Types of Task 1

 Line chart. In this question type, you will have one or more than one chart.
 Bar graph. Bar graph is the question in which there will be one or few graphs along with the
details given in vertical or horizontal bars.
 Pie chart/s
 Table/s
 Map/s
 Process/es
 Multiple charts.

You need to write at least 150 words in minimum 3 or 4 paragraphs.

Form

The form I suggest all my candidates to use is a very easy four paragraph format. You can use another
format if you wish, but this one has been manifested to be productive and accepted by IELTS analysts.

Paragraph 1 (Introduction)

Sentence 1- Rephrase Question

Let us go through each paragraph more specifically.

This paragraph should be one sentence long and indicate your capability to rephrase. You do this by
utilizing related words and we will look at it more particularly below.

In the first paragraph, you need to rephrase the question.

By using Similar Words, Altering the word order, or Altering the Structure of word, else by altering from
Active to Passive.

Paragraph 2 (Outline)

Sentence 1- Outline of first chief characteristic

Sentence 2- Outline of second chief characteristic

Sentence 3- Do common comparison, if suitable

An outline is a common disclosure, featuring the most salient details in the graph. It should not comprise
any figures. This is just a synopsis of the principal characteristics. You can use figures to assist your
response in paragraphs 3 and 4.

The assessor is checking your capability to spot the most significant details and then encapsulate it.
Significant details could involve common trends, highs/lows, dissimilarity, differentiation, etc.

More on how to recognize important characteristics and write a productive outline below.

What is an outline?

To comprehend this we must see the question. The question for academic task one is every time the
same:

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

Hence, we need to give a small synopsis of the prime characteristics. You do this in the outline
paragraph by choosing out 3-4 of the most notable objects you can see and writing them in common
words. By common, I denote you do not assist anything you see with figures from the chart or graph,
just write about what you can see.

 To sum up, the most noticeable change is….

 Finally, it is understandable….

 Altogether, the major part/minor part….

 In total, the most detectable shift is….

Paragraph 3 (Details of notable characteristic 1)

Sentence 1- Assisting features

Sentence 2- Assisting features

Sentence 3- Assisting features /contrasting particulars, if suitable

In this paragraph, you take the first common statement from paragraph 2 and assist it with particulars
from the chart. The assessor is focusing for your capability to select the accurate figures and capability
to report figures, trends, contrasts, etc.

You then repeat this procedure for paragraph 4, only this time you report the second sentence in
paragraph 2.

Paragraph 4 (Particulars of notable characteristic 2)

Sentence 1- Assisting features

Sentence 2- Assisting features

Sentence 3- Assisting features /contrasting features/exceptions, if suitable

That’s it. Four paragraphs and 8-10 sentences. Clearly, you need to be adjustable and write 8-12
sentences relying on the question. There may also be three notable characteristics, in which case you
can modify the format a bit.

You should not write a conclusion. Conclusions are for opinion or discursive essays and we are not
anticipated to do this in task 1.

This format will permit you to try this kind of question over and over, giving you assurance and a steady
representation in the exam.

Recognizing chief characteristics

This is frequently the section most candidates compete with and it is because of one principal reason.
Candidates need to prioritise. Prioritising means you should select two or three notable characteristics
and just write about them. The assessor anticipates you to do this and the question will precisely say
‘select main features.’ There should be 2 or 3 chief characteristics for you to discuss on.

When candidates don’t do this they write about every single piece of figure they see. This outcomes in
them not encapsulating (this is a summarising task), not writing a productive outline and consuming too
much time on this task. How many candidates do you know who consume too much time on task 1 and
didn’t complete task 2?

Items that you should be looking to involve:

Big/small numbers

Inconsistent numbers

Largest growth/reduction

Volatile figures

Constant figures

Largest majority/ minority (pie graphs)

Largest distinction/resemblance

Prime trends

Remarkable exceptions

Looking for these objects should permit you to select out the most prime characteristics.

Another thing candidates frequently do is overthink the question. They think that the response is too
obvious and hence don’t write about it. A general prime characteristic is a common growth or reduction.
Few candidates see this as too basic and disregard it completely. Don’t do this, describing clear or easy
characteristics are all right.

Then you need to write an outline of the task.

An outline is just an overview of the prime or most salient points in a chart, graph, map or process. It is
usually 2-3 sentences long and should be the second paragraph you write in your response. As we will
see below, it also effects what you write in the rest of your response.
Learn how to frame a nice one and you are very much likely to get a higher score.

What does the assessor desire?

An outline is one of the first things an assessor looks for because it displays them that you can recognize
the most salient details from the chart or graph and plainly spot overall trends and contrasts.

If you know how to choose the suitable figures and you practice writing an understandable outline, then
you are likely to get the bands you justify in this task.

How do I choose the accurate characteristics?

To perceive this we have to think about the various kinds of charts and graphs we might come across.
There are usually two various types of graphs and charts: steady and dynamic.

Dynamic graphs show figures over time and steady graphs show figures at just one point in time. This
will affect the sort of figure we choose.

When we are looking at dynamic charts we should be looking out for:

What does the figure do from the beginning to the end?

Do they usually move up or down or do they vary?

Any notable contrast from the general trend?

Overall growth/reduction?

Top/bottom?

When we look at steady charts we should be looking for:

What are the biggest/smallest numbers?

What are the most observable contrast?

Any comparability?

Any notable exceptions?

Reporting Trends:

In IELTS writing task 1 you may have to report trends. This may come up in a line chart, bar graph or
when comparing more than one graph.

There are two prime grammatical structures we can utilize to report trends.

1. There + be + adj. + noun + in + noun phrase

Example:

There was a steady increment in the rate of fuel.

There has been a sudden fall in the rate of fuel.

Possible adjectives

moderate

slight

fair

sudden
considerable

small

sharp

stable

notable

substantial

quick

Possible nouns:

difference

decrease

reduce

drop

dip

peak

fall

variation

extension

rise

increase

decline

2. Noun phrase + verb + adverb

Example:

The rate of fuel increased slowly.

The rate of fuel has increased greatly.

Possible verbs:

jump

rise

climb

grow

rocket

increase

drop

fall

decrease

decline

plummet

go down

crash

Possible adverbs:

reasonably

slowly

sharply

modestly

moderately

dramatically

steadily
steeply

greatly

notably

slowly

unhurriedly

3.Utilising fractions

Example:

The rate of fuel halved in less than a month.

The rate of commodity has halved since August.

By March, the rate of fuel has halved.

Making Comparisons

IELTS writing task 1 will frequently need you to make comparisons between data sources, categories and
times. Here are five grammatical structures you can utilise to make comparisons.

1. More/few/less + noun + than

Example:

In all, less citizens preferred personal cars than cabs.

2. of one syllable -er + than

Example:
A higher number of citizens preferred personal cars than cabs.

3. More/less + adj. of more than one syllable + than

Example:

Cabs were more popular than personal cars.

4. of one syllable -est.

Example:

The highest % of commuters preferred cabs.

5. The most/least + adj. of more than one syllable.

Example:

The least popular means of transport was trains.

Tenses

Using the suitable tenses in IELTS writing task 1 is necessary if you want to achieve a high band score.

The key is to look at the title of the graph and the details included on both axis to set up what time
frame is used. This will guide you set up what tense you should utilize.

Example:
  If the time is one point in the past, for instance March 2004, then we should use the past
tense.

 If it has estimations for the future, for example 2055, we use future tenses.

 It there is no time, we use present simple.

Below are a range of tenses that can be used in task 1. Remember, the tense you use will rely on the
details mentioned in the chart. This is not an entire list of tenses and an awareness of all the English
tenses will help you get the IELTS score you desire.

1. Present Perfect:

We use this tense usually to describe an incident that occurred at an unclear time before now. The
exact time period is not necessary.

In writing task 1, we use this tense to talk about alterations in figures that have occurred over a period
of time.

Example

The rate of fuel has fallen by 7 rupees a barrel every day since March.

2. Present Perfect Continuous

We use this tense to describe that something begun in the past and has carried on up until now.

Example

Fuel rates have been reducing since March.

 3. Future Perfect

We use this tense to mention that something will be completed by a specific time in the future.

We often use it with ‘by’ or ‘in’.

Example

The rate of fuel will have reached 550 rupees a barrel by 2025.

4. Past Simple

Use this tense to discuss about an incident that began and ended at a particular time in the past.

Example

The rate of fuel fell from 270 rupees in Feb 2012 to 50 rupees in Jan 2014.

Estimations, Percentages and Fractions

In many of the IELTS writing task 1 items, you will have to deal with percentages. This is a nice chance
to convey these percentages in a separate manner and improve your bands. A method of differing this
language is to convey them as fractions or proportions.

Remember that you should change your language as much as possible in order to score more in the
‘lexical resource’ section of the exam.

For example, use approximations. Example 49% can be mentioned as “nearly a half”.
Below are a range of expressions that can be used to convey percentages.
Fractions
51%- just over a half

73%- nearly three quarters

32%- nearly a third

49%- just under a half

50%- exactly a half

26%- roughly one quarter

3%- a tiny fraction

24%- almost a quarter

77%- approximately three quarters

49%- around a half

Proportions
71%- a significant majority

70%- a large proportion

3%- an insignificant minority

15% a small minority