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Writing
correction
How to answer IELTS Academic Writing task
1?
IELTS
vocabulary
In this lesson we're going to learn
Writing how to give a band 9 answer for
Speaking IELTS Academic Writing task 1.

To get the highest score, you should

Maximize
your score! follow this answer structure:

1. Introduction
IELTS test
2. General overview
samples
3. Specific features
Listening

Reading Now we'll consider each part of the answer. You can also watch a video
tutorial on how to answer IELTS Academic Writing task 1:
Writing

Speaking
IELTS Writing task 1: line graph

Speaking
simulator

As an example, let's take a look at the given topic:

The line graph below shows the household recycling rates in three
different countries between 2005 and 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main
features, and make comparisons where relevant.
1. Introduction
The first paragraph you need to write is your introduction. For the introduction you
need simply to paraphrase the information from your topic (make sure that
you mention what your graph shows and for what period of time). It shouldn't be
longer that 2 sentences.

Learn more strategies to write a task 1

introduction.

And this is a possible way to write your introduction:

The line graph illustrates the regional household recycling

rates in the UK, France and Germany from 2005 to 2015.

2. Overview
When giving a general overview, you shouldn’t state any specific details, you
should simply write what’s happening on the graph overall.

It's a good technique to write 'Overall,' before giving an overview.

In this example it could be done as follows:

Overall, the recycling rates of the UK and Germany

showed a steady but significant rise over the period, while
the percentage of recycled waste in France experienced a
downward trend.

Basically, you’re saying that UK and Germany’s rates ↑ , France’s rates ↓ . It's very
important to give an overview, your essay will score much lower without it!

3. Specific features
After you've given the overview, you should group data by some feature and give
specific details. In this line graph you can group data in two ways:
 a. by country

Describe each country’s recycling rates in a separate paragraph

b. by similar trend

As you can see, the UK and Germany followed a similar trend: their recycling
rates were increasing throughout the period, while recycling rates of France
experienced a fall.
So you can describe an “increase pattern” in the first paragraph and a
“decrease pattern” in the second paragraph.

The last option is better. Here's an example of providing specific data:

In 2005 the recycling rates of the UK and Germany were

nearly 35% and 20% respectively. Germany's rate
increased sharply throughout the period, exceeding
France's rate in 2009 and reaching almost 60% in the end
of the period. In the meantime, the percentage of
recycled waste in the UK grew to 40% in 2007, and then
remained steady until 2009. During 2009-2011 it
experienced a rapid surge to more than 50% and
continued with a gradual increase to 60% in 2015.

In early 2005 the recycling rate of France (50%) was the

highest among these three countries. However, it
dramatically declined to 30% in 2013. Then, there was a
growth of 10% in 2015, but France's recycling rate was
the lowest in the end of the period.

And don't forget that you should never write a conclusion in Writing task 1
as you're not giving your opinion, you're just describing the data.

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 Listening Reading Writing Speaking Exercises

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Writing
correction
IELTS Academic task 1
Lesson 1: how to write introduction?
IELTS
vocabulary
You should start your task 1 answer by
Writing introducing the graph from your
Speaking question. Just write 1-2 sentences to
say what your graph shows and for
Maximize what period of time (if there is one).
your score!
To do this, you need to paraphrase text

IELTS test
from your task 1 question.  
samples
Example of good introduction:
Listening

Reading Question:
The graphs below give information about computer ownership as a
Writing
percentage of the population between 2002 and 2010, and by level of
Speaking
education for the years 2002 and 2010.

Speaking Introduction:
simulator
The bar charts show data about computer
ownership, with a further classification by level of
education, from 2002 to 2010.

To write a good introduction, follow these techniques:

1. Change introductory expressions

the graph/chart/table/diagram

gives information about/on

provides information about/on
shows
illustrates
represents
depicts
gives reason why (only if graph provides reasons for smth)
explains why (only if graph provides explanation for smth)
compares (only if several items are compared)

Attention with word compare! You can say:

 compares smth in terms of smth
the charts compare two cities in terms of the
number of employed people.

compares smth in year1 and year2

the graph compares the population in 2000 and
2013.

Examples:

“The pie charts provide information on the proportion of males and females
working in agricultural sector.” OR “The pie charts show the proportion of
males and females working in agricultural sector.”
“The table compares five companies in terms of the number of employees.”
OR “The table illustrates the number of employees in five companies.”

2. Paraphrasing

You can rewrite a phrase by using the word how:

shows the number of people ... = shows how many people ...
depicts changes in spending on ... = depicts how much changed spending
on ...

You can rewrite a phrase by using synonyms:

number of = quantity of (not interchangeable with amount of)

spending = expenditure
rate = percentage
ratio = proportion
information = data
change can be sometimes replaced by increase, decrease or variation
share = portion
place = site

3. Time periods

from 1985 to 1995 = between 1985 and 1995

in 1985 = in the year 1985
in 1985 and 1995 = in 1985 and 1995 respectively = in the years 1985
and 1995

Examples:

The table shows consumption rates from 2001 to

2004.

The graph shows consumption rates in 2012 and

2015 respectively.
Paraphrasing in use:

See how the topic was paraphrased to

make a very good task 1 introduction
(picture on the right).

What was changed:

Show is changed to compare

Percentages added
Different added
In 2007 and 2009 → In the years
2007 and 2009

As you see, you don't have to make up a completely new introduction. Just take
the given topic as a base, and change/add some details.

Practice. Choose the correct options:

1. The table shows the amount of students who study abroad in 2001 and
2011.
The table shows the number of students who study abroad in 2001 and
2011.
Show hint

2. The graph illustrate China's annual growth rate of exports of goods.

The graph illustrates China's annual growth rate of exports of goods.
Show hint

3. The line graph shows how many Finnish people went to the cinema between
June and October 2014.
The line graph shows how much Finnish people went to the cinema between
June and October 2014.
Show hint

4. The pie charts compare the world population of 1900 with 2000.
The pie charts compare the world population in 1900 and 2000.
Show hint

5. The bar chart gives information about average household expenditure in

Japan.
The bar chart shows information about average household expenditure in
Japan.
Show hint
Check    

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 Listening Reading Writing Speaking Exercises

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Writing
correction
Answering IELTS writing task 1: bar chart
IELTS In this lesson we’re going to learn how
vocabulary
to tackle bar charts in IELTS Writing
Writing task 1 questions to get the highest
Speaking score. To get a band 9 in IELTS Writing
task 1, you should follow this answer
Maximize structure:
your score!
1. Introduction

IELTS test
2. General overview
samples 3. Specific features

Listening
Let’s look in detail how to apply this structure to an IELTS bar chart
Reading question.
Writing

Speaking

IELTS bar chart Question:

Speaking
simulator
The bar chart shows the divorce rates in two European countries
from 2011 to 2015.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main

features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You can watch a video tutorial on how to describe bar charts in IELTS Academic
Writing task 1:
 IELTS Writing task 1: Bar chart lesson

And now let's learn how to answer IELTS bar chart questions.

IELTS bar chart answering strategy:

1. Introduction

You should start your answer by writing an introduction. The introduction is 1

or 2 sentences, where you paraphrase the information from your question. You
should mention two things in your introduction:

what your graph shows

for what period of time

In our example, the introduction can look like this:

The bar chart provides information about the percentages

of divorces in Finland and Sweden between 2011 and
2015.

See how I used synonyms to paraphrase the question:

shows → provides information about

divorce rates → percentages of divorces
two European countries → Finland and Sweden (it’s good to be more specific)
from 2011 to 2015 → between 2011 and 2015.

2. General Overview

The second paragraph of your answer is a general overview, where you

briefly describe major trends on your graph. Ideally, you should describe 2-4 key
features.

To make major trends easier to notice, you can outline Sweden’s bars and
Finland’s bars like this:
Now it’s obvious that:

Sweden experienced a downward trend

Finland experienced an upward trend
both countries showed fluctuations
Initially Finland had a lower rate, but in 2015 Finland outraced Sweden

Use word overall to start your general overview. In our case, the overview may
look as follows:

Overall, Sweden experienced a downward trend, while

Finland showed an upward trend throughout the period.
Both countries’ divorce rates had some fluctuations.
Although Finland initially had a lower rate, it outraced
Sweden at the end of the period.

3. Specific details

After we’ve written the introduction and general overview, it’s time to
give the specific details. You should describe the specific features in 2 or 3
(sometimes more) paragraphs.

You can group data in such way:

Details about Sweden

Details about Finland

When you have two countries (or two cities or any other two things depicted on
the graph), the simplest way of grouping data - is to describe each country’s trend
in a separate paragraph.

When giving specific features, you have to write exact numbers/percentages and
include as much details as you can.

In our case, the specific details may look as follows:

Sweden’s divorce rate was about 45% in 2011, being

higher than Finland’s rate by approximately 8%. Then, it
rose to almost fifty percent in 2012. However, the figure
showed a gradual decrease to about 47% in 2013, and
 continued to decline steadily to the end of the period,
reaching around 45% in 2014 and hitting a low-point of
about 37% in 2015. 
 
Percentage of divorces in Finland was less than 40% in
2011, and it decreased in 2012, when about one third of
marriages in Finland ended with a divorce (as opposed to
almost a half in Sweden). However, the figure
experienced a steady growth during the next two years. It
rose to approximately 39% in 2013, then increased by
around 3% in 2014, and remained steady for the next
year, outracing the rate of Sweden.

Tips:

When analyzing a bar-chart, we cannot always give exact details (due to

inaccuracies of the chart), so use words around, about and approximately
when giving inexact data.
Give data for each year shown on the chart

The full answer + Practice

It’s the end, we have finally written the answer for IELTS bar chart question. And
now, let’s practice: fill in the gaps in this answer with appropriate words.

The provides about the

percentages of divorces in Finland and Sweden between
2011 and 2015.

, Sweden experienced a downward trend,

while Finland showed an trend throughout
the period. Both countries’ divorce rates had some
fluctuations. Although Finland initially had a lower rate, it
Sweden at the end of the period.

Sweden’s divorce rate was about 45% in 2011, being

higher than Finland’s rate by approximately 8%. Then, it
rose to fifty percent in 2012. However, the
figure showed a gradual decrease to about 47% in 2013,
and continued to decline steadily to the end of the period,
reaching around 45% in 2014 and hitting a of
about 37% in 2015.

Percentage of divorces in Finland was than

40% in 2011, and it decreased in 2012, when about one
third of marriages in Finland ended with a divorce (as
to almost a half in Sweden). However, the
figure experienced a steady growth during the next two
 years. It rose to approximately 39% in 2013, then
increased by around 3% in 2014, and remained steady
for the next year, outracing the rate of Sweden.

(190 words)

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 Listening Reading Writing Speaking Exercises

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Writing
correction
IELTS Writing task 1: describing a diagram
IELTS In this lesson you will learn how to
vocabulary
describe a diagram in IELTS Writing
Writing task 1.
Speaking
We will deal with a process diagram.
Although diagrams are not very common
Maximize
your score! in IELTS, they do appear in Writing and
are very different from other types of

IELTS test
graphs you can get. So it's a good idea to
samples learn how to structure your answer when describing a diagram.

Listening
In this lesson you will:
Reading
See IELTS Writing digram question
Writing
Learn how to write a band 9 answer
Speaking
Learn useful vocabulary
See video tutorial
Speaking
simulator
As an example, let's take a look at the following question card:

The diagram illustrates how steel rods are manufactured in the

furniture industry.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main

features and make comparisons where relevant.
You can watch a video tutorial on how to describe diagrams in IELTS Academic
Writing task 1:

IELTS Writing task 1: describing a diagram

As it was explained the previous lesson, to get the highest score for the first task
in IELTS Writing, your answer should have the following structure:

1. Introduction
2. General overview
3. Specific features

Now we'll take a look at each part of the answer.

1. Introduction
The first paragraph of your answer should be an introduction. For the introduction,
you need to paraphrase the topic in your own words. It shouldn't be longer that
2 sentences.

Learn more strategies to write a task 1

introduction.
And this is a possible way to write your introduction:

The diagram explains the way in which steel rods are

produced for the furniture industry.

You could also write the introduction in another way:

The diagram shows the process of metal rods production

for the furniture industry.

In fact, there are plenty of ways to write your introduction. Just keep in mind that
you should use synonyms and paraphrase the topic from your question card.

2. Overview
After the introduction, you should give a general overview to summarize what’s
going on in the diagram. Unlike line graphs, pie charts and bar charts, diagrams
have no general trends or key changes to identify. So, in the overview paragraph
you need to write:

1. how the process begins and ends

2. the number of stages

If the diagram has loops or repeating stages, or your process is cyclic - write that
in your overview too!

Here is a good way to write a general overview:

Overall, the process consists of eleven stages, beginning

with the raw material and ending up with the product’s
inspection.

Always use word overall to start your overview. This way you will indicate the
examiner that you’re describing general trends.

3. Specific features
After you've given the overview, you should write about specific details of your
diagram. To do that, you need to describe each stage of your process in detail.
Don't forget that you should provide information in a logical way!

This is a possible way of describing the specific features of our diagram:

First of all, iron ore, yellow ore and carbon are collected
to serve as a raw material for steel rods manufacturing.
After that, the raw material is melted in a melting slit,
where it is heated to a temperature in range of 1300-
1500 °C. The melted mass is then transferred to a
 smelting cabin to undergo refinement. Next, the
candescent metal is put in a pouring machine and poured
into ingots.

In the next stage, the ingots are connected to a cooling

reservoir, where the temperature falls to 60-100 °C.
Metal goes through special nozzles and cools down,
forming strands. Following this, the metal strands
proceed to rollers that change their shape. Next, the
products are put into a heating machine, where they
undergo heat treatment. Subsequently, a measuring
automaton completes a surface check of the products.

After that, the metal rods are sized by special cutters and
get ID stamping. Finally, the products undergo inspection
and are ready for use.

Using connectors

Process is a series of changes that happen over time. That's why time
connectors are extremely important for writing about process diagrams. Use
these time connectors to describe specific features of your diagram:

first of all
firstly
to begin
after that
then
next
in the next stage
following this
subsequently
finally

Using additional information

Your diagram will often provide you some additional information and hints for most
stages of the process. Make sure that you use all that information while describing
specific features of your diagram!

However, sometimes you may see that some stage lacks information for
description. For example, we only know that the third stage of our process is called
refinement and it happens in a smelting cabin. But we don't know what exactly
happens during this stage.

In this case, you can use a verb to undergo. To undergo = to experience. For
example, you can write: "the material undergoes refinement in a smelting cabin".
And don't forget that you should NOT write a conclusion in Writing task 1 as
you're not giving your opinion, you're describing the data.

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 Listening Reading Writing Speaking Exercises

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Writing
correction
IELTS writing task 1: describing a pie chart
IELTS In this lesson we're going to learn how
vocabulary
to effectively describe a pie chart in
Writing IELTS Writing task 1. To get a band
Speaking 9 for your answer, you should follow
this answer structure:
Maximize
your score! 1. Introduction
2. General overview

IELTS test
3. Specific features
samples
Let's look in detail how to apply this structure to answer IELTS pie chart
Listening
question.
Reading

Writing

Speaking IELTS pie chart Question:

Speaking The two pie charts below show the percentages of industry
simulator
sectors' contribution to the economy of Turkey in 2000 and
2016.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main

features and make comparisons where relevant.
You can watch a video tutorial on how to describe pie charts in IELTS Academic
Writing task 1:

IELTS Writing task 1: Pie chart lesson

And now let's learn how to describe IELTS pie charts by doing this example.

IELTS pie chart answering strategy:

1. Introduction

The first paragraph you write is an introduction. The introduction is 1 or 2

sentences, where you introduce your chart. In the introduction you have to
paraphrase the information from your question and mention 2 important things:

what your graph shows

for what period of time

In our example, I wrote the introduction this way:

The two pie charts illustrate how different industry sectors

contributed to the economy of Turkey percentagewise in
the years 2000 and 2016.

So, I just took the information from the question card and paraphrased it in
such way:

show → illustrate
the percentages of industry sectors' contribution to the economy of Turkey →
how different industry sectors contributed to the economy of Turkey
percentagewise
in 2000 and 2016 → in the years 2000 and 2016.

pie charts = pie charts (don't change this!)

2. General Overview

The second paragraph of your answer is a general overview, where you

briefly describe 2-4 key features of your chart.
In our case there are two main options to describe key features:

a. find the biggest and smallest slices of each pie chart

b. find which slices became bigger/smaller or didn't change

Each option is fine, but don't write both of them because you have to keep your
overview short. I have chosen then first option. Let's look again at our pie charts
and identify the biggest/smallest slices:

Now include the information you've gathered from the chart into your overview.
Always start your general overview with the word overall:

Overall, at the beginning of the period construction

contributed the least to the economy of Turkey and
agriculture was the most significant economic sector. In
comparison, at the end of the period healthcare and
education became the largest economic segment and the
lowest contribution was made by financial, business and
other services.

3. Specific details

The last part of your answer is specific details. You should group the specific
details of your chart in 2 or 3 paragraphs.

You can group data in such way:

a. Sectors that had an increase (construction; trade utilities & transportation;

manufacturing; finance, business and other services)
b. Sectors that had a decrease or didn't change (agriculture; government;
leisure and hospitality; healthcare and education)

In our case, paragraphs with specific details may look as follows:

Construction sector accounted for 3% of Turkey's

economy in 2000, and experienced a more than threefold
increase to one-tenth in 2016. Economic income from
trade, utilities and transportation was 14% in 2000 and
experienced a slight growth of 2% in 2016. At the
 beginning of the period, manufacturing and finance,
business and other services made up 8% and 5% of
Turkey's economy, respectively, and these figures rose to
12% and 8% in 2016.

Agriculture, which comprised almost a quarter of Turkey's

economy in 2000, fell to 14% in 2016. In 2000 economic
outputs from government and leisure and hospitality
sectors were at 12% and 17%, respectively, and both
decreased by 3% after 16-year period. In contrast,
contribution from healthcare and education sector
remained constant in both years at 17%.

Useful vocabulary to write a percentage of a certain sector::

sector X was 3%
sector X made up 3%
sector X accounted for 3%
sector X comprised 3% of [the whole chart]

The full answer + Practice

It's the end, we have finally written the answer for IELTS bar chart question. And
now, let's practice: fill in the gaps in this answer with appropriate words.

The two illustrate how different industry

sectors contributed to the economy of Turkey
percentagewise in the years 2000 and 2016.

, at the beginning of the period construction

contributed the least to the economy of Turkey and
agriculture was the most significant economic sector. In
, at the end of the period healthcare and
education became the largest economic segment and the
lowest contribution was made by financial, business and
other services.

Construction sector accounted for 3% of Turkey's

economy in 2000, and experienced a more than
increase to one-tenth in 2016. Economic
income from trade, utilities and transportation was 14%
in 2000 and experienced a slight of 2% in
2016. At the beginning of the period, manufacturing and
finance, business and other services made up 8% and 5%
of Turkey's economy, respectively, and these figures rose
to 12% and 8% in 2016.
 Agriculture, which almost a quarter of
Turkey's economy in 2000, fell to 14% in 2016. In 2000
economic outputs from government and leisure and
hospitality sectors were at 12% and 17%, ,
and both decreased by 3% after 16-year period. In
contrast, contribution from healthcare and education
sector remained in both years at 17%.

(203 words)

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