How to answer IELTS writing part one questions

Here is a typical IELTS part one question (from Cambridge IELTS Practice tests no 9}

Graph or chart goes here

Here is how to answer it.
1. Read the text in the box. Underline key words and phrases and think of synonyms or
paraphrases. Note that some key words must be repeated to keep the same meaning.

Example:

The chart below shows the total number of minutes {in billions} of telephone calls in the
U.K., divided into three categories, from 1995-2002

Now write the introduction using your synonyms and paraphrases.

2. Next, look at the chart and imagine your reader cannot see it. What do they look like? This is
your overview. It is essential for planning your response. It can be included in the
introduction, used as a conclusion or form the general outline of your response.
3. Next, List the main features.
4. Then, look at the categories of the data and decide how many paragraphs you need to
describe the details.
5. Now write the paragraphs including data for the key features
6. Write your overview as a conclusion.
7. Finally double-check any data you quote to make sure you have read it correctly. A surprising
number of students mis-read the data and lose marks.,

Maximizing your band score

Note how the same concept is restated, not repeated, to ensure good cohesion (connection and flow of
language} and to demonstrate your vocabulary skills.

in 1998………. the following year,

72 billion minutes………. the 1995 figure

2002………… at the end of the period in question

Things to avoid

1. Trying to explain the data.

Mobile phones have become an icon of the 21st century
2. Using an inappropriate style
The number of mobile calls was going through the roof in 2002
3. Describing the data mechanically
The number of local fixed line calls was just over 70 billion in 1995, then it rose to nearly 80
billion in 1996, then to 85 billion in 1997………….
Useful vocabulary
Verbs Noun Form
Rise rise
Increase increase
Improve improvement
Fall fall
Decrease decrease
Recover recovery

Other Nouns Meaning

Peak
Trough
Fluctuation
Drop
Plateau
Jump
Dip

VOCABULARY: VERBS OF MOVEMENT

1. Match the parts of the graph 1-10 with the verbs a-j
18 Unit 6, Listening, exercise 3.wma Step Up to IELTS Unit 6 Listening Ex 4 p.42.mp3
Practice describing data

2. For sentences 1-10 below, use the verbs in exercise 1 to replace the underlined
text.

1. The price of laptops dropped followed by a period of stability.

2. Numbers reached a high in the year 2009.
3. The amount of money spent fell slightly and then quickly recovered.
4. Visitor numbers to the website plunged in the first quarter of the year.
5. Book purchases increased slowly but surely over the year.
6. The number of students applying to the university stabilized over the decade.
7. Attendance at the conference decreased steadily last year.
8. The growth rate was erratic during the previous year.
9. Member numbers reached their lowest point in March.
10. Car sales rocketed over the period.

3. to add variety to your writing, you can use nouns instead of verbs to describe
movement. Look at the nouns in the box below and decide which ones are not
correct.

a drop a plunge a bottom out an increase stabilization

fluctuations a decline a rocket a soar a plummet a rise
a dip a fall a level off a climb a surge

4. Rewrite the sentences from exercise 2 using nouns instead of verbs. Use the
following structure: There was a (+ adjective) + noun + in …. For two of the sentences
this is not possible. Make any other necessary changes.

Example: There was a drop in the price of laptops followed by a period of stability
MODEL ESSAY

The graph below provides a breakdown of the UK weekly market share of visits to
three social networking websites between March 2007 and March 2008.

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

1. Read the question and decide which is the best introduction (a, b, or c)
and why

a. The graph below shows in percentages terms the UK weekly market share of
visits to three websites between March 2007 and March 2008

b. The chart below shows the percentage of hits to three websites over the period
of a year.

c. The chart illustrates the market share of hits to various social networking sites
in the UK on a weekly basis over one year to March 2008.
2. Complete the gaps in the following model answer for the task with the correct form
of a suitable verb. There may be more than one possible answer.

The graph (1) _____________ the proportion of hits to three social networking
sites on a weekly basis from 10th March 2007 to 8th march 2008.

Generally speaking, the trends in the market share of the three sites (2)
_________. The most viewed site (3) ___________ clearly www.facebook.com
whose share of the market (4) _________ dramatically from approximately 0.25
per cent on 10th March 2007 to 1.96 per cent on 8th March 2008. This (5)
__________ nearly an eightfold increase over the period. It (6) _________
noticeable that the market share of Facebook (7) _________ a high around 2.2
per cent during December 2008, with peaks being hit by the other two sites
during the same period.

The market share of hits to bebo site, meanwhile, (8) __________ at a slower
pace from about 1.2 to 1.44 per cent, a rise of approximately 40 per cent. In
contrast to the other two websites, the market share of www.myspace.com (9)
___________, decreasing from approximately the same level as www.bebo.com
on 10th March 2007 to 0.89 per cent.

1. shows/illustrates

2. increased/rose

3. Was

4. Soared/climbed/rocketed

5. Gave/resulted in/caused/represented

6. Was

7. Reached

8. Increased

9. Fell
 1. Example:

The chart shows the time spent by U.K. residents on different types of telephone calls between 1995
and 2002

2. See Chart
3. In this case, they are as follows:
Local calls highest, rises to a peak, then falls back.
National and international second highest, rises steadily
Mobiles third highest, rises sharply

4. In this case, three types of calls mean three paragraphs, plus the introduction and a conclusion.

5. Example

Local fixed line calls were the highest throughout the period, rising from 72 billion minutes in
1995 to just under 90 billion in 1998. After peaking at 90 billion the following year, these
calls had fallen back to the 1995 figure by 2002.
National and international fixed line calls grew steadily from 38 billion to 61 billion at the
end of the period in question, though the growth slowed over the last two years.
There was a dramatic increase in mobile calls from 2 billion to 46 billion minutes. This rise
was particularly noticeable between 1999 and 2002, during which time the use of mobile
phones tripled

6. Example

To sum up, although local fixed line calls were still the most popular in 2002, the gap between the
three categories had narrowed considerably over the second half of the period in question.