Example IELTS ACADEMIC WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown in the graphics below. You should write at least 150 words.

Australias Education Services Exports

Australias Major Exports

As a percentage of total exports, 2007 Export Coal Iron ore Education services Tourism Gold Percentage share 9.5 7.5 5.6 5.4 5.2

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Example Essay

The bar chart, line graph, and table together illustrate the growth of Australias education services exports and their increasing importance in the Australian economy over the years 1983 to 2007. The annual percentage growth of the sector varied greatly over the period, being as low as 2.5% in one year and 6.5% in another but frequently rising above 25% and once touching 31%. Overall, the pattern was cyclical with pronounced peaks and troughs occurring every five to seven years. The trend line based on these annual figures stands at 9% in 1983, peaks at 18% in 1991 and then gradually falls off to about 12% in 2007. Over the same period, education services made spectacular progress in their share of Australian exports. In 1983, they accounted for only about 0.8% of the total whereas by 2007, this had grown to 5.6%, a seven-fold increase. Furthermore, in that year, education services were third in the league table of Australias exports. They were behind only coal and iron ore and actually ahead of tourism and gold. 174 words