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IELTS WRITING TASK 1

BAR CHARTS
The bar chart below shows the estimated
percentage of car trips taken by drivers in 2005.

The bar chart below shows the changes in


average house price in five cities between 1990
and 2000 compared to prices in 1989.

The bar chart below shows the participation of


children in selected leisure activities in
Australia.

The chart below shows the annual water usage


by different industries.

The bar chart below shows the estimated sales of


jeans in the coming year in Turkey.

The bar chart below shows the oil production of


6 countries between 1990 and 2010.

The bar chart below shows the global sales of


different kinds of digital games from 2000 to
2006.

LINE CHARTS
The graph below shows the population figures
for different type of turtles in India from 1980 to
2012.

The graph below shows the amount of goods


transported in the UK from 1974 to 2002.

The line
below
shows
the

consumption of 4 kinds of meat in a European


country from 1979 to 2004.

The graph below shows the number of car thefts


in 4 countries from 1990 to 1999.

TABLES
The table below shows the proportion of income
spent on 4 common items in the UK in 1998.

The table below shows consumer spending on


different items in 5 countries in 2002.
The table below shows the proportion of
families living in porverty in Austrailia in 1999.

The table below gives information about the


employment sectors in which people from 3 age
groups worked.
The table below gives information about the
underground railway systems in 6 countries.

PIE CHARTS
The pie charts below show the average
household expenditures in a country in 1950 and
2010.

The pie charts below give information about the


electricity generation in two countries in 2009.

The pie charts below show the cultural and


leisure activities of boys and girls.

The pie charts below show the spending of a


school in the UK from 1981 to 2001.

The pie charts below show the percentage of


students joining North West University.

DIAGRAMS
The diagram below shows how the water cycle
works.

The diagram below shows how water is filtered.

The diagram below shows the process of making


coffee.
The diagram below shows the house designs for
cold and warm climates.

The diagram below shows how bricks are made.

Maps

Multiple types

How to Write an IELTS Writing Task 1


On the following pages you can see model answers for IELTS writing task 1 questions.
There are examples of all the different types of task which include line graphs, pie charts, tables,
processes, diagrams and maps.
First, on this page, youll get an overview of how to answer a task 1.
Answers will always vary depending on the type of graph or diagram, and the type of language
will vary, but there is a certain structure that they all follow.
Once you have studied the general structure, you can view other examples by following the links
in the right hand column.

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.

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.
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.
(191 words)

Lesson 1: IELTS Task 1


Describing a Graph Over Time
This lesson explains how to describe a line graph or bar chart for IELTS task 1 that is over time.
This uses an example of a bar chart, but it will be the same for a line graph.
When you get a chart or graph to describe, it is always important to check whether there is a time
frame or not. If there is, you will need to use the language of change.
However, it is not enough just to describe the changes of each element (ActiveX, Java and Net in
this case) on their own and ignore how they relate to each other.

Look at the question you are asked to compare the data as well. So you must also compare the
elements where relevant in your IELTS task 1.
You must also group data together to make sure you have a well organized and coherent answer.
To do this, you need to look for similarities and differences when you first analyze the graph for
IELTS task 1, and decide what can be logically put together or not.
Now look at the bar chart below and read the IELTS task 1 model answer.
The bar chart shows the number of times per week (in 1000s), over five weeks, that three
computer packages were downloaded from the internet.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.

Model Answer
The bar chart illustrates the download rate per week of ActiveX, Java and Net computer
packages over a period of five weeks. It can clearly be seen that ActiveX was the most popular
computer package to download, whilst Net was the least popular of the three.
To begin, downloads of ActiveX and Java showed similar patterns, with both gradually
increasing from week 1 to week 5. However, the purchases of Active X remained significantly
higher than for the other product over this time frame. In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at
around 75,000, while those for Java were about 30,000 lower. With the exception of a slight fall
in week 4, downloading of ActiveX kept increasing until it reached a peak in the final week of
just over 120,000. Java downloads also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000.
The product that was downloaded the least was Net. This began at slightly under 40,000, and, in
contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two weeks to reach a low of approximately

25,000. It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000, which
was well below that of ActiveX.
(Words 198)

Language of Change
As you can see, there are several examples of this in the graph, so it is important to learn how to
use these correctly in order to successfully write an IELTS task 1 chart over time. Here are some
examples:
gradually increasing
a slight fall
kept rising
reached a peak
increased at a steady rate
fell
increased sharply
a low of
finish at
stood at
finishing the period at
You will need to practice this type of language, and also make sure you know a variety of
structures to get a better score if you keep repeating the same kind of phrases this will show
you have a more limited range of lexis and grammar.

Making Comparisons
In IELTS task 1, you must also compare the data as you are asked to do in the rubric.
If you just write about what happened to ActiveX, what happened to Java, and what happened to
Net, without showing any relationship between them, this wont be enough.
Here are some examples of where comparisons are made between the products in the IELTS task
1 graph, and the language of comparison is highlighted in black:
It can clearly be seen that ActiveX was the most popular computer package to download, whilst
Net was the least popular of the three
Downlaods of ActiveX and Java showed similar patterns, with both gradually increasing from
week 1 to week 5
However, the purchases of Active X remained significantly higher than for the other product
over this time frame.

In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around 75,000, while those for Java were about 30,000
lower
Java downloads also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000
The product that was downloaded the least was Net. This began at slightly under 40,000, and, in
contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two weeks
It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000, which was well
below that of ActiveX

Grouping the Data


It is a good idea to divide your answer into paragraphs so it is well organized. To do this, you
should group similar things together into paragraphs or sections.
If you look at the chart, you will see that ActiveX and Java have a similar pattern, both steadily
increasing over the period (apart from the slight fall of ActiveX in week 4), so these could be put
together:
To begin, dowloads of ActiveX and Java showed a similar trend, with both gradually increasing
from week 1 to week 5. However, the purchases of Active X remained significantly higher than
for the other product over this time frame. In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around
75,000, while those for Java were about 30,000 lower. With the exception of a slight fall in week
4, downloading of ActiveX kept rising until it reached a peak in the final week of just over
120,000. Java downloads also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000.
On the other hand, Net is the lowest and it has a different pattern falling and then rising again.
So this could be described in another paragraph:
The product that was downloaded the least was Net. This began at slightly under 40,000, and, in
contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two weeks to a low of approximately 25,000.
It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000, which was well
below that of ActiveX.
There is usually more than one way to group the data for an IELTS task 1, so this needs to be
your decision. As long as it is logical and makes your answer easy to follow and read, this should
be ok.

Lesson 2: Describing an IELTS Pie Chart

This lesson will provide you with tips and advice on how to write an IELTS pie chart for task
1.
To begin, take a look at the pie chart below, and then answer the quiz questions.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The pie charts show the main reasons for migration to
and from the UK in 2007.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features


and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

The pie charts illustrate the primary reasons that people came to and left the UK in 2007. At
first glance it is clear that the main factor influencing this decision was employment.
Having a definite job accounted for 30 per cent of immigration to the UK, and this figure was
very similar for emigration, at 29%. A large number of people, 22%, also emigrated because
they were looking for a job, though the proportion of people entering the UK for this purpose
was noticeably lower at less than a fifth.
Another major factor influencing a move to the UK was for formal study, with over a quarter of
people immigrating for this reason. However, interestingly, only a small minority, 4%, left for
this.

The proportions of those moving to join a family member were quite similar for immigration and
emigration, at 15% and 13% respectively. Although a significant number of people (32%) gave
other reasons or did not give a reason why they emigrated, this accounted for only 17% with
regards to immigration.
173 words
_________________________________________

As you can see, the pie chart description is easy to follow. Here are some key points in
organizing your answer.
Choose the most important points to write about first

These will be the largest ones. As you can see in the model answer, definite job, looking for
work, and formal study were all written about first, in order of importance, as these are the
main reasons that were chosen for moving.
Items such as other are usually less important and account for small amounts, so can be left till
the end.
Make it easy to read

When you write a task 1, you should always group information in a logical way to make it easy
to follow and read.
With an IELTS pie chart, the most logical thing to do is usually to compare categories together
across the charts, focusing on similarities and differences, rather than writing about each chart
separately.
If you write about each one separately, the person reading it will have to keep looking between
the paragraphs in order to see how each category differs.
Vary your language

As with any task 1, this is important. You should not keep repeating the same structures. The
key language when you write about pie charts is proportions and percentages.
Common phrases to see are "the proportion of" or "the percentage of"
However, you can also use other words and fractions. These are some examples from the model
answer:

A large number of people


over a quarter of people
a small minority
A significant number of people
less than a fifth

This table presents some examples of how


you can change percentages to fractions or
ratios:

your description remains accurate. Here are


some examples:
Percentage

Percenta
ge

Fraction

Qualifier

77%

just over three quarters

80%

four-fifths

77%

approximately three
quarters

75%

three-quarters

49%

just under a half

70%

seven in ten

49%

nearly a half

65%

two-thirds

32%

almost a third

60%

three-fifths

55%

more than half

50%

half

45%

more than two fifths

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

If the percentages are not exact as above,


then you can use qualifiers to make sure

This table presents some examples of how


you can change percentages to other
phrases:

Percentage

proportion / number /
amount / majority /
minority

75% - 85%

a very large majority

65% - 75%

a significant proportion

10% - 15%

a minority

5%

a very small number

The words above are interchageable, though number is for countable nouns and amount is for
uncountable nouns.

Lesson 3: IELTS Process Diagram


What is an IELTS Process Diagram?
To begin, look at this question:

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.


The diagram illustrates the process that is used to
manufacture bricks for the building industry.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main
features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

A process will have a number of stages that are in time order. So you should start at the beginning, and
describe each stage through to the last one.
In the example above, this is fairly clear. It begins with the digging of the clay, and ends with delivery.

Processes are not always this clear, and you may have to look more carefully to spot the beginning, and
there may also be two things happening at the same time.
So it is important that you look at other sample processes to get a good understanding of how they can
vary.

Introduce the Diagram


As with any task 1, you can begin by paraphrasing the rubric:
The diagram explains the way in which bricks are made for the building industry.
As you can see, this has been taken from the question, but it has not been copied. You need to write it in
your own words.

Highlight the main points


An IELTS process diagram is different to a line, bar, pie chart or table in that there are not usually key
changes or trends to identify. However, you should still give an overview of what is taking place.
The public band descriptors state that to achieve a band 6 or more for task response the student must
provide an overview in a task 1.
As there are no trends to comment on, you can make a comment on, for example, the number of stages in
the process and how it begins and ends:
Overall, there are eight stages in the process, beginning with the digging up of clay and culminating in
delivery.

Giving the detail


Now you need to explain the IELTS process diagram, and there are two key aspects of language associated
with this:
Time Connectors
A process is a series of events, one taking place after the other. Therefore, to connect your stages, you
should use time connectors. Here is the rest of the answer with the time connectors highlighted (notice
that you simply go from the beginning to the end of the process):
To begin, the clay used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by a large digger. This clay is then
placed onto a metal grid, which is used to break up the clay into smaller pieces. A roller assists in this
process.
Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is turned into bricks by either
placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next, these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 48
hours.

In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process. They are heated in a kiln at
a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a
chamber for 2 3 days. Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations.
These connectors are the same you would use to write a graph over time when you explain a series of
changes.
These are some common IELTS process diagram connectors:
To begin
Following this
Next
Then
After
After that
Before**
Subsequently
Finally
** If you use before, this means that you will be mentioning a later stage before an earlier stage, so you
need to use it carefully. If you can use it properly though, it will get noticed.
Here is an example using stages four and five:
Before being dried in the oven, the mixture is turned into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using
a wire cutter.

The Passive
When we describe an IELTS process, the focus is on the activities, NOT the person doing them.
When this is the case, we use the passive voice, not the active.
This is a brief explanation of how to use the passive voice, but if you are new or unsure about using it, you
should do some further study and practice.
Most sentences use this structure:
Subject + Verb + Object
(S) A large digger (V) digs up (O) the clay in the ground.
In the active voice (as above), the digger is doing the verb i.e. the digger is doing the digging.
When we use the passive voice, we make the object (the clay) the subject, and make the subject (the
digger) the object. We also add in the verb to be and the past participle (or Verb 3).
(S) The clay in the ground (V) is dug up (O) by the digger.

So throughout most of your description for your IELTS process diagram, you should be using the passive
voice.
This is difficult as some verbs cannot take the passive. For example, 'to go' cannot be passive, so it is kept
in the active voice:
...the bricks go through a heating and cooling process.
This is why you need to make sure you practice the passive so you know exactly how to use it.
Also, as you will see from the description, it is more usual to to comment on who or what is doing the
action so the 'by...." phrase is excluded.
Here is the same example description with uses of the passive highlighted:
To begin, the clay (which is) used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by a large digger. This
clay is then placed onto a metal grid, which is used to break up the clay into smaller pieces. A roller
assists in this process.
Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is turned into bricks by either
placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next, these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 48
hours.
In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process. They are heated in a kiln at
a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a
chamber for 2 3 days. Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations.

Varying your Language


Sometimes it may be appropriate just to use the same language that you are given in the IELTS process
diagram to describe it, but you should try to vary it.
You may be able to use nouns from the diagram as your verbs. For example, the noun packaging in stage
seven becomes:
Finally, the bricks are packed
IELTS Process Model Answer

The diagram explains the way in which bricks are made for the building industry. Overall, there are seven
stages in the process, beginning with the digging up of clay and culminating in delivery.
To begin, the clay used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by a large digger. This clay is then
placed onto a metal grid, which is used to break up the clay into smaller pieces. A roller assists in this
process.

Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is turned into bricks by either
placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next, these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 48
hours.
In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process. They are heated in a kiln at a
moderate and then a high temperature (ranging from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a
chamber for 2 3 days. Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations.
Words 173
Lesson 4:
IELTS Bar and Line Graph

This is an example of an IELTS bar and line graph together. It is not uncommon to get two graphs to
describe at the same time in the IELTS test.
It can look a bit scary at first. However, when you look more closely, you'll see it is probably no more
difficult than having one graph.
Take a look at the question and the graph:
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The line graph shows visits to and from the UK from 1979 to 1999, and
the bar graph shows the most popular countries visited by UK residents
in 1999.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and
make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

These are the steps you need to take to describe a bar and line graph together (or any two graphs) that
may differ slightly from when you describe one graph.
Introduction

When you state what the graph shows, mention both of them. Here is a sample first sentence of the
introduction:
The line graph illustrates the number of visitors in millions from the UK who went abroad and those that
came to the UK between 1979 and 1999, while the bar chart shows which countries were the most
popular for UK residents to visit in 1999.
Remember to write this in your own words and not to copy from the question.
Next you need to mention the key points from the graph. When you do this, mention the most interesting
things from each:
Overall, it can be seen that visits to and from the UK increased, and that France was the most popular
country to go to.
Body Paragraphs

If there are two graphs and a lot of information, you will have to be careful not to describe everything as
you may then have too much information.
Also, the examiner is looking to see that you can select the important things and not describe every
single detail.

So the key skill when you have two graphs is being able to pick out the important information or
summarize things in a concise way, otherwise you will end up writing too much and probably run out of
time.
Here is an example description for the bar and line graph:
To begin, the number of visits abroad by UK residents was higher than for those that came to the UK, and
this remained so throughout the period. The figures started at a similar amount, around 10 million, but
visits abroad increased significantly to over 50 million, whereas the number of overseas residents rose
steadily to reach just under 30 million.
By far the most popular countries to visit in 1999 were France at approximately 11 million visitors,
followed by Spain at 9 million. The USA, Greece, and Turkey were far less popular at around 4, 3 and 2
million visitors respectively.
As you can see, the first paragraph discusses the line graph, and the second the bar chart.
You will not usually need to mix up the descriptions. This will only make things complicated and difficult
to follow. Writing about the first one and then the second one is ok.
As with any task 1, you will need to make sure you use the right language, make comparisons, and group
data appropriately.
IELTS Line and Bar Chart - Model Answer
The line graph illustrates the number of visitors in millions from the UK who went abroad and those that
came to the UK between 1979 and 1999, while the bar chart shows which countries were the most popular
for UK residents to visit in 1999. Overall, it can be seen that visits to and from the UK increased, and that
France was the most popular country to go to.
To begin, the number of visits abroad by UK residents was higher than for those that came to the UK, and
this remained so throughout the period. The figures started at a similar amount, around 10 million, but
visits abroad increased significantly to over 50 million, whereas the number of overseas residents rose
steadily to reach just under 30 million.
By far the most popular countries to visit in 1999 were France at approximately 11 million visitors,
followed by Spain at 9 million. The USA, Greece, and Turkey were far less popular at around 4, 3 and 2
million visitors respectively.
(Words 171)

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