The Easy Way to IELTS Writing Academic module by: Arghavan Ghajar About the author Arghavan Ghajar is a passionate, resourceful,and innovative IELTS teacher whose profession has been evolving around teaching this specific course for the past 12 years. She is an award-winner English teacher for best IELTS instructions in Vancouver, Canada, where she currently resides. For everyday tips on the IELTS test, follow Arghavan on Instagram @: THE.IELTS All the trends, graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, maps, their corresponding writing samples, and all essays are created by Arghavan Ghajar in this reference book and are subject to copyright. Contents The IELTS Test Writing Task 1 Differences between academic and general modules The academic module Task 1 categorization Line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, and tables Understanding trends Upward trends Downward trends Peak/the highest point Period of stability Trough/the lowest point Fluctuation Plateau Adjectives and adverbs in describing trends Noun and Verb Phrases Number and Amount Percent, percentage, proportion, and rate Approximation Prepositions in describing trends Comparative structures Making comparisons Expressing contrast Tenses in task 1 Task 1 requirements Organization and structure for graphs and charts Line graphs Bar charts Pie charts Tables Combinations Essential to note Diagrams and flowcharts Organization and structure for diagrams Requirements for diagrams and flowcharts Passive voice Relative clauses Sequencing words Linear diagrams Circular diagrams Flowcharts Essential to note Maps Organization and structure for maps Describing general changes Describing specific changes Describing locations using directions and prepositions One-map structures Two-maps structures Essential to note Writing task 2 Differences between academic and general modules The academic module Task 2 requirements Task response Coherence and Cohesion Cohesive devices Linking words Referencing words Paraphrasing Lexical resources Topic-related vocabulary Common words Collocations Word formation Grammatical range and accuracy Tenses Active and passive voice Subject-verb agreement Conditionals Modal verbs Sentence structures Prepositions Articles Essay organization Body-paragraph organization Essay types Argument essays Discussion essays Causes-effects essays Causes-solutions essays Advantages-disadvantages essays Double-question essays Essential to note Introduction “The easy way to IELTS writing” is a reference book mainly designed to target the notorious challenges in the IELTS writing test.
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System, a language proficiency test required by all universities and colleges worldwide. For most IELTS candidates, writing is by far the most formidable section to tackle. The main reason for this is that the IELTS writing test requires specific academic structures and approaches with which many candidates are not familiar. This reference book focuses on both IELTS writing tasks and aims to help higher-achiever candidates master their writing skills and feel confident to write about any topic and stand out with triumph through practical and comprehensive sample writings and examples.
“The easy way to IELTS writing” is the result of 20 years of devotion to teaching ESL and IELTS preparation courses. This compilation of knowledge and experience originates from an extensive focus on developing a well-built curriculum based on a great deal of research conducted on standard IELTS books and test requirements. This IELTS curriculum has helped many brilliant students improve their IELTS writing skills and achieve high overall scores for over a decade. Writing is renowned for being a challenging skill to advance for many IELTS candidates; however, following impactful instructions provided in this book will equip them for the exam, qualifying them to further their academic goals at highly reputable educational institutes internationally.
Adhering to the test requirements, writing tools, tips, and techniques taught in-depth through sample writings in this book will undoubtedly support diligent and ambitious candidates to obtain their dream IELTS writing scores. Not being familiar with the required structures, organization, and paragraphing are only a few primary reasons preventing IELTS candidates from achieving the writing scores they deserve. This book walks you through a smooth path to get acquainted with various practical methods to approach different types of questions for task 1 and task 2 in the IELTS test. Pivotal grammatical points and lexis you need to focus on to reach your goals are all addressed in this book through simple examples and sample writings, all created by myself.
This book will prepare you to communicate your thoughts in the written word with confidence. “The easy way to IELTS writing” is a token of my appreciation to all supportive individuals who have encouraged me to push my boundaries to attain higher objectives. I hope my efforts would shed light on the path for those who are determined to learn and practice how to write flawlessly for the IELTS test. Prosperity is the definite outcome of perspiration.
With warmest regards, Arghavan Ghajar The IELTS Test IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System used globally for various purposes. The test evaluates candidates’ English proficiency level regarding the receptive skills of reading and listening and the productive skills of speaking and writing. There are two modules in the IELTS test: Academic and general. The listening and speaking parts are identical for both modules; however, reading and writing portray the two modules’ main differences.
This book focuses on the writing skill for the academic module. In this module, the writing section consists of two tasks: task 1 is a short report on a graph or a diagram of some kind, and task 2 is an essay. This reference book reviews both tasks and their requirements. Writing Task 1 Differences between academic and general modules As mentioned above, one of the main differences between the “Academic” and the “General module” of the IELTS test falls on writing, especially task 1.
In the “Academic module,” candidates require to write a short report on a line graph, a bar chart, a table, a pie chart, a diagram, a flowchart, or a map for task 1, while in the “General module,” candidates write a letter, which can be formal, semi-formal, or informal. The academic module In the academic module, candidates need to develop a minimum 150-word report on graphs, charts, diagrams, or maps, and there is no upper word limit. I have categorized them under three different groups based on their similarities in organizing the given information and the range of required language and focal grammar. This categorization makes them easy to comprehend.
Following the defined structures based on the IELTS writing band descriptors, which will be explained shortly, gives birth to the ultimate organization and coherence, leading to clarity in transitioning numbers, figures, and trends into written language. This task will assess candidates’ ability to describe the main features of a chart, a graph, or a diagram in a comparative and or descriptive style using specific vocabulary. Task 1 comprises around 35% of the overall writing score, and as it is a short writing, it takes up approximately 20 minutes of the total 1-hour writing time. Task 1 categorization The three groups of academic writing tasks go as follows: 1.
Line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, and tables 2. Diagrams and flowcharts 3. Maps In the following pages, there are some samples for each category focusing on their major and specific features. Note that these designed samples are quite simple as my main intention for creating them is to show how to structure and organize them.
They also show how to use the required language in describing trends and figures effectively. However, candidates may face more detailed tasks on the official IELTS test, but this should not impact paragraphing or any other writing aspects. Line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, and tables As depicted below, in a line graph, trends are shown using lines, and in a bar chart, trends are compared using bars. In a pie chart, trends are given in percentages, while in a table, trends are the given numbers for each category.
As mentioned earlier, these four possible questions for writing task 1 share quite a lot of similarities. Consequently, we take corresponding steps in describing them. Among these categories, “line graphs” are the easiest to describe as upward and downward trends with their fluctuations, and plateaus are clearly shown using lines. However, these trends and their changes are more subtle in bar charts, tables, and pie charts, where changes in trends are shown differently.
Understanding trends In writing task 1, it is crucial to understand trends and figures and how they change over a period to describe them using specific lexis for a high band score regarding vocabulary. The following pages focus on different trends, possible movements, and essential vocabulary in describing them. Upward trends Upward movements show an increase in a number, a rate, or a percentage in a specific timeline. There is a wide diversity of nouns, verbs, and phrases to describe these trends.
Nouns to describe upward trends: An increase/a rise/a growth/a raise/a climb/an upward movement/a surge Verbs and phrases to describe upward trends: Increase(d)/rise(rose)/*was raised/Go (went) up/grow (grew)/has (had) a growth/climb(ed)/surge(d)/(sky) rocket(ed)/soar(ed) *Note that the verb “raise” is used in the passive voice in task 1. The figure has had an increase of approximately 10% since 2012. The interest rate was raised by 2% over the decade. Downward trends Downward movements indicate a decline in a number or figure.
There is a list of words to describe these trends. Nouns to describe downward trends: A decline/a fall/a drop/a decrease/a downward movement/a reduction/a dip/a half Verbs and phrases to describe downward trends: Decline(d)/fall (fell)/drop(ped)/decrease(d)/had a downward movement/plummet(ed)/go (went) down/*was reduced/plunge(d)/dip(ped)/halve(d) *Note that the verb “reduce” is used in the passive voice in task 1. The crime rate was reduced by 5% over the period. The number of cars declined sharply to just above 20% in 2008.
Peak/the highest point Some trends show how a number or percentage reaches the highest point over a period; these points are known as peaks. There is a variety of options when it comes to describing them. Nouns, verbs, and phrases to describe a peak: A peak/peak(ed)/reach(ed) a peak/reach(ed) the highest point/climb(ed) to a peak/come(came) first/had a peak/went up to a peak For example 1. The figure reached its highest point with 64% in 2000.
The number of married couples peaked at 78000 in 1980. Period of stability A period of stability happens when there is no change in a figure or amount over a period. Using a variety of words and phrases would help avoid repetition. Nouns, verbs, and phrases to describe a period of stability: A period of stability/a period of no changes/It did not change.
/stabilize(d)/reach(ed) a period of stability/It did not move. /It shows/(ed) stability. /It remain(ed) stable. /remain(ed) steady /maintain(ed) the same level For example 1.
The trend witnessed a period of stability until 1996. The number of people traveling by car maintained the same level at 200 million from 1998 to 2002. Trough/the lowest point A trough happens when a number, an amount, or a trend goes down to reach its lowest point. Nouns, verbs, and phrases to describe a trough: A trough/the lowest point/It hit the lowest point.
/It reached a trough. The figure had a sharp fall to hit the lowest point, with 32% in 1879. The trend for overseas students reached a trough in 2010. Fluctuation Whenever a number or a figure keeps changing and goes up and down, it fluctuates.
Nouns, verbs, and phrases to describe a fluctuation: A fluctuation/a variation/fluctuate(d)/vary (varied)/It showed changes. /change(d)/It was unstable. /It had a period of instability. /oscillate(d)/oscillation(s) For example 1.
The interest rate oscillated wildly over the given period. The trend for college graduates fluctuated marginally for the past three years. Plateau Plateaus occur when a number stops going up or down and stabilizes for a while. There are some ways to describe these movements.
Nouns, verbs, and phrases to describe a plateau: A plateau/Plateau(ed)/reached a plateau/levelled off/levelled out/flatten(ed) out For example 1. The figure reached a plateau before going down considerably in 2000. The amount of electricity consumption leveled out at around 35% at the end of the period. Adjectives and adverbs in describing trends In writing task 1, using adjectives and adverbs in describing trends plays a fundamental role.