ACADEMIC

WRITING TASK 1
Interpretation of factual data

I. Natures of Academic Writing Task 1

1. It is an interpretation of factual data – meaning that the test takers must

not give any opinions or speculations.
2. It is a kind of writing a summary – meaning that the test taker must not
write the data in detail.
3. It is an academic writing – the test takers must principally write in three
forms of paragraphs, each of which has different functions.
4. It must be written coherently.
5. Each of graphic form requires certain language features.
6. It must be at least written 150 words.

II. Graphic Forms and Types of Task

Graphic Form Types of Task Language Structure

Bar Charts, Column, To compare and contrast the

Comparative Language
Table, or Pie Charts data
To describe the trend/change
Line Graphs Descriptive Language
in the data
Process, Object, To describe the process, event
Sequential/chronological
Cycle, Map, or sequence of events, or
Structure
Procedure procedure

III. Assessment Criteria

Writing Task 1 is assessed by examiners in accordance with four criteria as
follows:

1. Task Response
2. Coherence and Cohesion
3. Lexical Resources
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

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 Task Response
The criterion of Task Response deals with the content of the answer.
It assesses how well a test taker has understood and answered the questions.

To fulfill the requirements for higher band score actually can be done by
learning the essence of part of introduction, overview and details using the
following stages.

1. Stage 1: DATA ANALYSES

Analysis 1 – WHAT DATA IS ABOUT?

This analysis is for writing the introduction. This could include:

a. What data is about?

b. What information is involved?

Analysis 2 – WHAT IS THE OVERALL INFORMATION?

This is for writing the overview.

 As this analysis implies, a test taker tries to find out the general
information that can be seen from the data. Noted,
 Numbering should not be involved.

This analysis could be done as follows:

 What are the highest and the lowest figure or the largest or
fewest? It is especially for graphic form of Table, Bar Chart, Column,
or Pie Chart.
 How does general trend or change occur? This is for the graphic form
of line graph.
 How many stages /parts /sections are mainly involved? This is for
diagram process, cycle, map or object.

Analysis 3 – HOW CAN THE DATA BE GROUPED AND WHAT LANGUAGE

STRUCTURE IS APPROPRIATE TO BE USED?

 These analyses are for writing the parts of detail.

 Enable a test taker to be more focus in presenting the data and able to
clearly and appropriately present, highlight, and illustrate key
features/bullet points becoming the requirements in Writing Task 1.
 Prevent the test taker to present the data very detail.

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  To group the data can be conducted, for example in comparing and
contrasting data, by grouping the highest and the lowest or the highest
and the second highest.
 In writing detail, a test taker, meanwhile, must be familiar with the
language structure that will be used in the part of detail. Say, he or
she should know that language/expression of chronological order is
appropriate in presenting a process diagram.
 In writing detail, the language structure not only deals with the
appropriate expression but also provides the numbering as a form of
clearly presenting the data.

STAGE 2: OUTLINING AND PARAGRAPHING

Three Paragraphs Four Paragraphs

I. Introduction and overview I. Introduction

II. Details 1 II. Overview
III. Details 2 III. Details 1
IV. Details 2

CHECKLIST FOR TASK RESPONSE

Writing Task 1
 Have I provided an overview for all general trends?
 Have I summarized
Or described the key features in the graph or diagram?
 Have I provided supporting evidence or information?

Coherence and Cohesion

It refers to the organization of your essay. Specifically, coherence looks at the
logical organization of your ideas and sentences in both your paragraph and
essay as a whole. Cohesion, meanwhile, focuses on the organization of your
language, showing the relationship between your ideas

CHECKLIST FOR WRITING TASK 1 & WRITING TASK 2

 Have I developed my answer logically?
 Have I organized my ideas logically into paragraph?
 Have I used appropriate linking words to show the relationship between my ideas
and sentences?
 Have I used reference (pronoun use)?

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Criteria: Lexical Resources
It refers to how well you choose and use a range of vocabulary items
Writing and Speaking
 Are the words and expressions appropriate and accurate?
 Do I have a good range of vocabulary to cover the topic?
 Have I used the correct word form?
 Have I used idiomatic language?
 Have I used correct spelling?

Criteria: Grammatical Range and Accuracy

It assesses the variety of sentence type used, while accuracy measures the number
of errors in your written and spoken language
Writing Task 1 and 2 and Speaking
 Have I used variety of sentence structures?
 Have I used a range of structures to convey modality, conditionals,
active/passive, cause/effect and tense?
 Have I used correct tense?
 Does the subject agree with verb?

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PRACTICE

Sample of Outline

The chart below shows number of incidents and injuries per 100 million
passenger miles travelled (PMT) by transportation type in 2002.

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

I. Introduction
Comparison about the number of incidents and injuries among 5 different
types of transportation in 2002
2. Overview
 The highest number of incident and injuries took place in Demand
Response
 The Lowest number of incident and injuries took place in Commuter
Rail
3. Details 1
 Grouped data 1: comparing Demand Response and Bus
 The number of incident and injuries in DR: 225 and 173
 The numbers were three time higher than that of Bus
 Bus reaching 76 and 66 for the number of incident and injuries

4. Details 2
 Grouped Data 2: Comparing Commuter rail, Heavy Rail and Light
Rail
 The number of incidents and injuries was highest in Light Rail
 The lowest number was Commuter Rail

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The bar chart compares the number of incidents and injuries for every
100 million-passenger miles travelled on five different types of public
transport in 2002.

It is clear that the most incidents and injuries took place on demand-
response vehicles. By contrast, commuter rail services recorded by far the
lowest figures.

A total of 225 incidents and 173 injuries, per 100 million passenger miles
travelled, took place on demand-response transport services. These
figures were nearly three times as high as those for the second highest
category, bus services. There were 76 incidents and 66 people were
injured on buses.

Rail services experienced fewer problems. The number of incidents on

light rail trains equaled the figure recorded for buses, but there were
significantly fewer injuries, at only 39. Heavy rail services saw lower
numbers of such events than light rail services, but commuter rail
passengers were even less likely to experience problems. In fact, only 20
incidents and 17 injuries occurred on commuter trains.

(Word number 165) Sources: ielts-simon.com

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1. Process Diagram

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.

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2. Table
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The take below gives information about the underground railway systems in
six cities.

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

You should write at least 150 words.

Underground Railway System

Passengers per year

City Date opened Kilometres of route
(in millions)

London 1863 394 775

Paris 1900 199 1191

Tokyo 1927 155 1927

Washington DC 1976 126 144

Kyoto 1981 11 45

Los Angeles 2001 28 50

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3. Line Graphs

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graphs below compare the number of visits to two music sites on the web.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown
below

You should write at least 150 words

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4. Pie Charts

The pie chart shows the amount of money that a children's charity located in
the USA spent and received in one year.

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

Samples of Answer

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.

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 1. Introduce the Diagram

 Paraphrasing the rubric:

The diagram explains the way in which bricks are made for the building industry.

2. Highlight the main points / Writing an overview

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, started from digging up
clay to delivery.

Note: If you feel that each introduction and overview is too short to be
presented, you can combine them.

3. Giving the detail using Time Connectors and Passive Voice

 A process is a series of events, one taking place after the other.

Therefore, use ‘time connectors’.
 In describing an IELTS process, the focus is on the activities - NOT the
person doing them. Thus, the passive voice is used - not the active.
 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.

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.

Sand and water are accordingly added to the clay and this mixture is turned
into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. These bricks
in turn 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

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