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Test takers often struggle with deciding what to present and how to present it in an IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 response.
Today we will take a closer look at IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, task achievement, and the features you need to include in your response to get band 7 or above.
In IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, you will be shown a diagram, a visual way to represent information. You may be shown one or more than one diagram. This visual information can be shown as a:
Table
Chart
Diagram
Process
Graph
Map
You will also be given the following instructions:
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
You will need to do an information transfer task – the visual information you are given needs to be presented in the form of text.
As part of the task, you will need to:
Write an introduction
Write an overview (a summary of what you see)
Present and highlight the key features with figures (data)
Let’s take a closer look at the last three points – the introduction, the overview and the key features that need to be presented.
Write an introduction
The reason for an introduction is to tell the examiner what you are going to write about. It is basically the question paraphrased. For example, what the visual diagram is, the data source and when the data was collected.
The introduction:
Can be one sentence
Is the question rewritten into your own words (paraphrased)
Remember, if there are two diagrams in your task, you need to introduce both. This can be done in one or two sentences.
DO :
1.)Write a clear introduction to describe what you see.
2.) Paraphrase the question prompt. Use synonyms and phrases for non-key information. (E.g. unemployed = people who are unemployed / 1970-2000 = over three decades from 1970 to 2000.) 3.) Use keywords in your introduction (E.g. dates, times, countries, genders).
4.) Introduce all charts, diagrams or tables.
Never ever try to write :
Present irrelevant information (E.g. the x-axis, the y-axis, the grey line represents female unemployment, the black triangle is males)
Copy the question prompt word-for-word (E.g. phrases from the question)
Change the keywords in the question to inaccurate synonyms (E.g. unemployed females in Australia to unemployed girls in Oz.)
Let’s look at some sample introductions and see how you might introduce them if you apply the above tips.
TABLE : The table illustrates employment numbers in Australia over a thirty-year period from 1970 to 2000.ChartThe chart compares the number of cars that were made in France, Germany and Norway over a decade from 2000 to 2010.DiagramThe diagram shows how car parts are assembled.
PROCESS :The cycle shows how man-made fibres are produced.
Maps : The maps illustrate changes in an English village over a century from 1915 to 2015.
GRAPH : The graph presents data from Ireland showing cinema attendance in major cities in 2016.
Two charts :The pie charts show the main energy resources used to generate power in a town in Australia, while the table shows how much energy was consumed by the community in 1989.
The overview
The overview in your response should summarise what you see in the visual diagram. It should summarise the main:
Trends
Changes
Developments
Stages
Noticeable features
You need to present a clear overview to reach a band 7 and higher. Let’s take a closer look at the task achievement band descriptors to see how important a clear overview is in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1.
DO : Use linking words to summarise what you see. (E.g. Overall, To summarise, In summary)
DON'T : Include data or figures in your overview. Only include a summary of the main trends or features.
DO : Look for trends in the diagram(s). Is there an overall increase, decrease or fluctuation in the visual diagram? Are there any high or low points? Is it stable?
Don't :Identify everything in the overview. It should just be a summary statement of the most noticeable features in the diagram.If the visual diagram shows future predictions, summarise the future trends in your overview.
Don't :Highlight key features with data (figures).
Do :Highlight any change in the overall trend of the visual diagram. (For example, a dip)
If we apply the above tips, here are some examples of how an overview might look. Introduction | Overview TableThe table illustrates employment numbers in Australia over a thirty-year period from 1970 to 2000. Overall, it can be clearly seen that the numbers of people employed have increased over the period, whereas the unemployed figures have remained stable.
Chart : The chart compares the number of cars that were made in France, Germany and Norway over a decade from 2000 to 2010. In brief, Germany was the major producer of vehicles over this period followed by France and Norway.
Diagram:
The diagram shows how car parts are assembled. It can be seen that there are four main stages to car manufacturing. To be specific, these are moulding, machining, joining and shearing.
Process: The process shows how man-made fibres are produced. It can clearly be seen that there are six steps involved in the production of cloth starting with the raw materials and ending with the final product.
Map: The maps illustrate changes in an English village over a century from 1915 to 2015. In summary, in one hundred years, the village has experienced major changes transforming it from a small farming village to an industrial town.
Graph: The graph presents data from Ireland showing cinema attendance in major cities in 2016. To summarise, it can be seen that the younger age groups visit the cinema most, whereas older people rarely attend.
Two charts : The pie charts show the main energy resources used to generate power in a town in Australia, while the chart shows how much energy was consumed by the community in 1989. Overall, by looking at the charts it can be seen that oil is used the most as an energy source in this town and that most power is required for domestic cooling.
Key features
In your IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 response, you must present the key features and use data to support your description. The key features are the features that stand out the most in the diagram. For example, if a diagram shows 5 countries, then these 5 countries are the key features. If you miss a country, your description will be incomplete, and you will receive a band 4. If we look at the band descriptors below, you will notice that you need to clearly present all key features to achieve a band 7 or higher.
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