Contents About the Writing Test 4 How to use your 20 minutes 4 Points to Apply in Task 1, Report Writing 5 What does a good report look like? 6 Using the right tense is important 6 Different types of visuals 7 Describing trends, Language of change 8 Connecting trends 10 Using the right prepositions 12 Describing numbers, percentages & fractions 16 Describing Quantities 17 Varying your language 18 Using Simple Comparisons 19 The language for comparing 20 Other Important Language for Comparisons 21 Adding an explanation 22 Writing an introduction 23 Writing the General Overview Paragraph 26 Selecting Main Points 27 Writing an 'overview' not a conclusion 29 Writing Body Paragraphs 30 Writing just six sentences to include the details 31 Selecting details and grouping them 33 Including approximation 35 IELTS JOURNAL 2 Having a Task 1 checklist is important 36 Avoid common mistakes 36 Describing more than one chart 37 Describing Processes 39 Describing a map 42 Effective ways to prepare for Task 1 46 Good Sample Answers Worth Reading 47 Keep in touch! 104 Use this book together with the instagram page @ieltsjournal The instagram page contains lessons that show how to use the ideas from this book. You can keep in touch with the author there and ask your questions. IELTS JOURNAL 3 Academic Training Writing About the Writing Test The IELTS Academic Training Writing Test takes 60 minutes. You have to complete two writing tasks.
Task 1 • You have about 20 minutes • You must write a report of at least 150 words about some visual information, usually in the form of a graph or chart. You will need to pick out the main features and describe and compare the data given. • You are given a visual presentation which can be in form of a graph, diagram, bar chart, table, map or a process. You must write a report explaining the main features of the figure and make comparisons where relevant.
You must not include any personal opinion while you are explaining the figure. You just need to describe and report what you are given. How to use your 20 minutes You have 20 minutes for task 1, so try spending 5 minutes on each paragraph. This might help you to organize your time better.
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. IELTS JOURNAL 4 Points to Apply in Task 1, Report Writing The IELTS writing Task 1 academic is an information transfer task which requires you to write a fairly precise account of some information presented in graphic form such as a graph, table or some form of pictorial representation of data.
In order to complete the task successfully, follow these suggestions. • Introduction should describe the purpose of the report and say what the overall trends are. For example, if the graph is climbing up or dropping down, you should mention the change or the changes accurately and meaningfully. You need to remember that you are describing a graph to someone who does not see it, so your words must draw the picture.
Write what the graph is about, its dates and location as well as the right kind of measurements used. You must write in complete sentences. Notes are not acceptable. • Do not copy whole sentences or long phrases from the question.
The examiner will recognize them, and they will not count towards the minimum number of words you must write. • The overall trend or the general over view should sum up the global or the general trends shown in the figure and compare them if possible. Your personal opinion should not appear anywhere in the report. You should not include other information that does not appear in the figure or the chart since this kind of writing can and will probably be penalized.
• The body paragraphs should describe the most important features and trends, while all the information is summarized to avoid unnecessary details. When you are given too much information, you need to group them and select the most noticeable ones. For example, if there is a graph that has 2 peaks, you should mention them and tell when those peaks appeared and what the peak values are; however, if there are 5 similar trends, you need to group the information in order to avoid over length writing, which can lead to a waste of time. • Notice how many distinctive features the diagram or the graph has and divide them into paragraphs, one paragraph one set of features that is a group of similar trends.
You should also link the paragraphs by sentences that logically connect them to one another. • You need to write about all the periods of time and all the subjects of the graph or the figure. If it shows several years for example 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995, write about all of them. If it is about men and women, write about both genders.
Remember that summarizing does not mean throwing away information. The key here is to select what is important, organize it and make comparisons, which is describing both the similarities and the differences where relevant. • You may write your plans on the question sheet if, for example, you want to underline key words or to write notes and make comparisons. The examiner who marks your writing will not see the question sheet.
IELTS JOURNAL 5 What does a good report look like? A good report is always a complete and self-explanatory document. For this, repetition of facts, figures, information, conclusions and recommendation should be avoided. Report writing should be always complete and self-explanatory. It should give complete information to the readers in a precise manner.
When your Task 1 academic writing is graded by IELTS examiners, they look for this structure: • Introduction (including 1 or 2 sentences) • Overall view (including at least two important general points in 2 or 3 sentences) • Body paragraphs (including the details and the factual information presented in the figure as well as relevant comparisons in 6 or 7 sentences) Using the right tense is important The figures you need to write a report about always have a time stamp on them. The time stamp tells you whether the graph or the figure describes something that happened in the past or happens in the present or will happen in the future. So, you can see that using the right tense is important because it falls into the marking criterion of Grammar. On graph, chart, map, diagram or table and dates.
Examples • The rate of unemployment increased significantly between 2010 and 2012. (It happened in the past) • The figures for the electricity consumption show a rapid growth during the day time. (It happens in the present, generally) • It is predicted that the amount of air pollution will decrease by 5% within the next two years. (It will happen in the future) Note: When there is no time stamp that is a date or a time period as in some graphs or in processes, the present tense must be used.
IELTS JOURNAL 6 Different types of visuals IELTS JOURNAL 7 Describing trends, Language of change Below you can see a list of the most popular vocabulary used to describe trends. We use combinations of including common verbs, verb/adverbs and adjective/nouns to refer to changes in graphs. Trends Degree and speed Strong Verb Noun Adverb Adjective rise a rise dramatically dramatic increase an increase sharply sharp grow a growth enormously enormous climb a climb steeply steep boom a boom substantially substantial peak a peak considerably considerable go up N/A significantly significant rapidly rapid fall a fall moderately moderate decrease a decrease gradually gradual reduce a reduction slightly slight decline a decline minimally minimal dip a dip Weak go down N/A level out Figure 1: a leveling out not change no change remain stable (a period of) stability remain steady N/A stay constant N/A maintain the N/A '000 dollars same level stand steady N/A fluctuate a fluctuation oscillate an oscillation be volatile a period of volatility Figure 1 example sentences: ✓ GM car sales increased significantly from $5,000 to $105,000 between 1960 and 2010. ✓ There was a significant increase of $100,000 in GM car sales, from $5,000 to $105,000, between 1960 and 2010.
✓ GM car sales saw a significant growth in GM car sales, from $5,000 to $105,000, between 1960 and 2010. ✓ GM car sales registered a significant rise between 1960 and 2010. ✓ GM car sales reached a peak at $105,000 in 2010. ✓ GM car sales had an enormous climb of $100,000 between 1960 and 2010.
Note: Why is a ‘past tense’ used in the examples above? IELTS JOURNAL 8 Exercise 1: Look at the graphs below. Then describe the changes. A (Car sales in ‘000) B (Car sales) C (Car sales) D (Net users in ‘000) E (Net users) F (Net users) G (Cases of polio in ‘000) H (Cases of polio) I (Cases of polio) J (Radio listeners in ‘000) K (Radio listeners) L (Radio listeners) Note: Use a ‘future tense’ to describe changes in items J, K and L above. Example: It is predicted that the number of radio listeners will fall to 45,000 people in 2030.
IELTS JOURNAL 9 Connecting trends Similar or different trends Figure 1 (Addition) Figure 2 (Contrast) '000 Dollars '000 Dollars 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Figure 1 example: ✓ GM car sales increased gradually to $24,000 in 1980, and then it continued its upward trend in the next four years to reach a peak at $105,000 in 2010. Figure 2 example: ✓ There was a sharp increase in GM car sales between 1960 and 1990 until it reached a high of almost $95,000; however, sales began to decrease swiftly to under $65,000 in 2010. Exercise 2: Look at the graphs below. Then describe the changes trying to connect trends.
A (Net users in ‘000) B (Net users) C (Net users) D (Birds population in ‘000) E (Birds population) F (Birds population) IELTS JOURNAL 10 Exercise 3: First, label the graph using the words and phrases below. Then describe the changes and connect the trends where relevant. a period of instability 10. a period of slight volatility 4.
figures climbing back 14. figures remaining constant The number of XYZ radio station listeners since 1940 with projections until 2030 Thousand s Example (Numbers 1 & 5 above): ✓ There were mild fluctuations in the number of the XYZ radio station from 1980 to 2000, ranging between 11 and 35 listeners; however, the figures saw a partial growth over the next two years, reaching almost 25 thousand people. IELTS JOURNAL 11 Using the right prepositions While prepositions are limited in number, they are important because they act as vital markers to the structure of a sentence; they mark special relationships between persons, objects, and locations. It is important to use the right preposition when you are reporting the features and describing the numbers, prepositions like to, by, with and at when describing numbers and figures.
Here are some examples to give you a basic idea of the differences: 1. Use to when describing what happened to the number: In 2008, the rate of unemployment rose to 10%. Use by when describing the amount of change between two numbers: In 2009, the rate of unemployment fell by 2% (from 10% to 8%). Use with to give the idea of 'having' the number: He won the election with 52% of the vote.