IELTS BASIC WRITING

LESSON 1: DYNAMIC CHARTS

A. SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Question 1: 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.

Question Analysis:
 Loại biểu đồ: Dynamic (changes over time) – line graph.
 Đối tượng: Fast food gồm 3 loại pizza, fish and chips và hamburgers.
 Đơn vị: Times eaten per year (số lần tiêu thụ trong năm).
 Mốc thời gian: Trong quá khứ nên dùng thì Quá khứ đơn.

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 Main points:

Trends:
Fish and Chips: Giảm nhiều từ 1975 đến 2000 (có tăng nhẹ từ 1980 đến 1985 nhưng
không đáng kể) 100 – dưới 40.
Pizzas và Hamburgers: Đều tăng, trong đó:
 Pizzas: Tăng mạnh từ 1975 – 1985 (10 – 90) và tăng đều đến 2000 (100)
 Hamburgers: Tăng đều đặn từ 1975 – 1995 (5 – 90) và giữ nguyên đến 2000.

Comparison:
1975 (năm đầu tiên): Fish and Chips cao nhất (100), gấp 10-20 lần Pizzas và
Hamburgers.

2000 (năm cuối): Hamburgers (100) > Pizzas (90) > Fish and chips (under 40).

 Nhóm ý tưởng:

Bài có 2 nhóm trends riêng biệt nên sẽ được nhóm { tưởng như sau:

 Body 1: Fish and Chips

 Body 2: Pizzas và Hamburgers

Ở mỗi đoạn sẽ mô tả cả trends và đặc điểm comparison liên quan đến đối tượng đó.

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Question 2: The table shows the proportions of pupils attending four Secondary school
types between 2000 and 2009.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Secondary School Attendance

2000 2009

Specialist Schools 12% 10%

Grammar Schools 24% 12%

Voluntary-controlled Schools 52% 20%

Community Schools 12% 58%

Question Analysis:

 Loại biểu đồ: ......................................................................................................................

 Đối tượng (chủ ngữ) của biểu đồ: ....................................................................................

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 Đơn vị: ...............................................................................................................................

 Có mốc hay khoảng thời gian không: ...............................................................................

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 Thì của động từ: ................................................................................................................

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 Main points
a. Trends

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b. Comparison

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 Nhóm thông tin thế nào?

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Question 3: The bar chart below gives information about the percentage of the
population living in urban areas in the world and in different continents.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Question Analysis:

 Loại biểu đồ: ......................................................................................................................

 Đối tượng (chủ ngữ) của biểu đồ: ....................................................................................

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 Đơn vị: ...............................................................................................................................

 Có mốc hay khoảng thời gian không: ...............................................................................

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 Thì của động từ: ................................................................................................................

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 Main points
c. Trends

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d. Comparison

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 Nhóm thông tin

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B. STRUCTURE PLAN
Question 1: The line graph below shows changes in the amount and type of fast food
consumed by Australian teenagers from 1975 to 2000.

STRUCTURE OUTLINE SAMPLE ANSWER

(1) Introduction (1) The given line graph compares the fast
Viết lại đề bài sử dụng kĩ thuật food consumption of teenagers in Australia
paraphrase. between 1975 and 2000, a period of 25
years.

(2) Overview (2) Overall, the consumption of fish and chips

Nêu xu hướng, đặc điểm chung của biểu declined over the period, whereas the
đồ. Chú ý không nêu số liệu. figures of pizzas and hamburgers that were
eaten increased.

(3) Body 1: (3) In 1975, the most popular fast food with
Mô tả xu hướng và so sánh ở nhóm Fish Australian teenagers was fish and chips,
and chips being eaten 100 times a year. This was far
higher than Pizza and hamburgers, which
were consumed approximately 5 times a

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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.
(4) Body 2: (4) In sharp contrast to this, teenagers
Mô tả xu hướng và so sánh ở nhóm Pizzas showed the opposite consumption trend in
và Hamburgers the other two fast foods at much higher
levels. Pizza consumption increased gradually
until it overtook the consumption of fish and
chips in 1990, then levelled off at nearly 90
times from 1995 to 2000. More significantly,
the biggest rise was seen in hamburgers as
the occasions they were eaten increased
sharply throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and
finished at 100 times a year.

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C. SENTENCE STRUCTURE
1. Describing trends

a. There was a siginificant decrease in the percentage of total music sales by CDs
purchased from 55% to 25% during the years.

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b. CDs purchased showed a significant decline in the percentage of total music sales
from 55% to 25% over the period shown.

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c. The percentage of total music sales by CDs purchased dropped significantly from
55% to 25% over the examined period.

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2. Language to describing trends

a. Noun, Adjective, Verb and Adverb

USEFUL LANGUAGE: DESCRIBING TRENDS

MEANING VERB NOUN
go down decrease same
fall same
drop same
decline same
plunge (big change) /

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plummet (big change) /

go up increase same
rise same
grow growth
double doubling in + n
treble trebling in + n
rocket (big change) /
no change level off a levelling off at 10%
remain the same /
remain stable /
stabilize stability
constant change fluctuate fluctuation in + n

position reach a high/peak of a high of 10%

reach a low of a low of 2%
stand at /

MEANING ADJ/ADV

steady (ily)
Small change slight (ly)
gradual (ly)
considerable (ly)
sharp (ly)
Big change dramatic (ally)
significant (ly)
substantial (ly)

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b. Expressing evidence

PREPOSITION ADVERB NUMBER UNIT

(increase) to exactly 29 (US) dollars
2,583 (2583) pounds
(increase) by nearly 100,000 (100000)
about 1 Vthousand kilometers
around 100 thousand kilograms
approximately a million
(reach a peak) at (just) over two and a half
people
(just) under billion/ 2.5 billion
950 and 1500
respectively

c. Cohesive devices
 Overview
- As can be seen from the chart, …
- As is illustrated in the graph, …
 Contrasting
- As is highlighted in the graph, …
- In (marked) contrast, …
 Listing
- On the contrary, …
- As for…
- Unlike A, which …, B …
- Regarding …
- However, …
- Considering …
 Others
- Turning to …
- The most striking feature is that …
 Similarity
- One noticeable point is that …
- In addition, …
- Another point of interest is that …
- Similarly, …
- Together with A, …
- In comparison with A which …, B …

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D. PRACTICE
1. Rewrite each sentence below into 2 others, using synonyms and different
structures to describe trends.
Example: The number of enrolments to Boston University increased significantly from
400 to 1000 students between 2005 and 2010.
-> Boston University illustrated a significant increase by 600 students in the number of
enrolments over a 5-year period.
-> There was a dramatic rise in the figure of registration of students to Boston
University for a period of 5 years.
a. Cement production rose from 800 units in May to 1000 units the following month.
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b. The amount of expenditure on primary education dropped from 22.2% to 21.5%
from 1995 to 1996.
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c. From January to March, the percentage of children using supplements remained
fairly static at approximately 10%.
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d. The revenues of AMZ office remained constant for the last 6 months but the profits
rose by almost 25%.
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e. The figures of cars of these two cities increased significantly in the last two decades
and it is predicted that they will double in the next 5 years.
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2. Gap filling

Question 3: The bar chart below gives information about the percentage of the
population living in urban areas in the world and in different continents.

shows compares doubled marked in contrast

highest smaller in spite of slight

The bar chart ………………….. (1) the urbanization percentage of the world in 1950 and
………………….. (2) this with the percentage in 2007 and 2015.

Between 1950 and 2015, the proportion of the world’s population residing in cities
………………….. (3), growing from 29% to 60%. However, this rate is less ………………….. (4) in
some continents than others.

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It is seen that 64% of the population of North America was urban in 1950, increasing to
79% by 2007. ………………….. (5), just 15% of the African population was urban in the first
year, but this rose to 37% by 2007. This represents one of the ………………….. (6) rate in the
world, even though the percentage of Africans in urban areas is still ………………….. (7) than
the world average.

It is also clear from the graph that, although both showed a ………………….. (8) increase
in the percentage of population in such areas, urbanization in Latin America was higher than
Europe in 2015, ………………….. (9) being lower in 1950.

3. Report writing
Question 2: The table shows the Proportions of Pupils Attending Four Secondary
School Types Between 2000 and 2009.

SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

2000 2009
Speacialist Schools 12% 10%
Grammar Schools 24% 12%
Voluntary-controlled Schools 52% 20%
Community Schools 12% 58%

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