Writing Task 1

Time Limit: 20 minutes

Word Limit: 150 – 200 words
No. of Paragraphs: 3-4

Question Types
 Line graph
 Bar/column graph
 Pie chart
 Table
 Life cycle
 Process/flowchart
 Map/diagram
www.english-exam.org
 In task 1, you need to summarise the main information,
compare data, show contrasts and trends, identify
significant trends and describe the process.

GRADING CRITERIA
 Task Achievement (TA)
 Coherence and Cohesion (CC)
 Lexical Resource (LR)
 Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA)
NOTES

 Avoid personal opinions/views.

 If the unit in the Y-axis is not accurate, use the following phrases:
o Under
 Below
 Less than
 Just under
 Slightly under
 Well under

o About
 Approximately
 Around
 Nearly
 Tentatively
 Close to
 almost
o Over
 Above
 More than
 Just over
 Slightly over
 Marginally above
 well over
 If the timeline in the x-axis is futuristic, use the following phrases:
o Is projected
o Is expected
 o Is predicted
o Is assumed
o Is calculated
o Is estimated
 If the graph is in the past, use the past tense.
 Vary your sentence structure.
 Avoid repeating the features.
 It is not necessary to write what the X-axis and Y-axis represent.
 Avoid contraction form.
o & and
o Can’t cannot
o Won’t would not
o I’d I would
o Etc.
o and so on.
 Do NOT include ‘below’ or ‘above’ in your answer.
 Change noun and adjectives phrases into verbs and adverbs to
create a range of expressions.
Example: A slight increase-------Increased slightly
 When describing a process, use the present passive voice. For
example, Coffee beans are pulped to remove their outer layer.
They are then soaked in water, rinsed thoroughly, and dried. After
that, the beans are sorted in a kiln and blended. Next, they are
packed and dispatched to shops and supermarkets.
 You do not have to write a conclusion in Task 1, but it makes the
writing seem more complete if you do.
Introduction (Task 1)
 Tell what the graph is [paraphrase the question]

 General overview
(Useful phrases)

 Overall,
 As can be seen,
 As a whole,
 At a glance,

GRAPH TRENDS (Go through pages 23-26) (25 – 28)

1. Upward/Increasing/Increased
1a. Exponential rise/Exponential increase/Increased exponentially

2. Downward/Decreasing/Decreased

2a. Plunge/Plummet
 2b. Exponential Decrease/Decreased exponentially

3. Fluctuation/Oscillation

4. More or less constant/ Almost constant

 5. Constant/Level off/Static/Steady/Consistent

6. Peak/Peaked/Reach a peak

PARAPHRASING TIMELINE
 From 1985 to 1995
 Over a decade until 1995
 Over a decade starting from 1985.
 Over ten years until 1995
 From January to June
 Half yearly until June
 For six months until June
OTHER USEFUL TIME PHRASES
 Over the next three days…
 Three days later…
 In the following three days
 The next three days show…
 The first year…
 At the beginning of the period…
 Over the period
 From…to…
 Between…and…
 The last/final year
 At the end of the period…

# For the introduction, in order to paraphrase, underline the

keywords.
Example: The graph below shows the proportion of males and females
working in an IT company from 1985 to 1995.
#Tell what the graph is
Paraphrase 1: The diagram displays the proportion of men and women
employed in an IT firm over ten years until 1995.
Paraphrase 2: The column graph illustrates, in an IT company, the
proportion of men’s and women’s employment from 1985 to 1995.
Paraphrase 3: The proportion of men and women employed in an IT
company, over a decade until 1995, is presented through the column
graph. As a whole,…
# General overview
Example 1: As a whole, the majority of women held higher posts while
men stood at the lower positions.
Example 2: Overall, there were huge modifications in the later plan of
the EDF-Admissions building.

GRAPH LANGUAGE
 Intensity Connectives

High Low Similar Different

Increa Decreas
Dramatic Slight Next, In contrast,
se e
Rise Fall Drastic Gradual Besides, By contrast,
Growt Exponenti On the
Drop Marginal Moreover,
h al contrary,
Substanti Negligibl On contrary
Incline Decline Further,
al e to
Escalat Climb Spectacul Moderat
Similarly, In spite of
e down ar e
Elevat
On the other
e Plunge Notable Steady Likewise,
hand,
Soar
Plumme Considera Furthermo
Leap However,
t ble re,
Climb Additionall
Although
up y,
BODY CONSTRUCTION
 Analyse the trend/date
 Compare Intra/inter
 Include only major features
CONCLUSION
o Optional, however, you can include any significant
comments/facts that you find worth writing.
 FOR TABLE/PIE CHART
PERCENTAGE FRACTION
80% Four-fifths
75% Three quarters
70% Seven in ten
65% Just below Two-thirds
60% Three-fifths
55% More than a half
50% A Half
45% More than two-fifths/Less than a half
40% Two-fifths
35% More than a third
30% Less than a third
25% A quarter
20% A fifth
15% Less than a fifth
10% One in ten
5% One in twenty

PERCENTAG PROPORTION/NUMBER/
E AMOUNT/ MAJORITY/MINORITY
75% - 95% A very large majority
55% - 75% A significant proportion
35% - 55% A large number
15% - 25% A minority
5% A very small number
<2% An insignificant amount
COMPARISON TEMPLATE
 ‘X’ is greater than ‘Y’ by…
 ‘X’ is as common/popular as ‘Y’.
 ‘X’ is two folds to ‘Y’.
 ‘X’ is twice/ thrice higher/lower than ‘Y’.
 ‘X’ is less common than ‘Y’.

SAMPLE
The table below shows the popular modes of transport in Japan between 1940
and 1950.
Show compare and contrast where relevant.
Train Bus Car
1940 40% 30% 30%
1945 50% 20% 30%
1950 60% 10% 30%
Figure: Modes of Transportation in Japan
The table displays the means of transportation in Japan in three different years:
1940, 1945 and 1950. As can be seen, the preference for trains was higher in all
the years.

In 1940, most of the Japanese (40%) commuted via train while less than a third
(30%) chose bus and car. In the same year, the residents of Japan preferred buses
and cars equally; conversely, over three different years, the popularity of bus
decreased steadily by 10%.

Similarly, in 1945, the popularity of trains dominated buses and cars by 30% and
20% respectively. Again, in 1950, three-fifths of the population of Japan preferred
the train as a means of transport whereas the popularity of the bus fell back to
the car by 20%.

It is worth noting that in the given years, the trains became the Japanese’s first
choice over other forms of transports and the bus’ popularity declined every five
years while that of the car remained static throughout. (~ 158 words)
WRITING TASK 1 NOTES
1. Write enough words, do not write too many words.
2. Think and plan before writing.
3. Do not copy whole sections of the question.
4. Think about the range of vocabulary.
5. Use paragraphs well.
6. Check your writing.
7. Notes or bullet points are not acceptable as answers.
8. Do not analyze or explain everything in the graph. Pick the main ideas.