IELTS Writing

Task 1( Describing
charts)
 Bar Chart
The bar chart below shows the sector contributions to India’s gross domestic product from 1960 to
2000.Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.Write at least 150 words

Contribution as % of India's
GDP
Line Graph
The graph below shows radio and television audiences throughout the day in 1992.Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.Write at
least 150 words.
Table Chart
The tables below give the distribution of world population in 1950 and 2000, with an estimate of the situation
in 2050.Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.Write at least 150 words.
Pie Chart
The charts below show the reasons why people travel to work by bicycle or by car. Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.Write at
least 150 words.
Multiple Graphs
The pie chart shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive. The table shows
how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s.Summarise the information by
selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.Write at least 150
words.
Task 1 Assessment Criteria

● Task Achievement (Data, Categorizing)

● Coherence and Cohesion
● Lexical Resource
● Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Task 1 Workflow

● Planning and Ideation

4 paragraphs structure
● Introduction
● Overview
● Body Paragraph 1
● Body Paragraph 2
Paraphrasing

“The chart below gives information on …”

● Remove ‘below’
● gives
○ illustrate, depict, describe,
demonstrate, represent, compare,
display, provide
Paraphrasing Exercise 1

• The chart below gives information about the number of

social networking sites people used in Canada in 2014 and
2015.

The graph illustrates the data regarding the usage of internet

communities by Canadians in the year 2014 and 2015.
 Paraphrasing Exercise 1

• The chart/ figure/ picture/ graph/ diagraph/ visualisation below gives/

provides/ demonstrates/ shows/ illustrates/ depicts information/ data/ facts
about the number/ quantity/ amount/ values of social networking sites/
social medias/ social media platforms/ internet communities people/
Canadians/ Canadian residentials used/ utilized/ spent/ employed in
Canada in 2014 and 2015./ in the year 2014 and 2015/ in 1 year from
2014 to 2015
Paraphrasing Exercise 2

• The charts below show the reasons why people travel

to work by bicycle or by car.

○ illustrate, depict, describe, demonstrate, represent,

compare, display, provide
01 TASK 1 Language
Reports
 Graphs with data
1.Language of change 2.Language of comparison
 Task 1 ( graphs with data)

When you write a Task 1 essay, you will need to:

● Write an introduction to the topic of the graph in your
own words (paragraph 1).
● Give an overview of the main features in the graph
(paragraph 2).
● Describe the most important changes and numbers
(paragraphs 3 & 4).
● Write a minimum of 150 words
Graphs with
trends

Language of change
Describing Trends

A steady decline
A constant downfall
A downward trend
A linear decrease

Declined steadily
Decrease
Drop
Fall
Describing Trends

A dramatic rise
A sharp increase
A significant climb
An upward trend

Jumped remarkably
Grew rapidly
Escalate
Rocket
Describing Trends

A slight decline
A gradual reduction
A gentle fall
A slow decrease

Reduced
Diminished
Lessen
Describing Trends

Fluctuated roughly
A period of wild instability
Describing Trends

A slight increase
A marginal rise
A gentle growth
A slow improvement
A partial growth
Describing Trends

Plummet
Plunge
Describing Trends

Summit
Peak
Pinnacle
Climax
Crown
Apex
 Task 1 ( graphs with data)

When you write a Task 1 essay, you will need to:

● Write an introduction to the topic of the graph in your
own words (paragraph 1).
● Give an overview of the main ideas in the graph
(paragraph 2).
● Describe the most important changes and numbers
(paragraphs 3 & 4).
● Write a minimum of 150 words
Analysing the sample essay describing changes
 1.Re-wording the introduction

The graph shows information about how much money was earned
by three bakeries in London, over a decade between 2000 and
2010.

The graph highlights data about the amount of money which was
earned by three bakeries in London, over a ten-year period
between 2000 and 2010.
Useful Language
Some simple changes you can make while
paraphrasing the question:
the proportion of = the figure for
graph = line graph
• people in the US = Americans
• chart = bar chart
• from 1999 to 2009 = between
• diagram = figure 1999 and 2009
• shows = illustrates (or 'compares' if the graph• from 1999 to 2009 = over a period
is of 10 years/ over a decade
comparing) • how to produce = the process of
producing
• proportion = percentage
• in three countries = in the UK,
• information = data
France and Spain
(i.e. name the countries)
• the number of = the figure for
 2.Overview

1. What was the general trend for the earnings of the three bakeries?
2. Which were the most popular bakeries in 2000 and 2010?
3. Is there anything else you could talk about in the overview?

Overall, what stands out from the graph is that there were considerable upward
trends in the income of both Bernie’s Buns and Robbie’s Bakery, while the
earnings of Lovely Loaves saw a substantial fall over the period in question.
Another interesting point is that Lovely Loaves was the most popular bakery in
2000, but in 2010 Robbie’s Bakery earned more money than the others. In
addition, the highest income in the period was for Robbie’s Bakery in 2010.
 Body Paragraph 1

Looking at the details, as regards Bernie’s

Buns, income started at £20,000 in 2000,
then there was a fluctuation over the next
three years, at which point it levelled off at
just under £40,000 until 2006. Then the
figure went up significantly, finishing at
around £65,000 in 2010. If we look at
Robbie’s Bakery, the trend was similar.
Having remained stable at approximately
£55,000 in the first half of the decade,
income then rose sharply, reaching nearly
£100,000 in 2008. There was then a
gradual rise to around £105,000 in 2010.
 Body Paragraph 2

By contrast, the income of Lovely Loaves

went in the opposite direction. Takings
fluctuated around £90,000 until 2004.
After that, despite falling sharply to just
over £40,000 in 2008, the figure then
levelled off in the last two years
VOCABS FOR REPORTS

Describing Trends
 Comparing and contrasting

• Similarly, ... / By contrast, ...

• A similar trend can be observed in...

• The results for... , however, reveal a markedly different trend.

 Introducing lesser
Introducing the first Introducing the second set of
trends
set of data data
• Another trend that
• Beginning with the... • Meanwhile, the... shows
can be observed is
that...
that...
• To begin with the...
• As for the... , it shows
• It is also worth
that...
pointing out that...
• Turning to the... , it can be
• Also worth noting is
seen that...
that...
Verbs to describe changes
Adverbs and adjectives to describe changes
Graphs with future trends
Introduction and Overview
Body Paragraphs
Graphs with future trends
Finished Essay
Comparative
Graphs

Language of comparison
 Comparative Graphs
The chart below shows the expenditure of two countries on consumer goods in 2010.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words
Introduction

Question: The chart below shows the expenditure of two

countries on consumer goods in 2010.

Introduction (Paragraph 1): The bar chart is an illustration of the

amount of money spent on five consumer goods namely cars,
computers, books, perfume and cameras in France and the UK
in 2010 with the assessed data given in pounds sterlings.
 Main Features

There are 4 main features:

Main feature 1 : The UK spent more money on consumer goods
than France
Main feature 2 : Both countries spent most of their money on car.
Main feature 3 : The UK spent the least amount of money on
perfume while France spent the least on cameras.
Main feature 4 : The gap between the two countries was the most
significant in the expenditure on cameras.
 Overview

Overall, it can be seen that the UK spent more money on consumer

goods than France in the period given in question. Both the British and
the French spent most of their money on cars whereas the least
amount of money was spent on perfume in the UK compared to
cameras in France. Furthermore, the most significant difference in
expenditure between two countries was on cameras.
 Body Paragraph 1

From a detailed analysis, in terms of cars,

people in the UK spent about £450,000 on
this as opposed to the French who spent
£400,000. Similarly, the British spent more
money on books than the French,
amounting to around £400,000 and
£300,000 respectively. In the UK,
expenditure on cameras, with just over
£350,000, was over double that of France,
which was only £150,000.
 Body Paragraph 2

On the other hand, the amount

spent on the remaining goods
was higher in France. Above
£350,000 was spent by France on
computers which were slightly
more than the British who spent
exactly £350,000. Neither of the
countries spent much on perfume
which accounted for £200,000 of
expenditure in France but under
£150,000 in the UK.
Useful Language for comparing
Useful Language for comparing
Useful Language for comparing
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart shows the participation of children is selected leisure activities in Australia.
The graph indicates the level of participation in various leisure activities between Australian boys
and girls aged 5 to 14 years old.

In general, the boys in this age group engage in a higher number of included leisure activities than
the girls, with higher participation levels in all activities except art and craft.The most popular
activity is watching TV and skateboarding is the least popular one.

As we can see, watching TV and videos is the most popular activity for children in this age group
with 100% of the boys and girls surveyed having been involved. The least popular activity is
skateboarding/roller-blading, as it saw the lowest overall participation rate amongst the boys and
girls, at around 38% and 28% respectively.

The boys show a preference for electronic games, which were enjoyed by 80% of them, and outdoor
activities, such as bike riding, which 70% of all boys surveyed had participated in. They were less
interested in arts and crafts. The girls on the other hand took part in bike riding, electronic games,
and art and craft at similar rates, with all at around 60% participation.
Graphs with proportions

Proportions
Pie charts and tables
Proportions

Verbs - Contributed, Allocated, Constituted,

Accounted for, Occupied

Quantify - Doubled, Tripled, Quadrupled, Halved

Future - Predicted, Projected, Expected, Forecasted,

Estimated, Supposedly, Aimed
 Proportions

● Percentages
○ 10% - one in ten, one-tenth
○ 15% - less than a fifth, more than a tenth
○ 20% - one in five, one-fifth ○ 75-85% a very large
○ 25% - one in four, one-quarter majority
○ 30% - nearly a third ○ 65-75% a significant
○ 33% - one in three, one-third proportion
○ 35% - just over a third ○ 10-15% a minority
○ 50% - one in two, half ○ 5% a very small number
○ 66% - two in three, two-thirds
○ 75% - three in four, three quarters
○ 80% - four in five
Sample Essay
The table shows the amount of household income that five countries in Europe
spend per month on four items. The data has been shown in percentage.

Overall, all five countries spend the majority of their income on food and
drink and housing. However, the expenditure was far less on clothing and
entertainment.
It is clear from the chart that housing is the largest expense for France, Germany
and the UK, as all of them spend around one third of their income on this, at
30%, 33% and 37% respectively. In contrast, they spend around a quarter on food
and drink. Surprisingly, this pattern is exactly the opposite of Turkey and Spain,
which spend a fifth of their income on housing, but one third on food and drink.

Furthermore, spending on clothing and entertainment are the two items which all
five countries spend much less. Regarding clothes, France and Spain spend the
least, at less than 10%, and on the other hand, the other three countries spend
around the same amount ranging between 12% and 15%. Germany spends one
fifth on entertainment, at 19% ,whereas the UK and Turkey spend approximately
half of this amount
Pie Chart Sample
 Fill in the blanks with suitable words below. 4. transactions 8. overtook
5. represented 9. craze
1. was accounted for 6. Across 10. largest proportion
2. boasted 7. had dropped 11. overtook
3. electronic item and home furnishing

The two pie charts compare the percentages of online sales ______________ different retail sectors in
Canada in the two different years, 2005 and 2010. Overall, the online sale of ______________ dropped,
however, the ______________ for food and video games increased during the five years. To begin with, in
2005, the majority of online sales ______________ electronics and appliance sector with 35%; however,
this percentage ______________ to 30% by 2010. During the same five-year period, the number of people
deciding to buy food and beverages online increased and the ______________ went from just 22% to
32%, making it the retail sector with the ______________ of the online market. In 2005, the home
furnishing industry ______________ an impressive 25% of the total online sales in Canada. However, by
2010, the figure had fallen considerably to 15%. Interestingly, online sales of video games eventually
______________ sales of home furnishing, although video games still ______________ only 23% of the
market.
 Task 1
Assignment
Sample Essay - Line Graph
Sample Essay - Line Graph

• General Overview – significant shifts in consumption

pattern
• Fish – rather consistent throughout, just mild
fluctuations
• Beef and Lamb – similar declining trend
• Lamb – 150 to 75, halved
• Beef – peaked in mid 1980s, but has not
recovered since
• Beef – summit – 240 to now – 120, also halved
• Chicken – steady and rather undisturbed increase
• Roughly the same with lamb at the beginning
• Surpassing that of Beef in 1988
• At the end of the period, 250 grams
• greater than beef, lamb and fish combined
Grammatical
Range and
Accuracy for
writing

Task 1 & 2
High – level sentence structures for IELTS Writing Task
1
1. Clause, after Verb – ing
The figure for factories in Japan hit a free fall to 1,000 in 2015, after undergoing an
increase to 120,000 in 2010.

2. Clause, followed by + Noun Phrase

There was a dramatic growth in the number of factories in Japan to 120,000 in 2010,
followed by a sharp decrease to 1,000 in 2015.

3. Clause, prior to/before Verb-ing

The number of factories in Japan experienced an increase to 120,000 in 2010, before
hitting a free fall to 1,000 in 2015.
4. As / Whereas/ While S1 verb, S2 verb (at the same time).
While the figure for factories in Japan went up dramatically to 120,000 in 2010,
the quantity in
Korea plummeted to 12,000 at the same time.

5. In comparison to/with X, which verb, S verb.

In comparison with the number of factories in Japan, which witnessed a dramatic increase to
120,000 in 2010, the quantity in Korea plummeted to 12,000 at this time.

6. S verb, Verb-ing, (which verb).

The quantity of factories in Japan went through a period of dramatic increase to 120,000 in
2010, exceeding the number in Korea, which had only 12,000.
13 Structures to help you boost your IELTS Score for Task 2
1. When Subject + Verb + Object, Subject 1 + Verb 1 + Object 1
Example: When a language dies out, a whole way of life disappears with it.

2. While Subject + Verb + Object, Subject 1 + Verb 1 + Object 1

Example: While some students drop out after a few years studying, others finish academic courses with poor
degrees.

3. Subject + Verb + Object, resulting in an increase/ a decrease in + the number of (something) / the demand
for (something)
Example: People in the countryside migrate into big cities, resulting in an increase in the demand for
accommodation, food and services in urban areas.

4. Subject + Verb + Object, giving rise to (something)

Example: Advertisements give people more choices on what they want to buy, giving rise to the consumer society.

5. By doing (something), Subject + Verb + Object

Example: By spending money to protect minority languages, governments can also preserve traditions,customs
and behaviours.
6. Subject + Verb + Object, and / but / so + Subject 1 + Verb 1 + Object 1
Example: Schools do not have the resources to equip students with much higher-level skills, so
universities have to fulfill this role.

7. Subject + Verb + Object, and this will + Verb + Object.

Example: The use of private cars is increasing in Hanoi, and this puts a strain on its infrastructure.

8. Instead of + Verb-ing + Object, Subject + Verb + Object.

Example: Instead of driving cars, people should use public transport.

9. Subject + Verb + Object. This allows/ urges/ encourages (something/ somebody) to do (something)
(This
will discourage somebody from doing something.)
Example: The utilization of cheap labour helps companies to reduce the production cost. This
encourages business expansion.

10. Compared to those who + Subject + Verb + Object, Subject + Verb + Object.
Example: Compared to those who hold high school qualifications, university graduates often have
more employment opportunities.
11. If Subject + Verb + Object, Subject + Verb + Object.
Example: If air travel was restricted, people would opt for other means of transport such as buses
and
cars.

12. Subject + Verb + Object (that Subject 1 + Verb + Object), because Subject + Verb + Object.
Example: I partly disagree with the idea that advertising has negatively influenced our life, because
I
recognize several benefits it brings to society.

13. When Subject + Verb + Object, Subject + Verb + Object, Verb-ing + Object.
Example: When the government pays for tuition fees, the constraint of finance is removed,
encouraging a greater number of students to attend academic courses.
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