TIPS FOR WRITING TASK 1

HOW TO USE 20 MINUTES:

First 5 minutes : Read the question, make sure you understand the chart, write your introduction by paraphrasing the question.

Second 5 minutes: Look at the chart and try to find 2 general points. Don't look at specific details; look for "the big picture". Write 2 sentences summarising the information.

Final 10 minutes: Describe specific details. Try to break this part into 2 paragraphs because it looks better. You could spend 5 minutes on each paragraph.

STRUCTURE: general to specific

Write 4 paragraphs, and  use a "general to specific" essay structure.

·            The introduction is the most general part of the essay; what the chart is about.

·            Then I write a paragraph about the main points or the most general points.

·            Finally, I write 2 paragraphs describing specific facts or figures.

·            Don't write a conclusion because it’s summarised the information in paragraph 2.

INTRODUCTION

Paraphrasing :

·            show = illustrate = compare

·            proportion = percentage

·            information = data

·            the number of / the proportion of  = the figure for

·            people in the USA = Americans

·            from 1999 to 2009 = between 1999 and 2009 = over a period of 10 years

·            how to produce = the process of producing

·            in three countries = in the UK, France and Spain (i.e. name the countries)

·            average weekly spending = spent on average = average expenditure = weekly spending figures = levels of spending = spent per week = expenditure per week

Tip:
"The figure for / figures for" is a great phrase that not many people use (e.g. the graph shows figures for unemployment in three countries).

-            The climograph below shows average monthly temperatures and rainfall in the city of Kolkata.

è  The chart compares average figures for temperature and precipitation over the course of a calendar year in Kolkata.

-            The table below shows the figures for imprisonment in five countries between 1930 and 1980.

è  The bar chart compares the number of people in prison in five different countries over a period of 50 years.

Introduction for 2 charts

The charts below give information about travel to and from the UK, and about the most popular countries for UK residents to visit.

è The line graph shows numbers of visits to the UK and trips abroad by UK residents while bar chart shows the five most popular destinations for UK travellers.

The table below shows the proportion of different categories of families living in poverty in Australia in 1999.

THE OVERVIEW

So what makes a good overview? Here are a few tips:

·            An overview is simply a summary of the main things you can see.

·            Put it at the beginning of your essay, just after the introduction sentence.

·            I write two overview sentences. A one-sentence overview isn't really enough.

·            Try not to include specific numbers in the overview.

·            Look at the 'big picture' e.g. the overall change from the first year to the last year (if years are shown on the chart), the differences between whole categories rather than single numbers, or the total number of stages in a process.

But how do you write an overview of a diagram that doesn't show numbers?

Here are some things you could put in a process diagram overview:

·    The total number of steps in the process.

·    Where the process begins and ends.

And this is what you could write about for a comparing diagram:

·    The total number of changes or differences.

·    The main changes or differences.

·    The main similarities or what doesn't change.

LINE GRAPHS

-            Write 4 paragraphs: introduction, summary of main points, 2 detail paragraphs.

-            For summary paragraph, look at the "big picture" - what changes happened to all of the lines from the beginning to the end of the period shown (i.e. from the first year to the last). Is there a trend that all of the lines follow (e.g. an overall increase)?

-            Don't need to give numbers in summary paragraph, just mention general things like 'overall change', 'highest' and 'lowest', without giving specific figures.

-            Never describe each line separately. The examiner wants to see comparisons.

-            If the graph shows years, you won't have time to mention all of them. The key years to describe are the first year and the last year. You should also mention any 'special' years (e.g. a peak or a significant rise/fall).

-            Start describing details (paragraph 3) with a comparison of the lines for the first year shown on the graph (e.g. In 1990, the number of...).

-            Use the past simple (increased, fell) for past years, and 'will' or 'is expected/predicted to' for future years.

-            Don't use the passive (e.g. the number was increased), continuous (e.g. the number was increasing), or perfect tenses (e.g. the number has increased).

TABLES

·            Write 4 paragraphs - introduction, summary of main points, 2 detail paragraphs.

·            Before writing, highlight some key numbers. Choose the biggest number in each category in the table. If the table shows years, look for the biggest changes in numbers over the time period. You could also mention the smallest numbers, but you can ignore 'middle' numbers (neither biggest nor smallest).

·            For summary paragraph, try to compare whole categories (columns or rows) rather than individual 'cells' in the table. If you can't compare whole categories, compare the biggest and smallest number. Write 2 sentences for the summary.

·            In two 'details' paragraphs, never describe each category separately. The examiner wants to see comparisons. Highlight into 2 groups - one for each paragraph (e.g. highest numbers for all categories together, and lowest numbers together).

·            Describe / compare the numbers highlighted (at least 3 numbers in each paragraph).

·            Use the past simple for past years, and 'will' or 'is expected/predicted to' for future years. If no time is shown, use the present simple.

PROCESS DIAGRAMS

·            Write 4 paragraphs - introduction, summary of main points, 2 detail paragraphs.

·            Write the introduction by paraphrasing the question (rewrite it by changing some of the words).

·            For your summary, first say how many steps there are in the process. Then say where/how the process begins and ends (look at the first and last stages).

·            In paragraphs 3 and 4, describe the process step by step. Include the first and last steps that you mentioned in the summary, but try to describe them in more detail or in a different way.

·            Describe the steps in one paragraph, but it looks more organised if you break the description into two paragraphs. Just start paragraph 4 somewhere in the middle of the process.

·            Mention every stage in the process.

·            Use 'sequencing' language e.g. at the first / second / following / final stage of the process, next, after that, then, finally etc.

·            Times (e.g. past dates) are not usually shown, so use the present simple tense.

·            It's usually a good idea to use the passive e.g. 'At the final stage, the product is delivered to shops' (because we don't need to know who delivered the product).

DESCRIBE 2 CHARTS

Introduction
Write one sentence, but introduce each chart separately e.g. "The first bar chart shows..., and the second chart illustrates..."

Summary
Write 2 sentences. If the information in the charts is not connected, find one main point or general trend for each chart. If the charts are connected, try to make comparisons.

Details

If the 2 charts are completely different (e.g. a graph and a table), write a separate paragraph about each.

If the charts are the same, and show the same information (e.g. 2 pie charts), don't describe them separately; the examiner will want to see comparisons. In this case, you could write one paragraph describing all of the information, but I still prefer to write 2 paragraphs because it makes the essay look more organised.

IELTS Writing Task 1: avoiding common mistakes

1.         Don't copy the question for your introduction. You should paraphrase the question (i.e. rewrite it using some different words).

2.         Don't forget to separate your paragraphs clearly.

3.         Don't forget to write a good summary/overview of the information. A quick one-sentence conclusion is not good enough. I prefer to put the overview straight after the introduction, and I try to write 2 sentences describing the information in general.

4.         Don't describe items separately (e.g. 2 lines on a graph), should always compare  things. Instead of describing 2 lines separately, compare the 2 lines at key points.

5.         Don't try to describe every number (should : around 6 or 7 numbers in main paragraphs). Choose the key information and describe or compare it well.

6.         Mistakes with thousands, millions and billions .Correct : 10 million people. Wrong: 10 millions people, 10 millions of people, 10 million of people. Note: When there is no number, we do write "millions of". e.g. Millions of people travel abroad each year.

7.         Don't spend longer than 20 minutes on task 1 because task 2 is worth more marks.

AGES AND AGE GROUPS

One person:

He is 10 years old = He is a 10-year-old = He is aged 10.

More than one person:

The children in the class are all 10 years old = It is a class of 10-year-olds (or "10-year-old children") = The children in the class are all aged 10.

Age groups with more than one person:

The chart shows the preferred hobbies of children (who are) between 10 and 12 years old. = The chart shows the preferred hobbies of 10- to 12-year-olds (or "10- to 12-year-old children") = The chart shows the preferred hobbies of children aged 10 to 12.

Note:
If you miss the hyphens (-), it's not a big problem. It won't affect your score.

COUNTRIES

1.      If the question doesn't name the countries (e.g. "in three countries"), you could name them in your introduction (e.g. "in Britain, France and Germany” or “in three countries, namely Britain, France and Germany").

2.      Don't forget the word "the" when writing about "the USA" and "the UK".

3.      Always compare the countries

Finally, try to vary the way you write about countries. For example:

·         The number of elderly people in the USA rose.

·         Canada also saw a rise in the number of elderly people.

·         However, the figure for Australia fell.

PERCENTAGES

1. English speakers usually put the percentage at the start of the sentence.

2. Use while, whereas or compared to (after a comma) to add a comparison.

3. Use "the figure for" to add another comparison in the next sentence.

In 1999, 35% of British people went abroad for their holidays, while only 28% of Australians spent their holidays in a different country. The figure for the USA stood at 31%.

Around 40% of women in the UK had an undergraduate qualification in 1999,compared to 37% of men. The figures for the year 2000 rose slightly to 42% and 38% respectively.

DOUBLE, TWICE AS, THREE TIMES, TWOFOLD

1. 'double' (verb)

The number of unemployed people doubled between 2005 and 2009.

2. 'twice as...as/compared to', 'three times as...as/compared to'

There were twice as many unemployed people in 2009 as in 2005.
Twice as many people were unemployed in 2009 compared to 2005.

3. 'twofold', 'threefold' (adjective or adverb)

There was a twofold increase in the number of unemployed people between 2005 and 2009. (adjective with the noun 'increase')
The number of unemployed people increased twofold between 2005 and 2009. (adverb with the verb 'increase')

“TO” or “BY”

Company profit in 2005 = £20,000 . Company profit in 2010 = £25,000

- Company profit rose to £25,000 in 2010.
- Company profit rose by £5,000 between 2005 and 2010.

It's easy: 'to' is used before the new figure, and 'by' is used to show the change.

TO, BY, WITH, AT

1) Use to when describing what happened to the number:

In 2008, the rate of unemployment rose to 10%.

2) Use by when describing the amount of change between two numbers:

In 2009, the rate of unemployment fell by 2% (from 10% to 8%).

3) Use with to give the idea of 'having' the number:

Obama won the election with 52% of the vote.

4) Use at to add the number on the end of a sentence:

Unemployment reached its highest level in 2008, at 10%.

NOUNS & VERBS

Avoid words like soar, rocket and plummet because they are too "sensationalist" - they exaggerate too much, and are more journalistic than academic in style.

Instead, we use increase, rise and fall as both nouns and verbs:

- London saw a significant increase in the cost of homes. (noun)
- The cost of homes in London increased significantly. (verb)

SINGULAR or PLURAL

So, the labels on a chart could be:

·    single parent

·    graduate

·    only child

·    laptop computer

But when you write a sentence, you might need to use a plural:

·    The number of single parents increased.

·    In 1999 nearly 55% of graduates were female.

·    The UK has the highest number of only children.

·    More laptop computers were sold in the UK than any other country.

Using 'SEE'

·    In Britain, CD sales increased dramatically in the 1980s.

è  Britain saw a dramatic increase in CD sales in the 1980s.

è The 1980s saw a dramatic increase in CD sales in Britain.

è British shops saw CD sales increase dramatically in the 1980s.

COMPARISONS

Use "compared to", "compared with" and "in comparison with", don’t say “comparing to”

Ex: Prices in the UK are high compared to / with / in comparison with(prices in) Canada and Australia = Compared to / with / in comparison with (prices in) Canada and Australia, prices in the UK are high.

Language for comparing

·    The chart compares... in terms of the number of...

·    ...is by far the most... OR ...has by far the highest number of...

·    the figures for... tend to be fairly similar

·    In second place on the chart is...*

·    The number of... is slightly higher than...

·    Only four other countries have...

·    ...all with similar proportions of...

·    ...is the only country with a noticeably higher proportion of...

*Note: Only use phrases like "in second place" if the chart shows some kind of competition. Don't write "in first / second place" if the chart shows unemployment or health problems!

PAST SIMPLE , PAST PERFECT

In 2002, the cost of an average house in the UK was around £130,000. By 2007, the average house price had risen to almost £190,000, but it fell back to just under £150,000 in 2008.

Notice the verbs used with "in" and "by":

·    I used "in" with the past simple (was, fell).

·    I used "by" with the past perfect (had risen) to give the idea that the increase had happened in the years leading up to 2007.

·    To avoid worrying about "by + past perfect" you could write: "Between 2002 and 2007, the average house price rose to..."

How to describe future years.

Past:

In 1999, the proportion of people using the Internet in the USA was about 20%. The figures for Canada and Mexico were lower, at about 10% and 5% respectively. In 2005, Internet usage in both the USA and Canada rose to around 70% of the population, while the figure for Mexico reached just over 25%.

Future (I've changed the years and the verbs):

In 2015, the proportion of people using the Internet in the USA is expected to beabout 20%. The figures for Canada and Mexico are likely to be lower, at about 10% and 5% respectively. In 2025, it is predicted that Internet usage in both the USA and Canada will rise to around 70% of the population, while the figure for Mexico should reach just over 25%.