Task1 IELTS compilation research

55
When looking at an IELTS writing task 1 chart question, you should ask yourself 10 quick questions before you write your answer. What kind of chart is it? (Line, pie, bar) What does the title say about the chart? (Read it carefully) What information is contained on both axes? What are the units of measurements? (Age, %, amount etc.) What groups are compared? What is the time period? (Past, present or future) What is the most obvious thing that the data shows you? (General increase or decrease?) What is the most important or significant piece of information displayed? Can any comparisons be made? (Between groups or charts if more than one) Is it a static chart or dynamic chart? (Static- one time period. Dynamic- over a period of time) 1. Marking Criteria There are four marking criteria for Task 1: Task Achievement Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy Each of these is worth 25% of your total mark. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what these phrases mean, I will go through each of them in more detail below and explain what they mean in simpler language. You can access the official marking criteria here . Task Achievement refers to your ability to answer the question properly. In order to do this you have to do all the things the question asks you to do and write a clear, well developed answer. You will get a higher score if you: Select the main/key features of the graph, chart, map or process. Write a clear overview that includes the main/key features (main trends, differences, stages etc.) of the graph, chart, map or process. Support them with accurate detail. Write at least 150 words. Coherence refers to your ability to connect your main ideas together so that they make sense and are easy to understand. This is mostly done at paragraph level. Are your paragraphs in a logical order? Is there one clear main idea in every paragraph? Is it easy to understand the main idea of each paragraph? You will get a higher score for coherence if you: Introduce your essay by paraphrasing the question in the first paragraph. Separate your ideas into paragraphs. Making it clear which paragraph is your overview. Having very clear ideas in your overview. Supporting the main points in your overview in separate paragraphs. Making it clear what each paragraph is about. Cohesion refers to the connection of ideas at sentence and paragraph level. Are your sentences and ideas linked together? You will get a higher score for cohesion if you: Use a range of linking words when appropriate.

description

Task1 IELTS compilation research

Transcript of Task1 IELTS compilation research

When looking at an IELTS writing task 1 chart question, you should ask yourself 10 quick questions before you write your answer. What kind of chart is it? (Line, pie, bar) What does the title say about the chart? (Read it carefully) What information is contained on both axes? What are the units of measurements? (Age, %, amount etc.) What groups are compared? What is the time period? (Past, present or future) What is the most obvious thing that the data shows you? (General increase or decrease?) What is the most important or significant piece of information displayed? Can any comparisons be made? (Between groups or charts if more than one) Is it a static chart or dynamic chart? (Static- one time period. Dynamic- over a period of time)

1. Marking CriteriaThere are four marking criteria for Task 1: Task Achievement Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and AccuracyEach of these is worth 25% of your total mark.Dont worry if you dont understand what these phrases mean, I will go through each of them in more detail below and explain what they mean in simpler language. You can access the official marking criteriahere.

Task Achievementrefers to your ability to answer the question properly. In order to do this you have to do all the things the question asks you to do and write a clear, well developed answer.You will get a higher score if you: Select the main/key features of the graph, chart, map or process. Write a clear overview that includes the main/key features (main trends, differences, stages etc.) of the graph, chart, map or process. Support them with accurate detail. Write at least 150 words.

Coherencerefers to your ability to connect your main ideas together so that they make sense and are easy to understand. This is mostly done at paragraph level. Are yourparagraphsin a logical order? Is there one clear main idea in everyparagraph? Is it easy to understand the main idea of each paragraph?You will get a higher score for coherenceif you: Introduce your essay by paraphrasing the question in the first paragraph. Separate your ideas into paragraphs. Makingit clear which paragraph is your overview. Having very clear ideas in your overview. Supporting themain points in your overview in separate paragraphs. Making it clear what each paragraph is about.

Cohesionrefers to the connection of ideas at sentence and paragraph level. Are your sentences and ideas linked together?You will get a higher score for cohesion if you: Use a range of linking words when appropriate. Use linking words accurately. Do notover-use linking words. Lexical resourcerefers to your ability to use vocabulary both accurately and appropriately.You will get a higher score for vocabularyif you: Paraphrase the question correctly. Vary your vocabulary using synonyms. Avoid vocabulary mistakes. Spell words correctly. Use appropriate vocabulary to describe trends, comparisons, stages, changes etc.

Grammatical Range and AccuracyThis refers to your ability to write sentences with no mistakes and also use a range of grammatical structures.You will get a higher score if you: Do not makeerrors. Use a range of appropriate tenses. Use a range of appropriate structures. Use both simple andcomplex sentences. Use correct punctuation.

2. Paraphrase QuestionNow that we know how the exam is marked we can give the examiners exactly what they want andprevent common mistakes that stop people getting a high score.Our very first sentence in Task 1 should always be a paraphrase of the question.Paraphrasingis when we rewrite phrase or sentence so that it has different words but keeps the same meaning. We cando this in a number of different ways, but the simplest way is to use synonyms.For example:

Question: The chart below shows the changes in three different areas of crime in Manchester city centrefrom 2003-2012.

Paraphrased: The line graph displaysalterations for burglary, car theft and robbery in the centre of Manchester between 2003 and 2012.

The synonyms we used:chartline graph

showsdisplays

changesalterations

different areas of crimeburglary, car theft and robbery

Manchester city centrethe centre of Manchester

frombetween

So with a few simple synonyms we have paraphrased the sentence and shown the examiner that we can use this skill effectivelyand that we have a wide ranging vocabulary, thus two big ticks towards a high score.This should be your very first paragraph and we should then skip a line to show the examiner that we are starting a new paragraph-the overview.

3. OverviewTheoverviewis the most important paragraph in the whole essay and it is impossible to get a high score if you dont write a good one.

The question for Academic Task 1is always the same. It states:Summarisethe information by selecting and reporting themain features, and make comparisons where relevant.

We therefore need to provide a short summary of the main features. You do this in the overview paragraph by picking out 3-4of the most significant things you can see and writing them in general terms. By general, I mean you do notsupport anything you see with data from the graph or chart, just write about what you can see at first glance.A problem students often have is limiting themselves to justthreeor four things. There is so much information and it can all seem relevant.

When things are complicated in the IELTS exam, think of a way to simplify them. To make this task easier, think about this way:if someone asked you to tell them three things and three things only about the graph what would they be?Thinking this way stops you looking at all the data and focuses your mind on picking out the most important points.

With line graphs we should look out for what happens generally between the start date and the end date.Lets look at our example again and pick out the main features.

If I had to say just three general things aboutthe graph above, they would be:1. Burglary decreases dramatically.2. Car theft increases steadily.3. Robbery remains steady throughout the period.

Thats it. You dont need to over-complicate it. Just find the three or four most obvious things and pick them out.We are now ready to take our three main features and add them to our overview paragraph. An overview paragraph should normally be 2 sentences and state the main features in general terms. Never support the main features with data in the overview. Dates are fine, but dont use any other numbers.Our overview paragraph will look like this:

The most noticeable trend is that burglary fell dramatically over the period. Car theft fluctuated until 2008, upon which it rose steadily; whereas the number of car thefts remained relatively stable between 2003 and 2012.

4. Support Overview with DetailWe reported three main features in the overview and now we must take each of those features and describe them in more detail.1. If we take robbery first we notice that it goes up a little first, then there is a big drop until 2008 when it goes up slightly and then remains steady.2. Car theft goes up and down slightly (fluctuates) until 2008, when it rises steadily.3. Robbery also fluctuates throughout the period but not by much. It rises slightly and drops, then remains steady for a number of years, before rising and falling slightly again.

Now that we have looked at these in more detail we need to put them into sentences.Robbery started atjust below three and a half thousand in 2003 and apart from a small rise of around five hundredoffences in 2004, fell drastically to just over one thousandincidents in 2008. 2009 saw a slight rise to just below fifteen hundred in 2009 and it remained in and around this figure until the end of the time period.From 2003 to 2008 the number of carthefts shifted between just belowtwo thousand five hundred and justover two thousand, before rising steadilyto nearly three thousandin 2013. Over the entire period robbery never rose above onethousand and did not go under five hundred.

5. Check Your WorkThefirst draftof our essay looks like this:The line graph displaysalterations for burglary, car theft and robbery in the centre of Manchester between 2003 and 2012.The most noticeable trend is that burglary fell dramatically over the period. Car theft fluctuated until 2008, upon which it rose steadily; whereas the number of car thefts remained relatively stable between 2003 and 2012.Robbery started atjust below three and a half thousand in 2003 and apart from a small rise of around five hundredoffences in 2004, fell drastically to just over one thousandincidents in 2008. 2009 saw a slight rise to just below fifteen hundred in 2009 and it remained in and around this figure until the end of the time period.From 2003 to 2008 the number of carthefts shifted between just belowtwo thousand five hundred and justover two thousand, before rising steadilyto nearly three thousandin 2013. Over the entire period robbery never rose above onethousand and did not go under five hundred.

We now should have a few minutes to check our work for mistakes and see if there are any improvements we could make. This is a crucial stage and you should aim to haveat least 3-4 minutes at the end to check and improve everything.When we check our work we should:1. Check spelling and punctuation2. Check verb tenses. Are they the correct tense?3. Check accuracy of the data used.4. Check vocabulary. Is there any repetition we could remove with synonyms?5. Check paragraphing.6. Check word limit. Over 150?You should write your answer in pencil so you can make quick alterations.

This means that to get at least a 5 for task achievement we must give some kind of overview. If we do not give any overview we will always get below a 5. If we select the appropriate data to include in our overview we get a score of 6 and if it is clear we get a 7 for this part of the exam.If you know how to select the appropriate data and you practice writing a clear overview, then you are likely to get the score you deserve in this section.What is an overview?To understand this we must look at the question. The question for academic task one is always the same:Summarisethe information by selecting and reporting themain features, and make comparisons where relevant.We therefore need to provide a short summary of the main features. You do this in the overview paragraph by picking out 3-4 of the most significant things you can see and writing them in general terms. By general, I mean you do notsupport anything you see with data from the graph or chart, just write about what you can see visually.Lets look at an example:

Overall, I notice that there are 7 regions.Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America make up the majority, with North America being the largest. Africa, India, Latin America and China make up a very small proportion.We can then include these things in an overview paragraph:

The pie chart is comprised of 7 regions in total with Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America making up the vast majority of global wealth. North America has the single biggest share and Africa, India, Latin America and China combined, only make upa small proportion.

As you can see, I have not talked about individual fractions or percentages, in fact I have not supported any of myfeatures with data. Instead, I have just reportedwhat I can see visually, without looking closely at the data. If you have to look at the data, then you probably wont write a good overview.

How do I select thecorrect features?To understand this we have to think about the different types of graphs and charts we might see. There are generally two different kinds of charts and graphs: dynamic and static.Dynamic charts show data over time and static charts show data at just one point in time. This will affect the type of data we select.Lets look at adynamic chart:

As you can see, the graph is dynamic because it shows data over a period of time. We should therefore look at the general trend over the time period.

First, we should look at what happened from the start (2011) to the end (2014). From the start to the end both lines increased. Then we should look at any other general trends for each of the two lines. We can see the blue line (women) goes up until 2013 and then does down a little. The green line (men) goes up slightly and then has a very large increase between 2012 and 2014.

These are the most striking or most obvious things we can see when first looking at the graph and these are perfect for our overview.

Lets put this information into a sentence:Over the entire time period the number ofmen and women reading books increased. Women saw a steady increase between 2011 and 2013 before declining in 2014,whilemen increased gradually at first before rocketing up in the last two years.When we are looking at dynamic graphs we should be looking out for: What does the data do from the start to the finish? Do they generally go up or down or do they fluctuate? Any significant difference from the general trend? Overall increase/decrease? Peaks/lows? No lets look at astaticchart:

This chart is different from the last one because there are no dates to look at; it is data from just one point in time. We can therefore not talk about general trends over time.Instead we are more concerned about comparing the data between the different sources. In this case, we will be comparing the data between countries.

The first thing I notice is that all countries are below 400k except two of them. Switzerland and Australia are the biggest and Singapore and the U.K. are the smallest. Switzerland has almost double the average. There isnt a significant amount of difference between the bottom 6 countries.

Lets try and turn the things Ive noticed above into an overview:

The graph compares eight countries with only a small amount of difference between the bottom 6. Australia and Switzerland have the highest average wealth,withSwitzerland averaging nearly doublethe value of the two bottom countries.

When we look at static graphs we should be looking for: What are the highest/lowest values? What are the most noticeabledifferences? Anysimilarities? Any significant exceptions?

Is there any specialgrammar?You should try and make a complex sentence by making a subordinate clause. Complex sentences are sentences with more than one clause and they help increase our marks in the grammatical range part of the marking criteria.You can easily make a subordinate clause structure in the overview by joining two pieces of information with the words while. although, with, even though, whereas or and. However, make sure you know the meaning of these words and how they are correctly used in a sentence.

How does an overview fit into the rest of my essay?The overview should be the second paragraph of a four paragraph structure:Paragraph 1- Paraphrase SentenceParagraph 2- OverviewParagraph 3- DetailsParagraph 4- DetailsI tell my students to write the overview before the details because it makes it clear to the examiner that you have identified the main features and it also helps you write the details paragraph. In the details paragraphs you will simply take the statements you made in the overview and support them with data.

Shouldnt I write a conclusion?No. Conclusions are really a summary of what you think or opinions. This is not an opinion essay and you therefore do not need to write a conclusion. Save your conclusions for task 2.

Paraphrasing is simply re-writing a phrase or sentence so that it has the same meaning, but with different words. Paraphrasing is one of the most important skills to learn before doing your IELTS test. It is most important for writing and speaking, but will also help you in the reading and listening tests. In other words, if you know how to paraphrase you are more likely to get the score you need.

The mental processes required to paraphrase will also help you to fully understand the question and this is one of the reasons I tell my students to begin all of their answers in the writing test by paraphrasing the question.Lets look at an example.

Example:Paraphrasing is one of the most important skills to learn before doing your IELTS test.Paraphrased:Prior to taking the IELTS test, mastering paraphrasing is one of the most crucial things to do.

As you can see, the second sentence (paraphrased sentence) uses synonyms to change some vocabulary (e.g., important for crucial and prior to before and changes the grammar (e.g., Paraphrasing is one of the most important skills for mastering paraphrasing). You can also change the word order.These are the three main methods you should use in the IELTS test to paraphrase sentences. Ideally, you should try to use all three but sometimes two will only be possible.We will now look at each method in detail and also have a look at the passive.

Method Number 1: Using SynonymsSynonyms are different words that have the same meaning. For example, humans is a synonym of people and attractive is a synonym of beautiful. This method simply replaces words with the same meaning in order to produce a new sentence.For example:My car needs petrol.My vehicle requires fuel.

As you can see, I have replaced 3 out of four words with synonyms to produce a new sentence, with the same meaning as the first one. You will notice that I didnt replace all of the words, but you should try to replace most of them.This is the most common method that students use and it can be used effectively, but you should be careful. The biggest mistake students make is trying to paraphrase and the word having asimilarmeaning, but not thesame meaning. Similar meanings are not good enough and will lose you marks. Lets look at some examples of poor paraphrasing because of using similar instead of the same meanings.

Violent crime is on the rise amongteenagers.Violent offences are rising amongyoung people.

This student has changed the word teenagers for young people. They are similar words and teenagers are of course young people; however children and young adults, aged between 18-30, could also be described as young people. A more term would be adolescents or young people between the ages of 13-19. A better way to paraphrase this sentence would therefore be:

Violent offences are rising amongadolescents.

You should therefore only use words you are 100% sure about. Dont change a word unless you are 100% sure that it is a direct synonym, otherwise you are likely to make mistakes and this will bring down your score.Lets look at another good example:

Global warming is mostly caused by emissions from internal combustion engines.Climate change is mainly caused by the release of fumes from motor vehicles.

Method Number 2: Change the Word OrderChanging the word order also allows us to effectively paraphrase a sentence, but again, we have to be careful. Dont change the word order without thinking about how this affects the grammar of the sentence. By changing the word order you may have to add a word, subtract a word or change the form of the word.The 100% rule applies again; dont change it if you are not 100% sure it is grammatically correct. Remember that you are being judged on your ability to produce error free sentences in the IELTS test as well as use a range of grammar structures.

Fortunately, there are two straightforward ways we can change the word order in most IELTS questions.

You can easily change the order of the clauses, if the original sentence has more than one clause.

Question:As languages such as Spanish, Chinese and English become more widely used, there is a fear that that many minority languages may die out.Paraphrased by changing word order:There is a fear that many minority languages may die out, as languages such as Spanish, Chinese and English become more widely used.

We could also add some synonyms to paraphrase it even more:Paraphrased with changing word orderANDsynonyms:There is dismay that many lesser used languages may pass away, as languages such as Chinese, English and Spanish become more broadly spoken.

You can also change the word order if there is an adjective or noun in the question. You do this by simply changing the adjective into a relative clause.

Question:Learning to manage money is one of the key aspects to adult life.Paraphrased using a relative clause:Learning to manage money is one of the aspects to adult life that is key.

Method Number 3: Change the Form of the WordThere are many different forms of words including nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.Changing the form of a word allows us to paraphrase effectively. Again, dont just change the form of the word; you also need to check that your changes make grammatical sense. You might need to change the words around it to make the sentence error free.

Question:Longer life spans and improvements in the health of older people suggest that people over the age of sixty-five can continue to live full and active lives.Paraphrased by changing word form:Longer life spans and improvements in the health of older peopleare suggestingthat people over the age of sixty-five can continuelivingfull and active lives.

Method Number 4: Change from Active to PassiveThe passive voice is often used in academic writing and can therefore be used in the IELTS academic writing test. Only verbs with an object can be turned into the passive.

Example active sentence:The property developers invested $20 million in the development of the shopping centre.Example passive sentence:$20 million was invested in the developments of shopping centre.

We often use the passive voice in academic writing when we dont want to say it is our opinion.

Example active:People say that global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels.Example passive:Global warming is said to be caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

How many of these methods should I use?The four methods can be used independently or together. I advise my students to try and change the grammar (word order and/or word form) and use synonyms. Remember only use the methods you feel 100% comfortable using and that you are sure your work is error free.In IELTS writing task 1 you may have to describe trends. This may come up in a line graph, bar chart or when comparing more than one chart.

There are two main grammatical structures we can use to describe trends.1. There + be + adj. + noun + in + noun phrase2. Example:There was a gradual rise in the price of oil.There has been a sharp drop in the price of oil.

Possible adjectives gradual moderate modest sharp dramatic slight steep steady significant considerable rapid

Possible nouns: variation decline decrease dip drop fall peak fluctuation growth increase rise slump0. 1. Noun phrase + verb + adverb

Example:The price of oil rose gradually.The price of oil has risen dramatically.

Possible verbs: rise jump grow climb increase rocket fall drop decline decrease go down plummet plungePossible adverbs: gradually moderately modestly sharply dramatically slightly steeply steadily significantly considerably rapidly slowly

Describing Increases and DecreasesWhen describing any of the charts in IELTS writing task 1, you might have to describe increases and decreases. There are three main ways you can describe increases and decreases.1. Noun phrase + verb + adverbExample:The price of property fell sharplyThe percentage of homes dropped dramatically.0. There + be + noun + in + noun phraseExample:There was a fall in literacy levels.There has been an increase in the cost of coffee.0. Using fractionsExample:The price of oilhalvedin less than a year.The price of oil havehalvedsince July.By July, the price of oil hashalved.Making ComparisonsIELTS writing task 1 will often require you to make comparisons between data sources, groups and times. Here are five grammatical structures you can use to make comparisons.1. More/few/less + noun + thanExample:Overall, more people preferred public transport than taxis.0. of one syllable -er + thanExample:A higher number for people preferred public transport than taxis.0. More/less + adj. of more than one syllable + thanExample:Taxis were more popular than public transport.0. of one syllable -est.Example:The highest % of commuters preferred taxis.0. The most/least + adj. of more than one syllable.Example:The least popular mode of transport was buses.

SummarisingIELTS writing task 1 is essentially a summarising task. Youroverview paragraphshould contain two or three sentences summarising the main features of the graph. In order to help you do this, here are some short phrases. To summarise, the most marked change is. Overall it is clear. Overall the majority/minority. In sum, the most noticeable trend is.Dont say to conclude. This is only for discursive essays.

TensesUsing the appropriate tenses in IELTS writing task 1 is essential if you want to get a high band score.The key is to look at the title of the chart and the information contained on both axes to establish what time frame is used. This will help you establish what tense you should use.Example: If the time is one point in the past, for example January 1990, then we should use thepast tense. If it has projections for the future, for example 2045, we usefuture tenses. It there is no time, we usepresent simple.Below are a range of tenses that could be used in task 1. Remember, the tense you use will depend on the information displayed in the graph. This is not a complete list of tenses and an awareness of all the English tenses will help you achieve the IELTS score you need.

1. Present Perfect:We use this tense generally to talk about an action that happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time period is not important.In writing task 1, we use this tense to talk about changes in data that have happened over a period of time.ExampleThe price of oil has fallen by $5 a barrel every week since July.0. Present Perfect ContinuousWe use this tense to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now.ExampleOil prices have been decreasing since July.0. Future PerfectWe use this tense to state that something will be finished by a particular time in the future.We often use it with by or in.ExampleThe price of oil will have reached $300 a barrel by 2020.0. Past SimpleUse this tense to talk about an action that started and finished at a specific time in the past.ExampleThe price of oil fell from $150 in Jan 2014 to $50 in Jan 2015.Approximations, Percentages and FractionsIn many of the IELTS writing task 1 questions you will have to deal with percentages. This is a good opportunity to express these percentages in a different way and boost your score. A way of varying this language is to express them as fractions or proportions.Remember that you should vary your language as much as possible in order to score high in the lexical resource part of the test.It is also fine to use approximations, for example, 49% can be expressed as nearly a half.Below are a range of expressions that can be used to express percentages.Fractions73%- nearly three quarters51%- just over a half49%- just under a half32%- nearly a third3%- a tiny fraction50%- exactly a half26%- roughly one quarter49%- around a half24%- almost a quarter77%- approximately three quartersProportions70%- a large proportion71%- a significant majority15% a small minority3%- an insignificant minorityDifferent Kinds of Map QuestionThere are three main types of map question:1. Describe one map in the present day.2. Describe two maps- one in the present and one in the future.3. Describe two maps- one in the past and one in the present.The first kind is very rare, as it only requires you to use the present simple and it is impossible for any comparisons to be made.The second kind does come up occasionally and would require you to use present and future tenses. This kind of question is normally about the future development of a town or city. It requires the same vocabulary as the other two.The third is the most common and will be the main focus of this post.You will normally be shown two maps, as above and asked to select and report the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. You will obviously be using both present and past tenses to describe the maps and how the town has developed.Also, as this is a man-made process we will use the passive.

StructureTo describe two maps I advise my students to follow a four paragraph structure.Paragraph 1-Paraphrase SentenceParaphrasequestion using synonyms.Paragraph 2- OverviewMake two general statements about the map. You should describe the maps generally and write about the most noticeable differences between the two maps. You could ask yourself the following questions to identify general changes. Is the map more or less residential? Is there more or less countryside? Are there more or less trees? Were the changes dramatic or negligible? Were there any major improvements in infrastructure? How have the buildings and leisure facilities changed?Paragraph 3- Main Body 1Three to four sentences about specific changes that have occurred.Paragraph 4- Main Body 2Further three to four sentences about specific changes that have occurred.You can group information together in paragraph 3 and 4 by time or location, depending on the question asked.Look at the sample answer below to see how I have used this structure.How to Describe Specific ChangesThe ability to describe change is crucial to answering these questions. The various buildings and features will normally be labelled for you. What you need to work on is how to write about how they have changed from the past up until the present day.Tip:You may be asked to describe your hometown in thespeaking test. Thevocabulary and grammarin this post should come in very useful.Below I will list various buildings and features and verbs we could describe their change.Buildings demolished, knocked-down, flattened, replaced, renovated, built, constructed, reconstructed, developed, extended, expanded, relocated, converted and modernized.Examples:The governmentdemolishedthe industrial estate anddevelopeda sports ground.Theyremovedthe shops andreplacedit with a skyscraper.A port wasconstructedat the edge of the river.The factory in the city centre wasdemolishedandrelocatedto the north of the city.The old warehouses werereplacedwith new hotels.The factory wasconvertedinto apartments.Tress and Forests-cleared, cut-down, chopped-down, removed, planted.Examples:The forest wascut-downandreplacedwith a shopping centre.The trees wereclearedtomake wayfor houses.Roads, bridges and railways lines-constructed, built, extended, expanded and removed.The main road wasextendedand a new bridgebuiltover the river.Leisure facilities-opened, set up, developed.Examples:A skate park wasset upnext to the swimming pool.A park wasdevelopedbeside the forest.How to Describe General ChangesAs this is an IELTS writing task 1 question we must write an overview and this is where we talk generally about the main changes that have occurred between the two maps.Below are some examples of general statements we could use to describe change in towns and cities.1. Over the period, the area witnessed dramatic changes.2. From 1995 to 2005, the city centre saw spectacular developments.3. The village changed considerable over the time period.4. During the 10 year period, the industrial area was totally transformed.5. Over the past 20 years, the residential area was totally reconstructed.6. Over the time period, the old docks were totally redeveloped.7. Between 1995 and 2005, the old houses were rebuilt.8. The central business district was completely modernised during the time period.Pick two or three of the most noticeable differences in the map and write a general statement for each. This will be your overview paragraph.The more specific changes should be included in your main body paragraphs.How to Describe LocationsYou will also be expected to describe where things are maps and describe where changes have occurred.You can use to the left and to the right, but a better way is to use north, south, east and west. I normally advise my students to draw the symbols on the question paper if they are not already there.Examples:The forestto thesouthof theriver was cut down.A golf course was constructedto thenorthof theairport.The housesin thesouth-westof thetown were demolished.The green fieldsto thenorth-westof thecity were redeveloped as a park.The airportin thecentreof thecity was relocatedto thenorth-east of the river.The schoolto thesouth-east was knocked down and a new one builtto theeastof theforest.Finally, you will also be expected to useprepositions of place, e.g. at/in/on/by/beside/to/off/from, to describe where things are.Examples:Dramatic changes took placeinthe city centre.To the south of the town, there is a golf course surroundedbytrees.A new school was built nexttothe swimming pool.The old road runningfromnorth to south was replaced by a new motorway.A marina was builtonthe banks of the river.Sample Answer

Both maps display an island, before and after it was developed for tourism.The island is approximately 250 metres long, has palm trees dotted around it, is surrounded by ocean and has a beach to the west. Over the period, the island was completely transformed with the addition of a hotel and a pier; however the eastern part of the island appears to have been left undeveloped.The most noticeable additions are the hotel rooms. 6 buildings, surrounding some trees, have been built in the west of the island and 9 buildings have been constructed in the centre of the island. Between the two accommodation areas, a reception building and a restaurant has been developed.A pier has also been built on the south coast of the island, allowing yachts access to the resort. Apart from the trees, the beach remains the only natural feature to remain relatively untouched; however it does appear that it is now used for swimming.A common question on the IELTS academic task 1 paperasks you to write about two different graphs.(Cambridge IELTS 8, page 30)For example, in the question above we are asked to summarise both a pie chart and a table. You could also be given a line graph and a bar chart, a pie chart and a line graph or any other combination. Students normally score lower on these types of questions, not because they are more difficult, but because they are unfamiliar with this type of question.This lesson will: discuss common problems suggest solutions to these problems give you a structurethat can be used again and again for these questions analyse a sample answerCommon ProblemsWriting too much-Because there is more than one data source, students tend to write about everything and this causes two problems. The first problem is you only have 20 minutes to answer task 1 questions and you therefore dont have time to write about everything. The second problem is thatthe question asks you to summarise and report the main features, therefore you have to pick only a few features and report them. In other words, if you write about everything, you have not answered the question properly.Solution Pick 2 of the most obvious features from each graph and limit yourself to writing about these things and these things only. Dont worry about leaving information out; the examiner will be actually looking for your ability to leave insignificant information out because this shows that you aresummarisingand only reporting themainfeatures. More on how to do this in the question analysis below.Cant find the main features This is related to the first point. As stated above you will be looking for just 2 features in each graph. It is often very difficult for students to decide which features are the most significant.Solution The first important points should be very visual. By that I mean, you should be able to identify them without looking at the data; just by looking at the graphs. Also, look for extremes (highs and lows), major trends, major changes (from beginning to end) and any obvious comparisons that can be made between either the two graphs or within the same graph.Remember that the most obvious things are the main features. The examiners are not trying to trick you and want you to tell them the very obvious things about the graph, so dont get too clever and try to find something less obvious.Not grouping information into paragraphs It is very important that you organise your ideas into paragraphs. Paragraphs should be logical and have one main idea. Lots of students fail to do this because they get confused between the multiple pieces of data in the question and group data from different graphs into one paragraph. This is very difficult to read and understand and you will lose marks if you do this.Solution Dont write about both graphs in one paragraph. Follow the structure I suggest below. Group ideas for each paragraph separately i.e. 1 paragraph for 1 graph.Making comparisons The question states make comparisons whererelevant. The keyword here is relevant and this is what tricks many students. Sometimes there will be a relevant comparison to make, but in some questions there will not. Some students see two different graphs and they assume that there must be a comparison. They then spend too long looking for a comparison and then write about one even if they dont find one.Solution If you dont notice a very obvious comparison between the two sources of data, then stop looking for one and dont write about one. It should also be noted that there may also be comparisons to be made between the data in thesamegraph.StructureThis structure can be used for every question in which you are given two different graphs.Paragraph 1Sentence 1- Paraphrase question sentences.There will normally be two question sentences and you should combine them into one sentence by using and or while. This will allow you to produce a complex sentence and gain points for grammatical range and accuracy.Paragraph 2Sentence 2-Overviewof two of the main features from graph number 1.Sentence 3- Overview of two of the main features from graph number 2.Sentence 4- Overview of any comparisons if necessary (optional).Paragraph 3Sentence 5- Details offirstmain feature of graph number1,Sentence 6- Details ofsecondmain feature of graph number1.Paragraph 4Sentence 7- Details offirstmain feature of graph number2.Sentence 8- Details ofsecondmain feature of graph number2.Sentence 9- Details of any comparisons (if any).So paragraph 2 should just be an overviewof the main features and should not include any details. The details come in paragraphs 3 and 4.Sample AnswerQuestion The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land become lesson productive. The table shows how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s. (graphs in picture above).AnswerThe pie graph displays the principalcauses why farming land deteriorates whilethe table illustrates how three regions of the planet were affected by these factors in the 1990s.As you can see all I have done is change the words in the questions using synonyms and then connected them using the word while.We can clearly see from the pie chart that there are three primary causes of farmland degradation, and over-grazing is the major one. The table shows that Europe had a far higher percentage of unproductive land compared tothe other two regions in this time period.For this paragraph I have picked out the main features from each graph and wrote them in a general way. Notice that I have not included any numbers. We will support our ideas with number in the next two paragraphs. Also, notice that I am using the present simple for the pie chart because there is no date and the past tense for the table because it was in the 1990s.The pie chart represents four causes, with over-grazing representing the biggest proportion at just over a third. Widespread clearing of treesand the over-use of crops constitute nearly one third and just over a quarter respectively.Here I have varied my language by using synonyms for the causes and proportions and fractions for the data.The table shows that nearly one quarter of Europes entire surface had fall victim to degeneration. Only a small proportion of North Americas total land became less productive at 5% and Oceania was marginally higher with a value of 13%.Different Types of Process QuestionThere are generally two different types of process question: natural and man-made.Natural processes include things like the life cycle of a butterfly or frog, pregnancy, the water cycle or how cows produce milk.Below is the process is photosynthesis:

You might also be asked to describe a man-made process like how coffee, tea, beer or wine are made, how cement or bricks are producedor how an ATM or the internet works. Below is the man-made process of nuclear power generation:

It does not matter if it is man-made or a natural process. The same skills and system we use to answer process questions is the same for both.Writing Task 1 Process Questions: 5 Step PlanTo understand the task and quickly make a plan to answer processquestions you should follow the 7 steps below:1. Understand the process. Find the start and the end of the process. Count how many stages there are and understand what each stage does and the relationship it has with the stage before and after it.2. Paraphrase the question.3. Describe what is happeninggenerally in 2 sentences. This is your overview paragraph and I will show you how to write this in more detail below.4. Divide the process in two and write two separate paragraphs detailing each stage of the process.5. Check your work.Understand theProcessOne of the most challenging things about these questions is having to write about something you have never seen or heard of before.Dont worry, try toremember two things.First, the examiner knows that you have probably never seen this process before and you have only 20 minutes to write about it. They do not expect a perfect answer. Just pick out the main features and report them accurately.Second, you can quickly understand any process by asking yourself these questions:1. Where does the process start and where does it end?2. How many stages are there?3. Is it a man-made process or natural process?4. Is it a cyclical (in a circle) or linear (one start point and one end point) process?5. Are there any materials that need to be added to the process?6. What is produced?7. What does each stage of the process do?8. What are the relationships between each stage?The processes you will be asked to write about in the IELTS test will not be very complicated and you should be able to easily answer all of the questions above. When you do this you will completely understand what is happening and you will be able to start writing your answer.Paraphrase the QuestionEvery process question follows the same format. First it tells you some general information about the process and then it instructsyou to Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features.For example, the question above states:The diagram below shows the process of photosynthesis. (General information)Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features. (Instructions)The first thing we need to do in every question is to paraphrase the general information.Paraphrasingis one of the most important IELTS skills to master. We paraphrase a sentence by rewriting it so that the words are different but the meaning stays the same. There are a few different ways we can do this but the easiest way is to use synonyms and change the word order of the sentence. Synonyms are different words that have the same meaning, for example, woman and female.Lets look at the questions above and paraphrase them.Question 1: The diagram below shows the process of photosynthesis.Paraphrased: The illustration demonstrates how plants produce energy from sunlight.Question 2: The diagram below shows how electricity is produced in a nuclear power station.Paraphrased: The illustration below show the process of how nuclear power plants make electricity.Every time you see an Academic Task 1 question rewrite the question and this should be your first paragraph. We can no move on and write our next paragraph; the overview.Overview of ProcessTheoverviewis probably the most important paragraph in the whole essay. If you do not write an overview it is extremelydifficult to get a high mark in IELTS Task 1, however, if you learn how to write a good one, you are far more likely to get the score you deserve.Overviews for process questions can be done quite easily by asking yourself a few questions. The answers to these questions will allow you to form 2 overview sentences.1. Is it a man-made or natural process?2. How many stages are there?3. What is produced?4. Where does it start and where does it end?5. Is it cyclical or linear?6. Are any materials added?You might not be able to answer all of these for each process question, but you will always be able to answer enough of them to be be able to write a good overview.Lets look at one of the previous examples:

1. Is it a man-made or natural process?Natural2. How many stages are there?Five3. What is produced?Sugar, oxygen and starch.4. Where does it start and where does it end?Starts with sun and end with production sugar, oxygen and starch.5. Is it cyclical or linear?Linear.6. Are any materials added?Sunlight, CO2 and water.We can then use this information to make two sentences:Photosynthesis is a natural linear process that starts with sunshine and carbon dioxide being absorbed and ends with the production of sugar, oxygen and starch. There are five main stages to this process and it allows plants to convert light energy to chemical energy in the form of sugar.Lets look at the other example:

1. Is it a man-made or natural process?Man-made2. How many stages are there?Six3. What is produced?Electricity4. Where does it start and where does it end?Starts with uranium fuel and ends with electricity being sent to the grid.5. Is it cyclical or linear?Linear6. Are any materials added?Water and uraniumThis is a man-made linear process that starts with the uranium fuel and water creating steam and ends withelectricitybeing sentto the grid.There are 6 main stages including steam production, turbines driving a generator and a transformer creating electricity.This system can be used for any process question and allows you to produce clear overviews each time. We can now move on to detailing each stage of the process in our next paragraphs.Detail Each Stage of the ProcessNow that we have paraphrased the question and provided an overview we need to tell the examiner about each stage in more detail.You can: say what each stage does what it produces if any materials are added and/or discuss the relationship with the previous or subsequent stages.Sequencing the ProcessTry to sequence your language and make your details easier to read by using language like: Firstly First of all Secondly After that From this Where Following that Subsequently Before that In turn ThenMake sure you know the meaning and grammar of the words and phrases above before you use them. Do not use them if you are not 100% sure about how they should be used in a sentence.ExamplesLets detail each stage for the first process:

First of all, chlorophyll allows the plant to take in sunlight along the green spectrum and the leaves also absorb carbon dioxide through openings in their surface. At the same time, water is sucked up through the roots and this is combined with CO2 and the suns raysto produce sugar that can be utilised by the plant for food.Oxygen and water are the byproducts of this chemical reaction and it isextracted through a process called transpiration. Water evaporates from the leaves and O2 is released. Any extra sugar is deposited in the roots as starch.You will notice that there are 2 separate paragraphs. I advise students to try and split the process in two and then write two paragraphs. Separating the process into 2 parts makes it easier to understand and easier to write about. Not all processes have two distinct parts but most of the IELTS questions I have seen can be treated in this way.We will now detail each stage of the next question:

First of all, uranium fuel creates heat in the steam generator and this water vapor flows through pipes to a turbine. The steam causes the turbine to spin and in turn powers a generator which subsequently creates electricity.After that, electricity from the generator is transferred to a transformer where the electric can be changed to a form that is ready to be sent to the grid to power homes and industry. Hot water makes its way to a cooling tower, condenses and then returns to the turbine or can flow into the cold water source.Check YourEssayYou should try to leave 3-4 minutes at the end to check and improve your work. Many students do not do this because they feel they do not have enough time, however, it is better to try and get everything done in 15 minutes and then check and refine your work, than do everything in 20 minutes.Things that you should check are:1. Are there any spelling or punctuation mistakes?2. Are the verbs the correct tense?3. Does the process I describe make sense? Does it match the diagram?4. Is there any vocabulary repetition we could remove with synonyms?5. Do I have 4 clear paragraphs.6. Did I write over 150 words?7. Have I included things only obviousfrom the diagram?8. Have I included the main features in the overview?Sample AnswersLook at both of the first drafts and comment below with any improvements you would make.First Draft of Process Question 1The illustration demonstrates how plants produce energy from sunlight.Photosynthesis is a natural linear process that starts with sunshine and carbon dioxide being absorbed and ends with the production of sugar, oxygen and starch. There are five main stages to this process and it allows plants to convert light energy to chemical energy in the form of sugar.First of all, chlorophyll allows the plant to take in sunlight along the green spectrum and the leaves also absorb carbon dioxide through openings in their surface. At the same time, water is sucked up through the roots and this is combined with CO2 and the suns raysto produce sugar that can be utilised by the plant for food.Oxygen and water are the byproducts of this chemical reaction and it isextracted through a process called transpiration. Water evaporates from the leaves and O2 is released. Any extra sugar is deposited in the roots as starch.First Draft of Process Question 2The illustration below show the process of how nuclear power plants make electricity.This is a man-made linear process that starts with the uranium fuel and water creating steam and ends withelectricitybeing sentto the grid.There are 6 main stages including steam production, turbines driving a generator and a transformer creating electricity.First of all, uranium fuel creates heat in the steam generator and this water vapor flows through pipes to a turbine. The steam causes the turbine to spin and in turn powers a generator which subsequently creates electricity.After that, electricity from the generator is transferred to a transformer where the electric can be changed to a form that is ready to be sent to the grid to power homes and industry. Hot water makes its way to a cooling tower, condenses and then returns to the turbine or can flow into the cold water source.Summary

Dos

1. Do find out what are your most common mistakes.Checking your work at the end is really important, but many students complain that they dont have time. You can make this process more efficient by checking your work when you practice and writing down your four or five common mistakes. After a while, you will get to know your more common mistakes and fix them quickly.You could also usegrammarchecking software likehttps://www.grammarly.com/to help you spot mistakes.0. Do read the instructions carefully.Seems like a very obvious one, but it is one of the most common mistakes students make in IELTS writing task 1.Take one minute to read the question a few times and really understand what it is asking you to do. Practice will also help you familiarise yourself with the different types of task 1 question and save you time in the exam.0. Do paraphrase the question.You will lose marks for copying the words in the answer and the examiner is looking to see if you canparaphrasethe question. To paraphrase, simply use synonyms to change keywords.Example:Question: The graph below gives information about cinema attendance in the UK between 1998 and the present, with projections to 2018.Paraphrased: The diagram shows data of movie-goers in the United Kingdom from 1998 until now, with forecasts up to 2018.As you can see, the meaning has not changed but the words have. This should be the first paragraph in your essay.0. Do use signposting language.These are words and phrases that tell the examiner what you are writing about. They are sometimes also called discourse markers.Examples include The graph/table/chart shows, The most significant change is., Another noticeable change/trend is., Overall.Remember that these should only be used appropriately.0. Do practice on IELTS answer sheets.Many students worry about not writing at least 150 words in IELTS writing part 1. A clever way to always know how many words you have is to practice on the official exam answer sheets and then you will be able to judge how much space you normally use for 150 words.A quick google search will help you find these.0. Do know how to describe change.You will pick up easy marks if you know how to accurately describe change. From very small to very large, here are some examples:Minimal-slight-gradual-moderate-considerable-significant-substantial-enormous-dramatic.You will normally have to describe change in your task 1 essay and these more advanced words will help you gain some valuable marks for lexical resource.0. Do spend time organising and planning your answer.This is one of the main differences between students who score well in IELTS writing and those who dont. It is never a waste of time to plan your answer as this will help you score well by giving a clear and coherent answer.Familiarise yourself with the different question types and then learn the different structures for each one. For example a bar chart should look like this:Paragraph 1- paraphrase question.Paragraph 2- overview.Paragraph 3- describe main feature in detail.Paragraph 4- describe another main feature in detail.When you have this structure in your head, you will be able to plan an effective answer quickly and easily.0. Practice writing overviews.Youroverviewis probably the most important paragraph in the whole essay. Write a good one and you are well on your way to getting a good band score.An overview is a summary of the main features shown in the diagram.Part of this is identifying the main trends in the diagram. For bar and line charts ask yourself what is increasing, what is decreasing and what is fluctuating? For processes ask yourself how many main stages there are and what are the main changes and outcomes?Remember that your overview should not include any numbers because you are just describing the most significant aspects in general terms, the detail comes in the next paragraphs.0. Do consider which tense you are going to use.Many IELTS candidates lose easy marks by only writing in the present tense. Ask yourself if any of the data is about the past or the future and change your tenses accordingly.0. Support your descriptions with accurate data.As stated before, you wont use any numbers in the overview section but you will have to use data to describe the main features in subsequent paragraphs. Make sure you choose the correct data and that it is accurate.Donts

1. Dont use the same words for percentages and numbers.For percentages use words like large/small/higher/lower percentage ofFor numbers use words like many/more/most/few and fewer.0. Dont give your opinion or speculate.IELTS task 1 is not a discursive essay; discursive essays are for task 2. Only write exactly what you see and dont try to give reasons for the data unless explicitly stated in the diagram. You will lose a lot of marks if you do this.You should also not add any new information or draw any conclusions from the data presented.For example, I had one student who was an engineer and was presented with a diagram of how a car engine works. He wrote a very detailed description of the process from his own knowledge. All of his information was correct but it was not shown in the diagram. He didnt achieve the score he should have because he made this error.Remember, give the IELTS examiners what they want and nothing else.0. Dont use bullet points, notes or abbreviations.Again, this might be fine in university essays but not in IELTS essays.0. Dont write every number or process you see.Many students do this and end up spending far too much time on task 1. Remember you will only be asked to write about the most significant features. For example, in a line graph or bar chart question you will only be expected to write about 2 or 3 things. Any more is a waste of time and you wont get any extra marks for writing about anything else.0. Dont copy words from the question or information from the diagram.If you do this examiners will not mark these words and it is therefore like writing nothing at all.To overcome this, familiarise yourself with the common vocabulary used in IELTS writing part 1 and learn synonyms for this information. Also use synonyms when practicing writing.See above for an example of how I used synonyms toparaphrasethe question.0. Dont overuse linking words or signposting language.Above I advised you to use these words but one problem students have is learning lots of linking words and then overusing them to show the examiner how good they are. Unfortunately, for those students you lose marks for overusing them.If you use around 6 of these words and phrases you will do fine. More than 8 and it looks like you are trying to insert them in without thinking if you are using them appropriately or not.0. Dont have messy handwriting.IELTS examiners will try their best to understand what you have written but sometimes the writing is so untidy that it is impossible to read. If your writing is like this the examiner will not be able to give you a mark for the words they cant read.Many of us rely on computers these days and some students dont realise how bad your handwriting is. Show some of your practice tests to a teacher or friend and ask their opinion. If they cant read it then an examiner wont be able to either.0. Dont use informal language.Remember this is an academic essay and you are expected to write in that style. Avoid phrasal verbs, slang and colloquial language.0. Dont just focus on line and bar graphs.These may have been popular in the past but it doesnt mean IELTS will continue to use them that often. We are seeing many more maps, pie charts and process diagrams these days.Many students overlook these kinds of questions and if you are well prepared for every type of question you will really stand out from the crowd.0. Dont panic!Many students open up the exam paper, see something they know nothing about and then panic.For example, I was teaching a class and the process diagram was about the production of chocolate. But, all I know about chocolate is how to eat it. cried most of my students. This is understandable but the IELTS writing tests are not knowledge tests, they are English tests. You are not expected to have knowledge of the diagram, just calmly write about what you see.An IELTS pie chart exerciseThis lesson shows you how to approach a pie chart for IELTS and focuses onorganising your answer logicallyseeing patternsusing numbersYou will also find a useful IELTS pie chart exercise at the end.

Step 1 see the big pictureBefore you start thinking about detail I suggest you look first for main points what I call the big picture. Why? Themain points help you structure your summary. I suggest that you typically want to write two body paragraphs. The question is how can you find two paragraphs that are logical. There are points for logical organisation.Ask yourself some simple questionsThe starting point is to ask simple questions. Sometimes it is easy to make things too complex. Its generally the simple things you need to include. These are the questions I would start with:How many items of expense were there?[You need to make sure you include all items and it may help to say how many there were]What was the biggest?[This is almost always important and will nearly always be the first thing you write about]What was the smallest?[This too almost always needs to be mentioned]Now try and identify patternsThis is the harder bit normally it may take a little practice to get right. The idea is togroup similar items togetherand not write a simple list. My suggestion in this case is just to start at the top and work you way down. How many groups do you see? There is not necessarily one correct answer here you just need to find a logical answer.Close MeI will emphasise that this may not be the only way to do it. You may for instance decide that site preparation belongs in its own category. All I will say is that it is logical and helps me write my summary.three large items security, staging of events and site preparationfour similar ones at around 1 billion pounds venue construction, Olympic village, park projects and transortone much smallerone the media centreHow to compare and contrast numbers in task 1Some of the most important language in task 1 is the compare and contrast vocabulary. This is because the instructions tell you tomake comparisons where relevantIf you want to score well, you need some different ways to compare and contrast. Here are some variations to help you out. It is not all aboutmoreandless.1. Comparisons between sentencesOne way to make comparisons is to start a new sentence with a word/phrase that shows that you are about to make a comparison with the previous sentence. The basic words you need here are:In contrastThe most popular form of holiday among the Welsh was self-catering with over 60% choosing to cook for themselves. In contrast, only 5 % of the English chose this form of vacation and hotel accommodation was much more popular at 48%.In comparisonAlmost 50% of the English, Scots and Northern Irish chose to stay in a hotel for their holiday. In comparison, staying in self-catering accommodation was much less popular with around 10% of people choosing this.HoweverThe general pattern was for hotel accommodation to be the most popular with around half the people choosing it. The majority of the Welsh, however, chose to stay in self-catering accommodation.On the other handIt is clear that a majority of the British chose to stay in hotel for their holiday. On the other hand, there was an exception to this because over 50% of the Welsh opted for self-catering accommodation.Note that we normally use a comma afterIn contrastandIn comparison.Note that there are lots of different ways to usecompareandcontrastand these are just the most basic examples. If you are looking for a higher band score, its good advice to learn different ways to use these words.Note too that typicallyhoweveris not used as the first word in a sentence.2. Comparisons within sentencesAnother possibility is to compare two pieces of information within the same sentence. The basic words you need here are:whileWhile there are 4 million miles of train lines in the UK, there are only 3 million in France.whereasWhereas the majority of the French prefer to travel to work by train, only a small minority of the British do.althoughAlthough 15% of the French read novels, only 5% of the British do.butAlmost 25% of French females study maths with a private tutor, but nearly 60% study English with one.3. Comparisons with more or less/fewerThis is another obvious way to make comparisons and contrasts. You should note though that you are normally going to compare numbers and nouns and not adjectives. You want to remember these two key bit of grammar:ThanRemember that aftermore/less/fewerwe usethan5% more girls chose to read books than go to cinema.Fewer/lessIf the word is uncountable we useless,if it is countable we usefewer:Fewer mobiles phones were bought in 2013 than 2014.Less oil was consumed in 2013 than 2014.4. Qualify your comparisons with much/far/slightly or a numberThis is similar. The idea here is that you still use less/more/fewer but this time you explain how much. Typically, the best way to do this is to use a number:Far fewer people chose to travel by train than by car.[Wheres the detail?]25% fewer people chose to travel by train than by car.[Better now we havedetail and notjust a comparison]5. Comparisons with most or least/fewestWhen you are looking for details to include, the highest/lowest number is almost always important. This too is a form of comparison.The most popular form of entertainment in the UK was going to the cinema.The least common form of transport was taking a taxi.6. Comparisons with similar or same or as..asDont forget that some of the numbers you will be comparing are similar. These are the basic words and structures you need.Similar (to)The percentage of females and males who studied languages at university were very similar.A similar amount of gas and electricity was used domestically in homes.The figures for 2012 were very similar to the figures for 2013.Same as asThe percentage of females who studied at university in 2011 was almost exactly the same as in 20127. Comparisons with differ/different/differenceIf something is similar, it can also be different! Here is another set of basic variations for you:The amount of time spent at home differed by almost 25% according togender.There was a difference of over 25% in the amount of time males and females spent at home.This figure was very different among males, only half of whom watched television.8. Comparisons with numbersAnother way to make comparisons is to do some simple arithmetic! Here are some simple variations:[5 million] more/less/fewer5 million fewer units of gas were sold in 2014.TwiceTwice as many people elected to use gas and not electricity for cooking[note thetwice as asstructure]Twice the amount of gas was used for cooking in this period.[note that we amount with uncountable nouns]Three/four etc timesFour times as many people chose to heat their house with electricity as with gas.HalfHalf the number of people chose to use gas as electricity.Electricity was half as popular as gas for cooking.The most basic trend vocabulary a few variationsLets look at this graph and see what words we need to describe it. Put simply we need language that describes up (2009 to 2010), down (2008 to 2009), up and down (between 2006 and 2009) no change (2006 and 2007) the top (2010)

The trend vocabulary I am going to suggest may seem very basic. It does, however, allow you to say the same thing in up to 6 different ways.Thats good.Tip: if you find yourself repeating a word, try changing the form of it from a verb to a nounYou should also note that, even with this basic language, there are a variety of grammar problems that cause many candidates problems. Thats bad.Up variations

Down variations

Up and downSometimes you need to describe a graph that goes up and then down. Here we have fewer options.

No change

Top

Preposition problem 1 by and toPrepositions are horrid in English. Have another look at the graph:Note how these two sentences mean exactly the same:The rate of unemployment roseto12% in 2010.The rate of unemployment roseby5% in 2010.Preposition problem 2 in and ofThis one is harder. We use in to describe changes in things and of to describe changes in number or amount. For example,There was a risein the rateof unemploymentThere wasa rise of 5% in the rate of unemployment.VerbsThese verbs are alternatives to the basic rise and fall vocabulary. One benefit of using them is that sometimes they help you avoid repeating too many numbers. If you have a strong verb, you dont always have to give the exact figure.Up verbs

Notes: Soar and rocket are both very strong words that describe large rises. Rocket is more sudden. You probably do not need to qualify these verbs with adverbs. Leap shows a large and sudden rise. Again, you probably do not need to qualify it with an adverb. Climb is a relatively neutral verb that can be used with the adverbs below.Down verbs

Notes: Plummet is the strongest word here. It means to fall very quickly and a long way. Drop and drop are normally used for fairly small decreases Slip back is used for falls that come after rises Drop and Dip are also frequently used as nouns: eg a slight dip a sudden dropAdjectives and adverbsThis is a selection of some of the most common adjectives and adverbs used for trend language. Please be careful. This is an area where it is possible to make low-level mistakes. Make sure that you use adjectives with nouns and adverbs with verbs: a significant rise correct (adjective/noun) rose significantly correct (adverb/verb) a significantly rise wrong wrong wrongPlease also note thespellingof the adverbs. There is a particular problem with the word dramatically: dramatically correct dramaticly wrong dramaticaly wrongAdjectives of degree

notes sudden and sharp can be used of relatively minor changes that happen quickly spectacular and dramatic are very strong words only to used to big, big, big changesSteady adjectives

Small adjectives

notes marginal is a particularly useful word for describing very small changesOther useful adjectivesThese adjectives can be used to describes more general trends

notes overall can be used to describe changes in trend over the whole period: very useful in introductions and conclusions upward and downward are adjectives: the adverbs are upwards and downwards

Analysing the key detailsDont look at the whole chart, look at the x axis and the y axis separatelyThe first step is to analyse the chart carefully. Dont rush this stage. One way to do this is by asking yourself some simple questions. Ask yourself which is the biggest/longest? Are there any patterns? As you do this I suggest that youdont worry about names of countries and types of accommodation. Think colours and lengths. Look dont read.look at each element one by one. It can be very confusing of you look at the chart as a whole.look at the extremes (the biggest/the smallest) first they are almost always importantlook for patterns these are also important. Note that a pattern can have exceptions.note exceptions these are also details you want to include.

Using tenses in task 1 writingIn this lesson I give you a quick outline on using tenses in task 1 writing. This is a common problem for many candidates who forget to use the correct tense.In some ways, the advice is quite simple and can be summarised in these two tips:LOOK TO SEE WHETHER THE CHART/GRAPH IS ABOUT THE PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURECHECK THAT YOU DONT CHANGE TENSE HALF WAY THROUGH THE SUMMARYSome basic examples of how to choose the correct tenseThe golden rule is to look at the title of the chart/graph and the x/y axes to see what time is used there. You then use that time to choose the tense you write in:if the time is 1999 then you choose the pastif the time is 2030 you choose a futureif there is no time you use the present simpleIt really doesnt make too much difference if you are looking at a pie chart or a bar graph here. The idea is the same.Example 1Look at this pie chart. What time does it show? Which tense would you choose?

This should be easy. The time is 1999 and so you will use the past tense.Example 2Look at this bar chart. What time does it show? What tense would you use?

This may be slightly more confusing. You cant see any time. You should look though at the words in the title: use most frequently is a present tense and so the chart is about general present time and so you will want the present simple.Example 3Look at this pie chart and do the same thing:

I hope you see that this pie chart refers to the future and so well need a future tense to describe the information in it.Some more complex examples varying your tensesSometimes you get charts/graphs that allow you to use more than one tense.Example 1 charts with changes in time in the past using different verb formsLook at this bar graph. What are the times? Which tenses can you use?

You see here the years from 1999 to 2007. This means that you want the past. It is possible just to use the past simple:The average price was 97,500 and then it rose to almost 130,000 and then itdropped slightly in 2006 and finally fell to around 110,000 in 2007.Correct English, but boring. You want to try and vary your grammar to get a higher score. What you can do here isAfter it had reacheda peak of almost 130,000 in 2005, the average price dropped slightly in 2006 beforefinishingthe period at 117,000 in 2007The change in time (from 1999 to 2007) allows you to use the past perfect (had tense) too and you can also use a participle (-ing form) in the same way.Example 2 charts/graphs with the past and future using two tensesIn this next example you should see that the you will need to use more than one tense just because the two charts relate to different times the past and the future. [I should add that this is an unusual example]

Here the easy answer is that you use a future to describe the first chart and a past for the second one. The simple thing to do is use one paragraph for one chart and another for the other being careful to get your tenses right each time.But there is a more complex answer too. You need really to compare the changes in sources of power. To do this you may use one of the less usual tenses in English the future perfect:By 2030 the use of coalwill have decreasedby 10%.The idea remains the same though you are still using a future to describe something in the future.More about using comparisons in task 1 writingThis lesson looks at some more advanced comparison vocabulary for academic task 1 writing to talk about the degree or size of the comparison. The idea is generally not enough to say that something is bigger than something else, you need to say by how much and that there are times you want to use words and not just numbers.

Why do you need this language? Why not just use numbers?An extremely interesting comment on this site came from someone who asked whether it was wrong to say something was far more than something else on the grounds that this was a subjective opinion and the task is to describe the data objectively. My answer to this is:this is a language task and you should try to use language and not just numbers in your answerthis is a summary task and that means that you do not include all the numbers, but describe some of them in languagemostly, you should try and combine words and numbers together in order to give the examiner/reader as much information as possiblein your summary statement, however, (normally either your introduction/conclusion) you may simply use words without numbers because it is a general description of the chart/graph/tableAmounts and numbersnotesConsiderablyandsignificantlyhave similar meanings. I would say thatconsiderablyis the stronger word, but someone else might tell you different!A useful alternative tomarginallyisfractionally.Be careful with countable and uncountable words. You useamountandlesswith uncountable words such gas and number, andfewerwith countable words such as people.I would avoid usinga lot moreas this is rather non-academic language. Alternatives would includefar moreanda great deal more.DifferencesnotesYou should be careful with the prepositions here. You talk about a differencebetweentwo things, but say one thing is differentfrom(or sometimesto) something else.Similarities

NotesWhile you cannot usealmost similar, you can sayalmost the same asOther useful adjectives

notesThe preposition used with both these words isto. So one thing can be identical or comparable to something else.Describing a natural process in task 1 writingIf you are unlucky enough to get a process diagram in academic task 1, it is quite possible that you will need to be able to describe a process or cycle from nature. In this lesson, I talk you through how to approach this type of task with tips on understanding the diagram and writing a description that is coherent and well-structured.The diagram

Understanding the cycle what are the stages in it?The first step is to remember that your goal is to provide a clear summary of what the diagram shows. This cycle is difficult in that it has no obvious beginning or end. The idea is to try and look and see if you can divide the diagram into separate parts. This makes it easier to write about than if you look at he whole diagram at once. Put another way, I ask myself if there are any stages within this cycle I can use to structure my description.The top tip is to look for visual clues and here I see two distinct stages by looking at the arrows: some point down and some point up.1. The food chain

Looking at the central part of the diagram, I see a row of arrows pointing downwards. This shows how carbon from the atmosphere is used by plants and animals. It is, if you look closely, a food chain. The atmosphere provides CO2 to plants which are eaten by insects which are eaten by small animals which are then eaten by larger animals. All I have to do now is put this into decent English, trying not to repeat the language of the diagram too much.2. Return of CO2 to the atmosphereThe second part of the cycle is quite straight forward. There are on either side a set of arrows pointing upwards to show the return of CO2 to the atmosphere. This shows me that respiration, fuel consumption and waste products are the 3 ways in which CO2 returns to the atmosphere to complete the cycle.

Thinking vocabularyThis diagram gives you a certain of language. You have the choice of whether to repeat it in your description or try and vary it. What you do here will depend on how well you understand the diagram and the words. It is not an absolute disaster in this task if you do repeat some of the words from the diagram as they are technical terms. You should, however, try and find alternatives for the more general English words.carbon dioxide: no alternativeatmosphere: no alternativeterrestrial and aquatic: either repeat the words, or if you understand them try land and waterprimary, secondary, tertiary: these mean first, second and third levelconsumers: try the word eat or vary it to consume or consumptionrespiration: this means breathingRead my sample descriptionThis diagram shows how the carbon cycle works in nature. The first part of the cycle is providing plants and animals on both land and sea with the carbon dioxide they need to exist and the second part of the cycle is the return of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.The first part of the cycle shows a food chain where plants and grasses absorb carbon dioxide from the air. These plants are a food source for primary consumers such as insects which are in turn eaten by the second level consumers, including smaller birds and fish. At the end of this food chain are larger animals and mammals which use the secondary level consumers as a source of carbon and food.The second part of the cycle shows how there are two main ways in which carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere. This can either happen as a result of living beings breathing or consuming fuel, or as a product of the waste and remains from their death.Understand the coherent structure of the descriptionIt is important that you make your description coherent and well-structured. The main idea is to think carefully about how you start your sentences and paragraphs. This is a very useful word here.Close MeThis diagram shows how the carbon cycle works in nature.The first part of the cycleis providing plants and animals onboth land and seawith the carbon dioxide they need to exist andthe second part of the cycleis the return of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.The first paragraph is a summary of the whole diagramI show the examiner/reader that the cycle can be understood in two parts. These two parts are my two content paragraphs.Both land and sea: I have shown the examiner I can rephrase some of the language from the diagramThe first part of the cycle shows a food chain where plants and grasses absorb carbon dioxide from the air.These plantsare a food source for primary consumers such as insects which are in turn eaten by the second level consumers, including smaller birds and fish.At the end of this food chainare larger animals and mammals which use the secondary level consumers as a source of carbon and food.I start my paragraph with a short summary like sentence that links back to the introduction paragraphEach sentence begins with a linking phrase to connect it to the sentence before. The key word is THIS.The second part of the cycle shows how there are two main ways in which carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere.Thiscan either happen as a result of living beings breathing or consuming fuel, or as a product of the waste and remains from their death.This paragraph also starts with a short summary sentence. This links back to the first paragraph and the introductory paragraphThis: I use the same linking technique to make sure my sentences are coherentIELTS writing task 1 process diagrams an introductionThe process diagram is in many ways the odd one out in academic task 1 and it requires some different language from the other task types. This lesson shows you some of the skills you need to tackle a process diagram. In it, I talk you through some of the difficulties in describing a process and suggest some basic techniques to help you understand the diagram and write the description. You will also find a sample task and description.Reading a process diagram find the beginnings and endsThe first step in learning to write about a process diagram is to see where the process starts and ends. Sometimes it is evident, frequently it is less so. This is important information as it will help structure your writing. The obvious thing to do is to start at the beginning and carry on until you get to the end.An example

Where is the beginning here? The customer pays by credit card (item 1).Where is the end? The merchant receives his money (item 7). We now know part of the structure of our report.Understand the different stages of the processThe next point is to try and understand how the process works. Typically, there will be some problem in understanding the diagram: it is not always the case that everything is in a natural order. The key is to stop and think andlook. This is a visual task and you need to look at all the visual clues. What you are looking for are normally simple things. It is often a good idea to ask yourself the WH questions.In the diagram above, we see the following details: there are 5 parties involved (the pictures) (WHO) there are 7 stages in the process (the numbers) (HOW MANY) some of the arrows point in two different directions this needs to be explained item 4 seems to be out of order as it is next to 1Find a way of organising your descriptionThis is another thinking task. Before you start writing, you want to see if there is some way to organise your report into paragraphs. This is not absolutely essential but it can help the organisation of your writing. In the diagram above, there does seem to be a logical solution, as the process falls in to two parts:1. the customer receives his goods2. the merchant gets his moneyAs this is the case, I am going to do the logical thing and divide my description into two main paragraphs. One to describe the authorisation process until the customer gets his/her money and one for the payment process until the merchant is paid.The introduction and conclusionThis is a key part of your description. What you need to do here is to give the examiner an overall view of the process. Again, you want to ask yourself questions, such as: what happens as a result of this process? is there any change involved? how many stages are there in this process? is there one simple process or are there variations within the process?Typically, you will either write a longer introduction or add a conclusion. You will not normally need both an extended introduction and conclusion.The language of the descriptionTopic languageThe process will normally be an everyday event that everyone is familiar with, you should not need any specialised language. Sometimes, as in this example, you will be given some topic vocabulary. If you are, be careful of two points:1. try to vary the language if you can, but dont worry too much if you cant. It may be that the language you are given is the correct topic language and there are no, or few, variations2. dont copy language incorrectly. If you are given a verb, you may need to change it into a nounSequencing languageSome of the most important language you need is vocabulary to say in what order things happen. It is important to have some variation here. Some very basic options are: next then after before onceSee this download for an explanation of this language:Sequencing language for process diagrams (34652)PassivesA key grammatical area is very often the passive. We use this when it is not important who does the action. So, if you have a process diagram showing the making of wine, you may choose to write:the grapesare crushedand their stemsare removedPut simply, we make the passive by taking part of the verb to be and adding the 3rd form of the verb.Sample description with detailed notesClose MeThis diagram shows the different stages in the process of making a purchase with a credit card.We can see from it that there are five different parties involved in such a transaction and there are seven different steps until the merchant receives payment.The first stepis that the customer offers to pay for the goods by credit card.At that point, the merchant has to request for the paymentto be authorisedby the credit card organisation, which must also request authorisationin turnfrom the consumers bank.Once that authorisation has been received, the merchant can then release thegoodsto thecustomer.The merchant, however, does not receive the money for the transactionuntilit has paid a fee to the credit card organisation.After that has been paid, the consumers issuing bank will transfer the money for the transaction to the merchants own bank, which will thencreditthe merchants bank account with the amount of thepurchaseless the credit card fee.notesintroductionThis diagram shows the different stages in the process of making a purchase with a credit cardSimple sentence to start explaining what the diagram showsWe can see from it that there are five different parties involved in such a transaction and there are seven different steps until the merchant receives payment.Complete the introduction by giving an overview of the process (how many steps and how many parties)paragraphs 1 and 2 sequencing languageThe first stepAt that point.Once that authorisation has been receivedin turnuntilAfter that has been paidparagraph 1 organisation and vocabulary.This follows the authorisation procedure step by step until step 4.I have not changed the vocabulary much but I have used authorised and not authorisation customer for consumer goods for productParagraph 2 organisation and vocabularyThe key to this paragraph is the first sentence. The merchant receiving his money is step 7. However, because it helps me organise the paragraph, I have used it out of order in the first sentence as the main point.I have used some new vocabulary here: purchase creditComparisons in task 1 tablesThis post shows you one simple way of varying your language of comparison in task 1 reports. This matters because in task 1 you very often need to make comparisons and it is no good if you use the same words and structures all the time as your grammar is marked not only for accuracy, but also forrange.The approach I take here is to think about using different words and different word forms in describing a table.A taskLook at this table and decide what the major comparisons and contrasts are . These will be the main points that you need to make in your report. The tip is to divide and conquer by looking atcolumns and rows.

My answerLooking at the columns and rows I see three major comparisons that must be included:1. the younger boys played more sport (the columns)2. some sports were more popular than others (the rows)3. the same sports were equally popular in both age groups (the rows and the columns)Any answer that does not highlight these points would be marked down on task achievement, so it is worthwhile spending time on this analysis.Vary your comparison wordsThe next stage is to write the report. The trap here is to use the same language all the time, something it is very easy for you to do if you are not careful. Dont worry though, you dont need lots of new words. You just need to us