IELTS Writing Task 1 | Commuting to Work

IELTS Writing Task 1 | Commuting

IELTS Writing Task 1 | Commuting

?Instructions:

The two pie charts below show the reasons for which people go to work by bicycle or by car.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main points. You could make comparisons when necessary.

? LELB Student: Arash

The first pie chart demonstrates the reasons why some people prefer to cycle to work. Conversely, the second pie chart illustrates the reasons for those who choose to go to work by car.

30% of commuters who prefer cycling say that this is because riding a bicycle to work is healthier than driving. The same amount of people, 30% say that they cycle to work because it causes less pollution than driving. In addition, 13% of people them prefer to cycle to work because of its low price in comparison to driving. Surprisingly, a similar amount of people said that they cycled to work because it is faster than traveling by car.

The majority of people who prefer to travel by car say it is more comfortable than cycling. The two least significant reasons for going to work by car, with 14% and 11% sequentially, is that people need to carry things to work and that it is safer than cycling to work.

To conclude, we can obviously see that the majority of people who cycle to work do this for health and environmental reasons. On the other hand, those who travel by car want to have a more comfortable journey.

✅ Examiner’s Notes:

Paragraph 1:
- Line 1: the reasons for which / why some commuters choose to
Paragraph 2:
- Line 1: The verb “say” is not that professional. You could use: “believe, claim, state, think, etc.”.
- A similar proportion of the cyclists, that is, 30% of the population, …
- 13% of people them prefer ??? I didn’t get this part.
- low price :arrow: lower cost
  - You should use a comparative adjective.
- Line 3: A mismatch between the tenses: “say” and “said”
Paragraph 3:
- Line 2: “is that” :arrow: are that
- Sequentially :arrow: respectively
Paragraph 4:
- Last line: “journey” is not a good word here.
Chart Analysis:
- The first paragraph is curt and to the point. You did it right.
- Paragraph 2, Last line: the use of “surprisingly” and making that comparison were so appropriate.
- You could specifically refer to the most significant reason for preferring driving to cycling (i.e., 40%), which is the largest percentage of the other reasons in both of the pie charts.
- The two factors of safety and the possibility of carrying things were precisely equally important for the drivers, yet not so relatively significant in comparison to the comfort factor.
Choice of Words (Diction): Rather simplistic. You should use more academic words.
Coherence: Good
Cohesion: Great
Grammar: Above average
Reasoning: Good
Word Count: “201” Great!

General Information

You have 20 minutes for this task.
Your summary should consist of at least 150 words.
The
IELTS
The International English Language Testing System or IELTS /ˈaɪ.ɛlts/, is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world, others being the TOEFL, TOEIC and OPI/OPIc.
IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user. The Academic version is for test takers who want to study at tertiary level in an English-speaking country or seek professional registration. The General Training version is for test takers who want to work, train, study at a secondary school or migrate to an English-speaking country.
“>IELTS Writing Task 1 is an information transfer task, which requires you to write an accurate account of some information presented in graphic form, for example, a graph, table, or some form of a pictorial representation of Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.
“>data.
Your addressee is a university lecturer.
It is important to read the instructions closely to specify the main focus of your report.

Planning Your Task

Make sure to spend around 2 to 3 minutes planning and organizing your answer. That is to say, do NOT start writing immediately. During this pre-writing time, try to analyze the delineated Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.
“>data carefully.
In the exam, you can write notes on the illustration and in a clearly defined space on the front of your answer paper.
Your notes could be in abbreviated forms in order to save time. Remember that your notes are personal and won’t be assessed.
During planning, decide which significant details will be discussed to reflect the task requirements. For example:
- The apex (high points) or base (low points)
- Steady pace or rate of changes
- Fluctuation in the rate of changes
While planning your task, you should determine the time period so that the correct tense is used.

How to Start Writing?

It is recommended that you start your
IELTS
The International English Language Testing System or IELTS /ˈaɪ.ɛlts/, is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world, others being the TOEFL, TOEIC and OPI/OPIc.
IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user. The Academic version is for test takers who want to study at tertiary level in an English-speaking country or seek professional registration. The General Training version is for test takers who want to work, train, study at a secondary school or migrate to an English-speaking country.
“>IELTS Writing Task 1 with a restatement of the keywords in the instructions. In so doing, you will give a brief description of the details in the pictorial form.
You should write one clear sentence to introduce the illustration.
After your general description, you should write one or two sentences to indicate the relationships between the Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.
“>data or demonstrate a trend.
Write more sentences to Provide: Verb
/prəˈvaɪd/
verb [T]
to give someone something that they need:
This booklet provides useful information about local services.
All meals are provided throughout the course.
The author provides no documentary references to support her assertions.
“>provide a more in-depth account of the Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.
“>data that transcends your general statement.

How to Analyze the Graph?

In your second paragraph, you should give a detailed account of the visual Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.“>data reflected in the graph or chart.
Do not try to describe the graph in a linear or sequential order. Instead, you must develop a nonlinear and profound understanding of the Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.
“>data.

Providing an Overview

Since the Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.
“>data with a pictorial form are not accessible to your addressee, who is a university lecturer, you ought to Provide: Verb
/prəˈvaɪd/
verb [T]
to give someone something that they need:
This booklet provides useful information about local services.
All meals are provided throughout the course.
The author provides no documentary references to support her assertions.“>provide a brief overview of the general trends and patterns to make sense of the whole Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.
“>data. Remember that IELTS Writing Task 1 is NOT an essay. Instead, it’s just a summary of some visual Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.“>data. Accordingly, the existence of a conclusion is not necessary; however, it is strongly recommended to give an overall overview of the Data: Noun
/ˈdeɪ.tə/ US /-ţə/
group noun [U]
information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination and consideration and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and processed by a computer:
The data was/were collected by various researchers.“>data.

Important Tips

You can write your summary Either: Determiner / Conjunction
/ˈaɪ.ðəʳ/ /ˈiː-/ US /-ðɚ/
determiner
both:
Unfortunately I was sitting at the table with smokers on either side of me.
either (CHOICE) /ˈaɪ.ðəʳ/ /ˈiː-/ US /-ðɚ/
determiner, pronoun, conjunction
used when referring to a choice between two possibilities:
Either candidate would be ideal for the job.
"Do you prefer pork or beef?" "I don’t like either."
"Would you like the metal or plastic one?" "Either will do."
You can get there by train or bus – either way/in either case it’ll take an hour.
We can either eat now or after the show – it’s up to you.
Either you leave now or I call the police!
either (ALSO) /ˈaɪ.ðəʳ/ /ˈiː-/ US /-ðɚ/
adverb
used in negative sentences instead of ‘also’ or ‘too’:
I don’t eat meat and my husband doesn’t either.
"I’ve never been to the States." "I haven’t either."
They do really good food at that restaurant and it’s not very expensive either.“>either in British or American English style, but you need to be consistent throughout your summary.
As it is Typical: Adjective
/ˈtɪp.ɪ.kəl/ adjective
1. showing all the characteristics that you would usually expect from a particular group of things:
I must look like the typical tourist with my shorts and my camera.
2. DISAPPROVING showing all the bad characteristics that you expect from someone or something, often in a way that is annoying:
It’s just typical of Ian to spend all that money on the equipment and then lose interest half way through the course.
“>typical of any writing task, it is strongly recommended that you proofread your own report for Possible: Adjective
/ˈpɒs.ə.bļ/ US /ˈpɑː.sə-/
adjective [+ (that)]
that might or might not happen:
It’s possible (that) Mira might turn up tonight.
"Do you think he’ll end up in prison?" "It’s very possible."
That’s one possible solution to the problem.“>possible mistakes.

Recognizing Similarities and Differences

Mention the actual data (numbers, percentages, dates, units, etc.) in your comparison as long as the statistics are in line with the point you are trying to make.

Verbs to Describe the Data

Decline ⬇️
Decrease: Verb
/dɪˈkriːs/ US /ˈdiː.kriːs/
verb [I or T]
to become less, or to make something become less:
Our share of the market has decreased sharply this year.
We have decreased our involvement in children’s books.
decrease /ˈdiː.kriːs/
noun [C or U]
There has been a steady decrease in the number of visitors.
I haven’t noticed much decrease in interest.“>Decrease ⬇️
Fall ⬇️
Grow ⬆️
Increase ⬆️
Plummet ⬇️
Rise ⬆️

Intensifiers to Describe the Data

Considerably
Dramatically
Gradually
In the same way (making comparisons)
Moderately
Noticeably
Rapidly
Similarly (making comparisons)
Sharply
Slightly
Slowly
Steadily

Another Dominant Structure

There	Article	Adjective	Descriptive Noun	Prepositional Phrase (in what)
There is There was There has been There will be	a(n)	ascending considerable descending downward dramatic gradual insignificant moderate noticeable Rapid: Adjective /ˈræp.ɪd/ adjective fast or sudden: The 1990s were a period of rapid change/growth. I was startled by a rapid movement to my left. His response to the accusation was rapid.“>rapid sharp significant slight slow steady upward	decline Decrease: Verb /dɪˈkriːs/ US /ˈdiː.kriːs/ verb [I or T] to become less, or to make something become less: Our share of the market has decreased sharply this year. We have decreased our involvement in children’s books. decrease /ˈdiː.kriːs/ noun [C or U] There has been a steady decrease in the number of visitors. I haven’t noticed much decrease in interest.“>decrease drop fall fluctuation grow increase rise trend	in something