IELTS

HOW TO ORGANISE
YOUR ANSWER
WRITING TASK 1
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First paragraph: Introduction
◦ Key technique: Be direct.
◦ When writing an introduction to Task 1, get straight to the point as you only have 20 minutes to write
your answer. One or two sentences are often sufficient. Two things you should try to include in the
introduction are:
◦ Paraphrase of the question: What does the diagram show? (Don’t describe the results yet!) DO NOT
COPY THE QUESTION
◦ General description: Are the differences great or small, many or few? Is there one very obvious trend or
feature that stands out?

◦ Hint: Many people make the mistake of continuing with all the details. Stop here and begin your
first body paragraph.
Body paragraphs writing task 1
• Are there two or more sets of data? Great,
Key technique then write a paragraph about each one.

2 • Is there only one set of data? Count the

variables and divide them into two or three
groups.
Body
paragraph OR
you can divide by similarity
Natural similarity(e.g. some

3
of results (e.g. some exam
academic subjects are
scores went up; others went
sciences; others are arts
down

you can divide a process, a time

period or age range into two or
three stages (e.g. the 20th
Century can be divided into the
early, mid, and late 20th
Century.)
Body paragraphs (cont’d)
◦ Now that you have a paragraphing system, make sure each paragraph is organised as follows:
◦ Link to the previous paragraph: By contrast, turning to, finally, etc.
◦ Topic sentence: Describe the main point, change or comparison in general terms without giving
specific information.
◦ Supporting sentence(s): Quote a figure or other evidence that supports the claim made in the topic
sentence.

◦ Hint: If you find yourself writing more than two consecutive supporting sentences, include a
general sentence (e.g. There were also significant differences in…) to guide the reader, or consider
starting a new paragraph.
Final paragraph: Conclusion
◦ Key technique: Add overall coherence.
◦ Due to lack of time, many people will omit the conclusion from Task 1.
◦ However, there are several reasons you should write a conclusion:
◦ One is that writing a summarising sentence takes very little time and may push you past the
150-word limit.
◦ Another is that a good summary can add coherence to your answer, which could rescue
your score if you have drifted a lot.
◦ Finally, since the purpose of Task 1 is usually to compare, the conclusion allows you to
make direct comparisons of the different sets of data, which is especially important if you
have described them in separate body paragraphs.
Final paragraph: Conclusion (cont’d)
◦ Here are some things that can go in the conclusion to Task 1:
◦ Concluding signal: In conclusion, in summary, overall, etc.
◦ Summary: Paraphrase the overall trend or the two or three main points made in the body. Never include
statistics or other evidence in the conclusion.
◦ Direct comparison: If there are several sets of data, here is your chance to make a connection between
them. Don’t go into too much detail.
◦ Prediction: If the data includes a timeframe, you could make a prediction about what is likely to happen
next.
◦ Concluding comment: If you really need some extra words, you could add a comment on the data. Is it
surprisingly, alarming, expected? Comments such as these are not required by the question but are better
than incurring a penalty for not meeting the word requirement.

◦ Hint: You don’t need to include all of the above in your conclusion. Two sentences are generally
enough.
Model Answer
(184 words, IELTS 8.0)
◦ The line graph shows growth in the consumption of renewable energy during the period 1949-2008
in the USA. The results are also broken down by source.
◦ The first thing to note is that renewable energy use more than doubled over the period, with
particularly strong growth in biofuels. This sector did not exist in 1980 but experienced a steep rise
during the 2000s to over one quadrillion Btu per year. This made biofuels a serious challenger to
both wood and hydroelectric power, which both saw only limited growth overall. The former
grew steadily between 1975 and 1985, but then slipped back to around its original level of 1.8
quadrillion Btu. The latter began the period at the same level as wood but experienced more
substantial growth. However, it also fell back to around 2 quadrillion Btu, with a particularly
sharp drop in the late 1990s.
◦ Finally, wind power emerged late in the period but showed a gradual rise to around 0.5
quadrillion Btu, suggesting that it, along with biofuels, will replace wood and hydroelectricity as
the main sources of renewable every in the future.
Why does this Task 1 answer get an
IELTS Band 8 score?
◦ Task achievement: The model answer describes the overall trend first, followed by an analysis of the
different energy sources. Numerical evidence is used carefully to illustrate the trends. The main trends
are used as the basis of a prediction in the final sentence.
◦ Coherence and cohesion: Trends are explained in general terms first, followed by supporting figures.
Some energy sources are grouped together for ease of understanding. It and this are used throughout
as cohesive devices, and the writer uses the former and the latter to refer back to information in a
previous sentence.
◦ Lexical resource: The writer uses a wide range of vocabulary to describe change, including adjectives
and adverbs such as limited, substantial and particularly sharp, and verbs such
as doubled, slipped and emerged.
◦ Grammatical range and accuracy: The model answer is free from grammatical errors. Sentence
forms are complex and include relative clauses and linking words such as with. The candidate makes
use of past, present and future tenses. Punctuation is also used carefully and accurately throughout.
Check this out!
Write your task 1 in 20 minutes
Break a leg!
IELTS 8.5, 187 words
◦ The bar chart compares the energy consumption and expense of operating 16 different items of
household equipment. Overall, we can see significant differences in both cost and consumption.
◦ To begin with, there are some common household items which consume relatively little energy. These
include an electric blanket (approx. $10 or 100kwh/year), a microwave oven (approx. $15 or
150kwh/year) and a television (approx. $17 or 170kwh/year).
◦ By contrast, devices that might be classified as ‘luxury’ items such as a pool pump or spa are
comparatively expensive and energy-intensive, at nearly $125 or 1500kwh/year and around $190 or
2225kwh/year respectively.
◦ It is interesting to note that even among household items normally considered alike, such as a microwave
and refrigerator, there are enormous discrepancies in cost and energy use. The former uses only
around $15 or 150kwh/year, while the latter consumes at least six times that amount at $90 or
1150kwh/year.
◦ In conclusion, it appears that there is no clear pattern in the relative energy consumption of domestic
equipment, although households had better be aware of the high running costs of luxury items such as a
pool pump and spa.