Task 1 Part 1 - Writing Intensive
Task 1 Part 1 - Writing Intensive
It is advised that you learn synonyms and use them accurately in your writing in order to give an impression that you
have a good range of vocabulary.
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Writing Intensive Corner Writing Task 1 Part1
The given / the diagram / table / figure / shows / represents / depicts / the comparison of…
supplied / the illustration / graph / chart / enumerates / illustrates / the differences…
presented / the flow chart / picture/ presents/ gives / provides / the changes...
shown / the presentation/ pie chart / delineates/ outlines/ describes / the number of…
provided/ the bar graph/ column graph / delineates/ expresses/ outlines/ information on…
line graph / table data/ denotes/ compares/ shows data on…
data / information / contrast / indicates / figures / the proportion of…
pictorial/ process diagram/ gives data on / gives the amount of…
map/ pie chart and table/ information on/ presents information on...
bar graph and pie chart ... information about/ shows data data about...
about/ demonstrates/ outlines/ comparative data...
summarises... the trend of...
the percentages of...
Example :
1. The provided diagram shows data on employment categories in energy producing sectors in Europe starting from
1925 and till 1985.
2. The given pie charts represent the proportion of male and female employee in 6 broad categories, divided into
manual and non-manual occupations in Freedonia.
3. The chart gives information on expenditures of 4 European countries on six consumer products namely Germany,
Italy, Britain and France.
Tips:
1. For a single graph use 's' after the verb, like - gives data on, shows/ presents etc. However, if there are multiple
graphs, DO NOT use 's' after the verb.
2. If there are multiple graphs and each one presents a different type of data, you can write which graph presents
what type of data and use 'while' to show a connection. For example -'The given bar graph shows the amount
spent on fast food items in 2009 in the UK while the pie chart presents a comparison of people's ages who
spent more on fast food.
3. Your introduction should be quite impressive as it makes the first impression to the examiner. It either makes or
breaks your overall score.
4. For multiple graphs and/ or table(s), you can write what they present in combination instead of saying which each
graph depicts. For example, "The two pie charts and the column graph in combination depicts a picture of the
crime in Australia from 2005 to 2015 and the percentages of young offenders during this period."
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Caution:
Never copy word for word from the question. If you do, you would be penalised. Always paraphrase the introduction
in your own words.
Introduction:
Introduction (Never copy word for word from the
question.) + Overview/ General trend. (What the
diagrams indicate at a first glance.)
Reporting Details:
Main features in the Details
+ Comparison and Contrast of the data. (Do not give all the figures.)
+ Most striking features of the graph.
Conclusion:
Conclusion (General statement + Implications, significant comments)
[Conlcusion is optional.]
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Tips:
1. Write introduction and General trend in the same paragraph. Some students prefer to write the 'General Trend' in
a separate paragraph and many teachers suggest the both to be written in a single paragraph. Unless you have a
really good reason to write the general trend in the second paragraph, try to write them both in the first paragraph.
However, this is just a suggestion, not a requirement.
2. Your 'Introduction (general statement + overall trend/ general trend) should have 75 - 80 words.
3. DO NOT give numbers, percentages or quantity in your general trend. Rather give the most striking feature of the
graph that could be easily understood at a glance. Thus it is suggested to AVOID -"A glance at the graphs reveals
that 70% male were employed in 2001 while 40 thousand women in this year had jobs." And use a format
/comparison like the following: "A glance at the graphs reveals that more men were employed than their
female counterpart in 2001 and almost two-third females were jobless in the same year. "
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Examples:
1. The overall sale of the company has increased by 20% at the end of the year.
2. The expenditure of the office remained constant for the last 6 months but the profit rose by almost 25%.
3. There was a 15% drop in the student enrollment of the University.
Tips:
1. Use 'improve' / 'an improvement' to describe a situation like economic condition or employment status. To
denote numbers use other verbs/nouns like increase.
2. Do not use the same word/ phrase over and over again. In fact, you should not use a noun or verb form to
describe a trend/change more than twice; once is better!
3. To achieve a high band score you need to use a variety of vocabulary as well as sentence formations.
Rapid change dramatically / rapidly / sharply / quickly / dramatic / rapid / sharp / quick / hurried /
hurriedly / speedily / swiftly / significantly/ speedy / swift / significant / considerable /
considerably / substantioally / noticably. substantial / noticable.
Slight change slightly / slowly / mildly / tediously. slight / slow / mild / tedious.
Example:
1. The economic inflation of the country increased sharply by 20% in 2008.
2. There was a sharp drop in the industrial production in the year 2009.
3. The demand for new houses dramatically increased in 2002.
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Rapid ups and downs wave / fluctuate / oscillate / vacillate / waves / fluctuations / oscillations /
palpitate vacillations / palpitations
Example:
1. The price of the raw materials fluctuated for the first three months.
2. The graph shows the oscillations of the price of fuel from 1998 to 2002.
3. The passenger number in this station oscillates throughout the day but early morning and evening are the two
busiest time.
Tips:
1.DO NOT try to present every single data presented in a graph. Rather pick 5-7 most significant and important
trends/ changes and show their comparisons and contrasts.
2. The question asks you to write a report and summarise the data presented in graphs(s). This is why you need to
show the comparisons, contrasts, show the highest and lowest points and most striking features in your answer, not
every piece of data presented in the diagram(s).
Reminders:
“Soar “and “rocket” are both very strong words that describe large rises. “Rocket” is more sudden. You
probably do not need to qualify these verbs with adverbs.
“Leap” shows a large and sudden rise. Again, you probably do not need to qualify it with an adverb.
“Climb” is a relatively neutral verb that can be used with the adverbs below.
Down verbs
Verbs Example
Sink The cost of housing sunk after 2008
Slip back Use of electricity slipped back to 50 in May
Dip Divorce rate dipped in the 60s
Drop A drop in crime can be seen last year
Plummet Tourists to the city plummets after September
Reminders:
“Plummet” is the strongest word here. It means to fall very quickly and a long way.
“Drop” and “drop” are normally used for fairly small decreases
“Slip back” is used for falls that come after rises
“Drop” and “Dip” are also frequently used as nouns: “a slight dip” “a sudden drop”
Adjectives of Degree
Adjective Example Adverb Example
Significant A significant change Significantly Changed significantly
Dramatic A dramatic shift Dramatically Sifts dramatically
Sudden A sudden rise Suddenly Has risen suddenly
Substantial A substantial gain Substantially Gained substantially
Sharp A sharp decrease Sharply Had decreased sharply
Reminders:
“sudden” and “sharp” can be used for relatively minor changes that happen quickly
“spectacular” and “dramatic” are very strong words only used for big changes
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Steady Adjectives
Adjective Example Adverb Example
Consistent A consistent flow Consistently Flowed consistently
Steady A steady movement Steadily Moved steadily
Constant Constant shift Constantly Sifted constantly
Small adjectives
Adjective Example Adverb Example
Slight A slight rise Slightly Rose slightly
Gradual A gradual fall Gradually Has fallen gradually
Marginal A marginal change Marginally Had changed marginally
Modest A modest increase Modestly Increases modestly
Reminder:
“marginal” is a particularly useful word for describing very small changes
Reminders:
“overall” can be used to describe changes in trend over the whole period: very useful in introductions and
conclusions
“upward” and “downward” are adjectives: the adverbs are “upwards” and “downwards”
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:
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Reminder:
Percent is the word form of the symbol %. We can use 10% or 10 percent. Percentage is the noun form:
The percentage of children using supplements. NOT The percent of children...
Fractions:
4% = A tiny fraction. 32% Nearly one-third, nearly a third. 73% = Nearly three quarters.
24% = Almost a quarter. 49% = Around a half, just under a 77% = Approximately three quarter,
25% Exactly a quarter. half. more than three-quarter.
26% = Roughly one quarter 50% Exactly a half. 79% = Well over three quarter.
51% = Just over a half.
Proportions:
2% = A tiny portion, a very small 16% = A small minority, a small 72% = A significant majority, A
proportion. portion. significant proportion.89% = A very
4% = An insignificant minority, an 70% = A large proportion. large proportion.
insignificant proportion. 89% = A very large proportion.
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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.
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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)
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 won’t 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 bold:
It can clearly be seen that ActiveX was the most popular computer package to download, whilst Net was
the least popular of the three 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 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.
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, downloads 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
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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.
Common Problems
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You also need to ask yourself if it is a static or dynamic chart. A static chart shows data from one time period.
A dynamic chart shows change over time. These will obviously require different tenses.
Task Achievement
This requires the students to accurately reflect the relevant information in the graph. If you gave your answer
to a stranger, would they be able to accurately reproduce the graph? If they could, then you have fulfilled this
task.
Lexical Resource
This section is all about vocabulary and is often the most misunderstood. It is NOT about inserting as many
long words as you can think of. It is about choosing relevant, appropriate and accurate words. You will help
your score here by using a variety of vocabulary and not simply copying the words in the question.
Structure
Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
Sentence 1- Paraphrase Question
This paragraph should be one sentence long and demonstrates your ability to paraphrase. You do this by using
synonyms and we will look at it in more detail below.
Paragraph 2 (Overview)
Sentence 1- Overview of first main feature
Sentence 2- Overview of second main feature
Sentence 3- Make general comparison, if appropriate
An overview is a general statement, highlighting the most important information in the table. It should not
include any numbers. This is just a summary of the main features. The examiner is testing your ability to
identify the most important information and then summarise it. Important information could include general
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trends, increase/decreases, differences, comparisons etc. More on how to identify significant features and
write an effective overview below.
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Sample Answer
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The chart below gives information on the percentage of British people giving
money to charity by age range for the years 1990 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The diagram shows the levels of charitable donations of people living in Britain, separated by age, between
1990 and 2010.
Overall, there was a general decrease in the percentage of people who donated money over the two time
periods. However, the pattern differs between the three age groups before 50 and the two age groups after
the age of 50.
The highest decrease was in the 18-25 category, which saw a decrease of 10%, from 17% in 1990 to 7% in
2010. 42% of people in the 36-50 age group gave to charity in 1990, the highest on the chart, and this fell to
35% in 2010. There was also a significant decline in donations among 26-35 year olds, from 31% to 24%.
The exception to this general trend downwards was among the 51-65 year olds and over 65s. In 2010, the 51-
65 year olds gave the highest percentage with nearly 40 per cent and this rose from 35% in 1990. Finally, those
over 65 displayed a slight percentage increase of 3 per cent.
(174 words)
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ACTIVITY 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The charts below show the results of a survey about what people of different age groups say makes
them most happy.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.
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ACTIVITY 2
The graph below shows population figures for India and China since the year 2000 and predicted
population growth up until 2050.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.
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ACTIVITY 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The chart below shows estimated world literacy rates by region and by gender for the year 2000.
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ACTIVITY 4
The tables below give information about sales of Fairtrade*-labelled tea and pineapples in 2010 and
2015 in five European countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.
*Fairtrade: a category of products for which farmers from developing countries have been paid an officially
agreed fair price.
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