
won’t hurt you, but, again, aim for a mixture.
Grammar tip 3: Check verb tenses
Common mistake
in IELTS response
Lexical tip 1: Practice paraphrasing
Build vocabulary
: IELTS vocabulary flashcards by Magoosh
Practice
paraphrasing by yourself and compare it with standard one.
Lexical tip 2: Avoid redundancy
Often use increase and decrease
number of times so their synonyms are
Rise – Fall
Go up – Go down
Jump – Decline
Spike – Dip
Skyrocket – Plummet
Rise – Fall
Go up – Go down
Jump – Decline
Spike – Dip
Skyrocket – Plummet
Coherence and Cohesion tip 1: Use transition words and phrases
Here is a
list
But don’t use same phrase again
and again. Also, avoid using a transition word or phrase in
every sentence.
Coherence and Cohesion tip 2: Use referencing
Another aspect of your “Coherence and Cohesion” score relates
to “referencing.” This is your ability to use various pronouns accurately and
appropriately. For example:
I learned how to knit a sweater from my grandmother. It took
a long time to learn.
“It” refers to “how to knit a sweater”
We
had a great time on holiday in Hawaii. I want to go back there!
“There” refers to “Hawaii.”
“There” refers to “Hawaii.”
Referencing helps you to avoid redundancy because you don’t
mention the same nouns over and over again. Importantly, it also pulls your
sentences together, linking ideas and concepts. Practice using pronouns as you
write and make sure to look for pronoun errors as you edit your work!
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