ADVANCED WTIRING

Task 1 Booklet
How do I answer an IELTS writing task 1?
To analyse this, well look at a line graph. Look at the following question and the graph.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The line graph below shows changes in the amount and type of fast food
consumed by Australian teenagers from 1975 to 2000.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main
features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

There are three basic things you need to structure an IELTS writing task 1.
1. Introduce the graph
2. Give an overview
3. Give the detail
Well look at each of these in turn.

1) Introduce the Graph

You need to begin with one or two sentences that state what the IELTS writing task 1
shows. To do this, paraphrase the title of the graph, making sure you put in a time frame if
there is one.

Here is an example for the above line graph:

The line graph illustrates the amount of fast food consumed by teenagers in
Australia between 1975 and 2000, a period of 25 years.
You can see this says the same thing as the title, but in a different way.

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2) Give an Overview
You also need to state what the main trend or trends in the graph are. Dont give detail such
as data here you are just looking for something that describes what is happening overall.

One thing that stands out in this graph is that one type of fast food fell over the period,
whilst the other two increased, so this would be a good overview.

Here is an example:

Overall, the consumption of fish and chips declined over the period, whereas the
amount of pizza and hamburgers that were eaten increased.
This covers the main changes that took place over the whole period.

You may sometimes see this overview as a conclusion. It does not matter if you put it in the
conclusion or the introduction when you do an IELTS writing task 1, but you should provide
an overview in one of these places.

3) Give the Detail

You can now give more specific detail in the body paragraphs.

When you give the detail in your body paragraphs in your IELTS writing task 1, you must
make reference to the data.

The key to organizing your body paragraphs for an IELTS writing task 1 is to group
data together where there are patterns.

To do this you need to identify any similarities and differences.

Look at the graph what things are similar and what things are different?

As we have already identified in the overview, the consumption of fish and chips declined
over the period, whereas the amount of pizza and hamburgers that were eaten increased.

So it is clear that pizza and hamburgers were following a similar pattern, but fish and chips
were different. On this basis, you can use these as your groups, and focus one paragraph
on fish and chip and the other one on pizza and hamburgers.

Here is an example of the first paragraph:

In 1975, the most popular fast food with Australian teenagers was fish and chips,
being eaten 100 times a year. This was far higher than pizza and hamburgers, which
were consumed approximately 5 times a year. However, apart from a brief rise again
from 1980 to 1985, the consumption of fish and chips gradually declined over the 25
year timescale to finish at just under 40 times per year.

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As you can see, the focus is on fish and chips. This does not mean you should not mention
the other two foods, as you should still make comparisons of the data as the questions
asks.

The second body then focuses on the other foods:

In sharp contrast to this, teenagers ate the other two fast foods at much higher
levels. Pizza consumption increased gradually until it overtook the consumption of
fish and chips in 1990. It then leveled off from 1995 to 2000. The biggest rise was
seen in hamburgers, increasing sharply throughout the 1970s and 1980s, exceeding
fish and chips consumption in 1985. It finished at the same level that fish and chips
began, with consumption at 100 times a year.

Full Model Answer:

The line graph illustrates the amount of fast food consumed by teenagers in Australia
between 1975 and 2000, a period of 25 years. Overall, the consumption of fish and chips
declined over the period, whereas the amount of pizza and hamburgers that were eaten
increased.
In 1975, the most popular fast food with Australian teenagers was fish and chips, being
eaten 100 times a year. This was far higher than Pizza and hamburgers, which were
consumed approximately 5 times a year. However, apart from a brief rise again from 1980
to 1985, the consumption of fish and chips gradually declined over the 25 year timescale to
finish at just under 40 times per year.

In sharp contrast to this, teenagers ate the other two fast foods at much higher levels. Pizza
consumption increased gradually until it overtook the consumption of fish and chips in 1990.
It then leveled off from 1995 to 2000. The biggest rise was seen in hamburgers, increasing
sharply throughout the 1970s and 1980s, exceeding fish and chips consumption in 1985. It
finished at the same level that fish and chips began, with consumption at 100 times a year.

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 Common Problems
1. Not knowing which information to include in your answer.
2. Being unaware of what the examiner expects.
3. Including opinion and drawing conclusions.
4. Not using an appropriate structure.
5. Not using appropriate grammar for describing data, trends and making
comparisons.
6. Not using a wide variety of appropriate vocabulary.
7. Failing to write an effective overview.
8. Copying words and phrases from the question.
9. Failing to support descriptions, trends and comparisons with accurate
data.
10. Writing one long paragraph.

Types of IELTS writing task 1

1. Bar Chart

2. Pie Chart

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3-Line Graph

4- Table

When looking at an IELTS writing task 1 question, you should ask yourself
9 quick questions before you write your answer.
1. What kind of chart is it? (Line, pie, bar)
2. What does the title say about the chart? (Read it carefully)
3. What information is contained on both axes?
4. What are the units of measurements? (Age, %, amount etc.)
5. What groups are compared?
6. What is the time period? (Past, present or future)
7. What is the most obvious thing that the data shows you? (General
increase or decrease?)
8. What is the most important or significant piece of information
displayed?
9. Can any comparisons be made? (Between groups or charts if more
than one)

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Useful vocabulary
Verbs to describe an upward trend
The following verbs can be used to describe a trend or pattern that goes up.

climb (past: climbed)

go up (past: went up)
grow (past: grew)
increase (past: increased)
jump (past: jumped)
rise (past: rose)
rocket (past: rocketed)

Sentence examples using words that show an upward trend:

The number of enrolments increased significantly between 2005 and 2010.

Production rose from 800 units in May to 1000 units the following month.

Verbs to describe a downward trend

The following verbs can be used to describe a trend or pattern that goes down.

decline (past: declined)

decrease (past: decreased)
drop (past: dropped)
fall (past: fell)
go down (past: went down)
plummet (past: plummeted) = to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value
plunge (past: plunged) = to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value

Plunge and Plummet, when describing trends, have the same meaning.

Sentence examples using words that show a downward trend:

Prices of Model X dropped significantly once Model Y became available on the

market.
Company profits decreased in 2013 by 15%.

Words and phrases used to describe a stable trend

To describe a more or less stable pattern, you can use the following expressions:

maintain (past: maintained)

remain (past: remained)
stay (past: stayed)
constant

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 stable
steady
unchanged

Adverbs used when describing trends

Adverbs describe HOW something happens. They usually come after a verb.

sharply, rapidly, quickly, steeply

considerably, significantly, substantially
steadily, gradually, moderately
slightly, slowly

To see the degree of intensity of these adverbs, look at the chart below.

Nouns used when describing trends

decline
decrease
dip (a momentarily small drop in the level of something)
drop
fall
fluctuation (= an irregular rising and falling in number or amount; a variation)
growth
increase
peak (= the highest point)
rise
slump (= a severe or prolonged fall in the price, value, or amount of something)
variation (= a change or difference in condition, amount, or level)

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Samples + Exercises
1-Line Graph: A:The graph below shows the number of books read by men and
women at Burnaby Public Library from 2011 to 2014.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

The graph gives information about Burnaby Public Library between 2011 and 2014. It shows how
many library books people read over this four-year period.

As can be seen from the graph, there were different trends for men and women. The number of
books read by men increased steadily between 2011 and 2012, from about 3000 to 4000. After that,
the number rose dramatically to 14000 books in 2014. This was the highest figure in the period.

Women started off reading more books than men, but their numbers followed a different pattern.
Between 2011 and 2012, there was an increase of 3000 from 5000 books to 8000 books, and then
a gradual rise to 10000 books in 2013. However, in 2014, their numbers fell back to 8000 again.

Overall, there was a strong upward trend in the number of books read by men. Although women
read more books than men in 2011, their reading fell to below the level of men in 2014.

(162 words)

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B: The graphs below provide information on global population figures and figures for
urban populations in different world regions.

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

Write at least 150 words.

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2- Bar Chart: A: The chart below shows the percentage change in the share of
international students among university graduates in different Canadian provinces
between 2001 and 2006.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

The chart shows changes in the share of international students who graduated from
universities in different Canadian provinces over a period of 5 years.

In 2001, this share had a relatively narrow range, from 3% in Ontario to 7.0% in New
Brunswick. Nova Scotia had the second highest proportion at 6.5%. Five years later, the
figures for most provinces had risen, with the exception of Alberta. There, the figures fell by
1% to just over 4%.

By 2006, some parts of Canada experienced a considerable increase in their share of

international graduates. Growth in this share was especially strong in the case of New
Brunswick, where the figures rose from 7% to 12%. The largest growth occurred in British
Columbia, where it more than doubled to 11%.

Over this five-year period, changes in the proportion of international graduates have been
very uneven across the provinces of Canada. However, New Brunswick remained the
province with the highest percentage overall.

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B: The graph below shows female unemployment rates in each country of the United
Kingdom in 2013 and 2014.

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

Write at least 150 words.

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3-Table: A: The table below shows the average band scores for students from
different language groups taking the IELTS General Test in 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Listening Reading Writing Speaking Overall

German 6.8 6.3 6.6 6.9 6.7

French 6.3 6.1 6.5 6.6 6.5

Indonesian 6.3 6.1 6.1 6.7 6.3

Malay 6.2 6.4 6.0 6.6 6.4

Model answer

The table illustrates the breakdown of scores for the IELTS General Test in 2010. It shows separate
scores for all four modules (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking), together with the overall
band scores for students from four different language groups around the world.

From an overall perspective, German speakers achieved the highest overall band score. Moreover,
they scored the highest of all four language groups in three modules of the test (Listening, Writing,
Speaking).

French speaking candidates scored the second highest overall score of 6.7 out of 9, closely
followed by Malay and Indonesian speakers. Although French speakers did not do so well in the
Reading, Speaking and Listening modules compared to Indonesian and Malay speakers, there was
a significant difference in their grades for the Writing module. These grades were high relative to
Indonesian and Malay candidates. Surprisingly, Malay speakers, who achieved the second lowest
result overall, achieved the highest results of all four language groups for the Reading module.

As a final point, it is interesting to note that the scores for each module show that all students, on
average, scored the highest marks for the Speaking module and the lowest marks for the Reading
module. (198 words)

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B: The table below presents the number of children ever born to women aged 40-44
years in Australia for each year the information was collected since 1981.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Number of children ever born, Women aged 4044 years

Four or
One Two Three more
None child children children children
year % % % % %

2006 15.9 13.2 38.3 21.5 11.0

1996 12.8 11.3 38.2 24.6 13.1
1986 9.7 8.7 35.6 27.0 18.9
1981 8.5 7.6 29.0 27.4 27.6
Source: ABS Births Australia 2001, 2006 (3301.0)

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4-Pie Chart: A: The pie chart gives information on UAE government spending in
2000. The total budget was AED 315 billion.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words

Model Answer:
The pie chart illustrates about expenditure of UAE government budget in 2000. The total amount of
budget was 315 billion. The pie chart shows the segments of expenditure of the UAE government in
different sectors in 2000.
At first glance, it is crystal clear that biggest slice of budget devoted to social security that is AED
100 billion. UAE spent 53 billion AED on health and personal social services followed by education
with AED 38 billion. However, the less amount of budget was spent on transport that was AED 9
billion.

Moving to further description, it is vivid that debt interest and other expenditure accounted for same
share AED 23 billion of budget. The expenditure of UAE budget was AED 15 billion on housing
heritage closely followed by industry, agriculture and employment with AED 13 billion.

Overall, it can be deduced that lest money was spent on transport by UAE government. (151 words)

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B: The chart given below shows the expenditure involving in publishing a magazine.
Summarize the information. Write at least 150 words.

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