IELTS Writing Task 1 Tips and Lessons

IELTS Writing Task 1 Tips and Lessons

IELTS Writing Task 1 Tips and Lessons

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 (adv)
  used before mentioning a specific thing, person, place, etc. in order to explain what you mean or to support an argument:
  Many countries, for example, Mexico and Japan, have a lot of earthquakes.“>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 (conj)
  with the purpose of doing something:
  Michael trained every day in order to improve his performance.“>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 (adv)
  used before mentioning a specific thing, person, place, etc. in order to explain what you mean or to support an argument:
  Many countries, for example, Mexico and Japan, have a lot of earthquakes.“>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 (Conjunction)
  With the intention of, in order to:
  I studied so hard so that I could pass the exam.“>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: Modal Verb
  /ɔːt/ US /ɑːt/ used to express something that you expect will happen: They ought to have arrived at lunchtime but the flight was delayed.“>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 (Adv & Conjunction)
  /ˌhaʊˈev.əʳ/ US /-ɚ/ (Conjunction) despite this: This is one possible solution to the problem. However, there are others. (adverb) in whatever way: However you look at it, it’s still a mess.“>however, it is strongly recommended to give an Overall (adj & adv)
  /ˌəʊ.vəˈrɔːl/ US /ˌoʊ.vɚˈɑːl/ in general rather than in particular, or including all the people or things in a particular group or situation: The overall situation is good, despite a few minor problems. Overall, it has been a good year. The overall winner, after ten games, will receive $250,000.“>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: 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 (numbers, percentages, dates, units, Etc. (adv)
  WRITTEN ABBREVIATION FOR et cetera: and other similar things. It is used to avoid giving a complete list: We saw lots of lions, tigers, elephants, etc.“>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

1. Decline ⬇
2. 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 ⬇
3. Fall ⬇
4. Grow ⬆
5. Increase ⬆
6. Plummet ⬇
7. Rise ⬆

Intensifiers to Describe the Data

1. Considerably
2. Dramatically
3. Gradually
4. In the same way (making comparisons)
5. Moderately
6. Noticeably
7. Rapidly
8. Similarly (making comparisons)
9. Sharply
10. Slightly
11. Slowly
12. Steadily

Another Dominant Structure

Study the growing archive of IELTS Writing Task 1 Samples.

Free English lessons on YouTube & Aparat, ? English flashcards on Instagram and Telegram