Easy Steps to Writing IELTS Tasks
Are you lost in the details when you try writing about graphs, charts, maps and process diagrams?
Do you go blank when composing letters for the IELTS general task?
Does the word “essay” make your knees shake and your mind shut down?
Well, relax! The “Three Easy Steps to Writing” series of blogs is here to help.
Academic Task 1 Reports
The key to responding successfully to academic task 1 visuals is to show that you get the big picture, so make sure you understand the general trends before you start writing anything else.
The examiner looks for this understanding in an overview, in fact, if you don’t include one, it's almost impossible to score above 5 for your task achievement (25% of your mark). You can see band score descriptors here .
For this reason, pause and think carefully about what you see.
Note: When you write your overview paragraph, think of summarizing - don’t bother with the specific details or data because you will present that information in the detail paragraphs (Step Two). Here are three more suggestions on how to create overviews for IELTS task 1 reports:
Understand what the examiner is looking for
Make notes before you write
Summarize the overall trends into a paragraph before you provide detail
There are certain kinds of details you should be looking for in the different types of graphics, I'm going to give you four different examples, with advice on what to look for, sample notes and model overviews.
For graphs and charts that show comparisons of data
When writing about graphs and charts that show comparisons of data at one moment in time, you should pay attention to:
exactly what is being compared
highs and lows or most and least
similarities and differences
anything that stands out as exceptional
Visuals that compare data over time
When writing about visuals that compare data over time, you should pay attention to:
changes from the beginning to the end of period - look at first and last years
increases and/or decreases
fluctuations over time, highs and lows/most and least
outstanding differences
Visuals that illustrate a process
When writing about visuals that illustrate a process, you should pay attention to:
number of stages
what is produced
materials that are used
beginning and end of the process
Visuals that map out changes over time
When writing about visuals that map out changes over time, you should pay attention to:
main changes that occur over the period
Here's a learning opportunity
You’ve seen how to write the overview, now in your next practice session for writing task 1, try using the tips above to give detail rich observations using data and specifics.