Lesson 9

08:00 – 09:30 am

Writing Task 1

Test overview
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

5 (5) Overview test & scoring • Cover the main points from the T-s Cambridge Guide to IELTS. See below. .
information below.
• Q & A. T&S
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

5 (10) Overview of question-types • Briefly overview the main question T -s Cambridge Guide to IELTS. See below.
with sample-answers. types.
• Homework: students read sample
answers.
• Q&A T&S

Question types with

sample answers
A bar chart
A line graph & table
A map
Pie charts
A diagram
A process
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

5 (15) Paragraphing • Students refer to the diagram S Supplementary materials. See below.
below.
• Note: there are usually two body T-s
paragraphs, but for process
questions, one paragraph will often
be enough. Also, the introduction
and overview can be combined.
Finally, the overview can also be
located at the end.

Paragraphing
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

30 (45) Writing an Introduction • Teacher or students read the notes T-s or S Supplementary materials. See below.
and examples below.
• Students write an introduction. Task-S
• Review. T&S

Writing an Introduction
 Introduction
In order to write the introduction, paraphrase the question-title. Here is an example:

Question-title The graph below shows traffic growth in the Netherlands between 1960 and 2010.

Step 1 Identify the main verb. It usually follows the word graph, chart, table, map or below.

The graph below shows traffic growth in the Netherlands between 1960 and 2010.

Step 2 Change the main verb to passive tense. Passive tense = (am, are, is, was were) + verb-3 (past participle).

The graph below is shown by traffic growth in the Netherlands between 1960 and 2010.

Step 3 Move all the words before the main verb to the right. Move all the words after the main verb to the left.
traffic growth in the Netherlands between 1960 and 2010. is shown by The graph below

Step 4 Tidy-up the punctuation.

Traffic growth in the Netherlands between 1960 and 2010 is shown by the graph below.

Step 5 Add 1-2-3 synonyms.

Complete introduction Traffic growth in the Netherlands from 1960 to 2010 is illustrated by the graph below.
 More Examples:
Paraphrase one of the question prompts below to create an introduction.

Possible answers:

Step 1-4 (change to passive tense):

1. The sporting preferences of 100 adult boys and girls in Manchester, are shown by the bar chart.

2. The number of students that have attended the college since 1980 and their different nationalities is shown by the graph below.

3. Data on the average household expenditure in the US in 1900 and in 2000 is shown by the graph below.

Step 5 (add some synonyms):

1. The sporting preferences of 100 male and female adults in Manchester are depicted by the bar chart.

2. The number of students who have studied at the college since 1980 and their different origins is outlined by the graph below.

3. Data on the mean household expenditure in the USA in 1900 and 2000 is provided by the diagram below.
 Practice
Paraphrase one of the question prompts below to create an introduction.

Other synonyms:
• are / is outlined by
• are / is depicted by
• are / is provided by
Review of student’s introductions.

The design for a wind turbineS and it's location is

outlined by the diagrams below.

The online shopping sales for retail sectors in New

Zealand between 2003 and 2013 are depicted by
the diagrams.

The changes that have taken place at West Park

Secondary School since its construction in 1950
ARE provided by the diagram below.

How household waste is turned into energy is

illustrated by the diagram below.
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

40 (85) Writing an overview • Read the notes & examples below. T-s or S Supplementary materials & Cambridge
• Students write an overview. Task-S Guide to IELTS. See below
• Review. T&S

Writing an Overview

Write a summary (overview) of the data, 1-2 sentences long, describing the general patterns or trends.

This requires you to study the graph in a certain way.

Here are some examples:

 A map.

Overview:

From an overall perspective, it can be seen that the town-centre has changed the
least over the time period, while the surrounding areas have experienced significant
development.
Two pie-charts.

• Which retail sectors increased

over the time period?

• Which retail sectors decreased

over the time period?

Overview:

From an overall perspective, it can be seen that the online sales of both
clothes and travel decreased over the time period, whereas the online sales
of films & music and books, both increased.
 A line-graph and table.

• Which 2 lines follow a low-high-low

pattern, over the time period? London &
New York.

• Which line follows a high-low-high

pattern, over the time period? Sydney.

• In terms of sunshine hours, which city

has by far the lowest number? London.

Overview:
From an overall perspective, it can be seen that
both London and New York follow a ‘low-high-
low’ pattern, while the pattern for Sydney is the
opposite. In addition, London has by far the
lowest number of sunshine hours.
A bar chart.

Look at the red and black arrows on the chart.

• Which arrows rise over the time period?

• Which arrow decreases?

Overview:

From an overall perspective, it can be seen that the net worth of the UK increased in all sectors except the
government sector, which decreased.
A process.

• How many steps are in the process?

• How much time does it take?

Overview:
From an overall perspective, it can be seen
that the process of making recycled paper,
consists of 9 steps and has a duration of 25
hours.
 Practice

Write an overview for one or both of the diagrams below.

Review of student’s overviews.
 Lesson 10
09:45 – 11:15 am

Body paragraphs
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

25 (25) Useful language / adjectives • Note: The question requires you to: T -S Supplementary materials. See below.
Summarise the information by selecting
and reporting the main features and
making comparisons where relevant.

• Students red examples of main S

features.
• Students read examples of S
comparative language.
• Optional: students write similar S
sentences.
• Q&A T & S’s

Useful language
 Main features of data

• The highest the lowest .. .. the biggest, the smallest, the most expensive, the least important (superlative adjectives).
The price of cotton-fabric was just about the lowest in 2013. In contrast, the price of silk-fabric
was by far the highest.

• Big & small differences .. lower than, bigger than, more expensive than, less important than (comparative adjectives) .
In 2009, the number of people who favoured chocolate over cheese, was lower than in 2016.
In addition, the percentage of people who owned a car, was lower compared to 2017.

• Changes over time: .. has increased, have dropped, have remained the same (present perfect tense).
Since 2012, the average price of paperclips has dropped dramatically. Conversely, the average
temperature of a fish, has remained the same.
 Comparative language: adjectives

adverb Type of adjective Example

1. extremely adjective  The graph shows that workers salaries are generally very costly.

2. very  expensive / costly  The table shows that before construction the island was not very
developed.
3. fairly / quite  popular
4. not very  developed

5. not  complicated

1. way Comparative adjective  The number of unemployed people in France is way higher than
that of Germany.
2. much  more than / less than
 The amount of money spent on electronic goods is significantly
3. significantly /  higher than / lower than
lower than that of furniture.
considerably
 more popular than / less popular
4. a little than

5. just about  more costly than / less costly than

1. by far / easily Superlative adjective  The percentage of tourists who visited Spain is easily the highest.

2. just about  the most / the least  The amount of money spent on salaries is easily the lowest.
 the highest / the lowest
 the most popular / the least
popular

 the most expensive / the least

expensive
 Practice:
Write sentences about one of the pie-charts below using comparative & superlative adjectives.
Grouping data into two paragraphs
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

10 (35) Grouping data • Referring to the examples below, T-s Cambridge Guide to IELTS. See below.
students learn how to group the data
into 2 sets, in order to discuss them in
2 separate body-paragraphs.
• In pairs, students analyse questions Task-S
and discuss how to group the data.
• Q&A T&S

Discuss this in Body paragraph 1. Discuss this in Body paragraph 2.

Discuss this in Body paragraph 1. Discuss these in Body paragraph 2.
 Practice
Analyse the questions below. For each question, discuss how to group the data into two body paragraphs.
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

30 (65) Tenses • Students read through examples Task-S Cambridge Guide to IELTS and
below while completing sentences. supplementary materials. See below.
• Review T&S

Tenses
 If there is no time period, use Present Simple tense.

BP1:
Regarding the number of sunshine hours, the table shows that London has the lowest whereas ... finish the sentence.

BP2:
Turning to the line graph and the temperature data, it is clear that Sidney’s temperature pattern is the opposite of the
other two cities.
 If there is no time period, use Present Simple tense.
When describing any kind of process (formally), use Present Simple (passive) tense (is/are + Verb 3).

BP1:
In the first step, an old newspaper is torn into pieces and the pieces are put in a bowl. Next, 250 ml of water is
added and the mixture is left for an hour. Next ... finish the sentence.
 If all of the data is in the past, use Past Simple tense (verb 2’s).

BP 1:
Between the years 2000-2005, the UK-total, Households-sector and Businesses-sector; all increased steadily in value. In contrast, the
Government-sector ... finish the sentence.

BP 2:
Between the years 2006-2010, the UK-total, Households-sector and Businesses-sector, all fluctuated in value before they achieved an overall
increase in 2010. On the other hand, ... finish the sentence.
 If all of the data is in the past, use Past Simple tense (verb 2’s).

BP 1 / 1st sentence
In 2003, the travel sector and the clothes sector collectively accounted for 60% of online retail sales, while the ‘film /
music’ and books sectors all ... finish the sentence.

BP 2/ 1st sentence
In 2007, the situation was the opposite. The travel sector and the clothes sector both ... finish the sentence.
 If there is present data and past data, various tenses can be used:

To describe the past map (1700), use Past Simple Tense (and it’s passive form) and used to.

• In 1700, the market square, church and hotel were located in the centre of the map.

• Goode farm used to be located in the north of the old map.

To describe the present map (today), use Present Simple Tense.

In the present map, there is a car park in the north, with some houses nearby.

To describe changes from past to present, use the Present Perfect Tense + it’s passive voice.

There have been many changes. The area has become more developed compared to the past. For example, the stables have been replaced by flats.

BP 1:
The town centre area has changed the least. In 1700, it
consisted of three main landmarks; the hotel, church
and market square. Whereas in the present map... finish
the sentence.

BP 2:
In contrast the surrounding area has been modernized.
Several major changes have been made. For example,
Goode Farm has been replaced by a car park and
housing.
 If there is future data …

• We can use Future Simple Tense. E.g. The sea-level will continue to rise after 2000.
• We can use “Going to”. E.g. The sea-level is going to continue to rise after 2000.

However, both tenses can make the statements sound like facts, whereas they are only predictions.

• It is better to use “is/are + projected (expected / predicted) + to + Verb1. E.g. The sea-level is projected to continue to rise after 2000.
 Time Stage Aim Procedure Student Materials
interaction

20 (85) Writing a body paragraph • Students read the report below & finish Task-S Cambridge Guide to IELTS and
body paragraph 2. supplementary materials. See below.
• Review T&S

Write a body paragraph

 Possible answer: practice

The changes that have taken place in the center of a town since 1700 are shown in the two maps below. From an overall perspective it can
be seen that the town has undergone significant development since 1700.
The town centre area has perhaps changed the least. In 1700, the centre consisted of three main landmarks, which were the hotel, church
and market square. Similarly, in the present map we can see that those buildings are mostly unchanged. However, the central area now
includes a green space upon which sit the three main landmarks. It is also now surrounded by a main ring-road which includes road
markings, a roundabout to the east and some traffic lights to the west.

In contrast to the town centre, the surrounding area has been modernized. Several major changes have been made. For example ….finish
the paragraph.
 Possible answer :

The changes that have taken place in the center of a town since 1700 are shown in the two maps below. From an overall perspective it can
be seen that the town has undergone significant development since 1700.
The town centre area has perhaps changed the least. In 1700, the centre consisted of three main landmarks, which were the hotel, church
and market square. Similarly, in the present map we can see that those buildings are mostly unchanged. However, the central area now
includes a green space upon which sit the three main landmarks. It is also now surrounded by a main ring-road which includes road
markings, a roundabout to the east and some traffic lights to the west.

In contrast to the town centre, the surrounding area has been modernized. Several major changes have been made. For example, Streggle
Farm has been removed and replaced with a main road (Streggle Road) running north-south. In addition, the area to the south, which used
to be fields, has been transformed into a residential area with shops, houses and a supermarket. Finally, Goode farm in the north, has been
replaced with a car park and houses.