Important Point: “In Ielts Writing Task 1, you are delineating the given data of Pie Chart, Line Graph, Bar Graph or any Pictorial Data; it is always important that you should learn Below Provided Vocabulary and use it in your writing. Another thing, which all of you must know is that, in Ielts Writing Task 1 the examiner is interested to check your "vocabulary" and “how well you explain the given data”.” My advice applies to Writing Task 1 (Academic) When you are writing Task 1, there is a temptation to focus on the details. However, you need to remember that details only mean something when they are placed in context. It is therefore very important to provide an overview of the data first - you could call it the big picture. After that you can describe the tables, charts and so on in detail. In fact, if you don't have an overview you will be marked down. So start by including it in your practice tests. IELTS Writing - Academic Task 1 - Vocabulary The following words and phrases will help you describe trends: Nouns a rise an increase a surge a growth a peak a fluctuation a variation a period of stability a plateau a fall a decrease a decline a dip Verbs to rise to increase to surge to grow to peak to skyrocket to fluctuate to vary to fall to decrease to decline to dip to dive to plunge Phrases to show an upward trend to show a downward trend to hit the highest point to hit the lowest point to reach a peak to show some fluctuation to fluctuate wildly to remain stable to remain static to remain unchanged
Transcript
Important Point:“In Ielts Writing Task 1, you are delineating the given data of Pie Chart, Line Graph, Bar Graph or any Pictorial Data; it is always important that you should learn Below Provided Vocabulary and use it in your writing. Another thing, which all of you must know is that, in Ielts Writing Task 1 the examiner is interested to check your "vocabulary" and “how well you explain the given data”.”
My advice applies to Writing Task 1 (Academic)
When you are writing Task 1, there is a temptation to focus on the details. However, you need to remember that details only mean something when they are placed in context. It is therefore very important to provide an overview of the data first - you could call it the big picture. After that you can describe the tables, charts and so on in detail. In fact, if you don't have an overview you will be marked down. So start by including it in your practice tests.
IELTS Writing - Academic Task 1 - Vocabulary
The following words and phrases will help you describe trends:
Nouns
a risean increasea surgea growtha peak
a fluctuationa variation
a period of stabilitya plateau
a falla decreasea declinea dip
Verbs to riseto increaseto surgeto growto peakto skyrocket
to fluctuateto vary
to fallto decrease
to declineto dipto diveto plunge
Phrases
to show an upward trendto show a downward trendto hit the highest pointto hit the lowest pointto reach a peakto show some fluctuationto fluctuate wildlyto remain stableto remain staticto remain unchangedto stay constantto reach a plateauto level offto flatten outthe highestthe lowestthe second highestthe third highest
Sample sentences There was a substantial increase in the value of stocks on March 15th. House prices rose dramatically in July.
The number of tourists visiting New York fell sharply in October.
The percentage of students walking to school continued to rise gradually over the ten year period from 2000-2010.
There was a sharp increase in employee turnover after the strike.
Interest in environmental issues has risen steadily over the last 10 years.
More useful words and phrases1. Percent – the word percent comes after a number
Examples:More than 25% of the students are from Brazil. More than 25 percent of the students come from Brazil.
2. Percentage - The word percentage comes after words like the, a, this and that. Often, it is preceded by an adjective.Examples:A small percentage of residents have lived in the building for more than 20 years. The percentage of students who live on campus has fallen sharply since the fire.
3. For numbers up to ten, write the numbers in words. For numbers over 10, you can write the numbers in numbers.Examples:Five percent of the employees were late this month.More than 50 percent of the students handed in their assignments late after the long weekend.
4. If the sentence starts with a number, always write it in words.Examples: Wrong: 25 students were from China.Right: Twenty-five students were from China.
Some useful phrases:
As can be seen from the chart, last year started on a positive note; Initially;
At the beginning;
There was a sharp fall during March;
Over the summer … was flat;
In mid-April the prices started to rally strongly;
In autumn the market remained more or less unchanged, failing to break through the spring’s highs;
Over the last few months the market has advanced again;
In March the consumer spending was up and was close to reaching a high again;
This was followed by;
There was a;
In this year it started (to) / v-ing;
Show an upward trend;
Changed very little;
Diverged significantly;
Recovered slightly;
Continued an upward trend with some fluctuations;
Over the period from … to …;
Despite an overall increase, the … figures were characterized by a number of peaks and troughs over the … years;
It then fluctuated around this level;
There are two patterns:
Verb + preposition
Income tax has gone up from 30% to 40%. (the total increase is 10%)
Income tax has gone up by 30% to 40%. (the total increase is 30%)
Inflation has risen to 5%. (inflation is now 5%)
Inflation has risen by 5%. (if it was 10% before, now it is 15%)
Inflation has increased to 5%. (movement)
Inflation now stands at 5%. (no movement)
Noun + preposition
The increase in salaries is around 5%. (in + noun)
There was an increase of 5%. (of + number)
The exchange rate reached a peak at USD 3.76 in April. (noun + at + number)
Remember:
Use by after a verb.
Use of after a noun and before the amount.
Use in after a noun and before a topic.
GrammarTake note of the following prepositions which you will need to describe dates, numbers and comparisons:
Steps 1 & 2 – Identify Types of Charts, Look for Trends
Bar Charts
A bar chart consists of rectangular bars arranged horizontally or vertically from the x or y axis.
The length of a bar shows the values it represents. The values are listed on one axis and each bar shows what is being measured on the other axis. Bar charts are useful for comparing data. In studying a bar chart, you may want to look for the following information:
Which is the tallest bar? Which is the shortest bar?
Have the bars changed over time? How?
How do the bars compare to each other?
Pie Chart
A pie charts is a circular chart divided into sectors or pie slices. It presents information in segments of a circle or pie, which together add up to 100%. Here's an example:
Ask yourself:
Which is the largest segment? Which is the smallest segment?
How do the segments compare with each other?
Line Graph
A line graph plots the changes in data over time:
Ask yourself:
What is the highest level / point? What is the lowest level / point?
Is there a point till when the trend was increasing or decreasing?
When did the trend change?
Tables
A table presents information in different categories, making it easy to compare.
The sample table below shows the percentage of students who came to college on foot, by car, bicycle or public transportation, at Williams College in the year 2005-2006.
Method of Student Travel to College by Percentage
Walking 12
Bicycle 20
Car 25
Public Transport 43
Look out for the following:
What is the highest figure? What is the lowest figure?
What is second highest, etc.?
Step 3 – Vocabulary of Trends
To get high marks on the Academic Task 1, you must show the examiner that you know how to use a range of vocabulary to describe and interpret visual information. You must be able to use the appropriate verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs to provide precise descriptions.
For a detailed list of essential vocabulary, check the section of this website on Vocabulary for Task 1.
Step 4 – Write your answer according to a plan
To be able to complete Task 1 in 20 minutes or less, write your answer according to the following plan:
1. Write one sentence to introduce the subject and graphic.2. Write one or two sentences to show the relationship between the data or to comment on the main trend.
3. Write an in-depth description of the information given. Include details from the most important to the least important, depending on time.
4. Write one sentence to conclude your answer.
Step 5 - What not to write
Only describe the data. Don not give your interpretation of it. You are not being asked why you think the data in the chart is the way it is, so do not write about that.
*** The most basic trend vocabulary – a few variations
Let’s 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. That’s good.
Tip: if you find yourself repeating a word, try changing the form of it from a verb to a noun
You should also note that, even with this basic language, there are a variety of grammar problems that cause many candidates problems. That’s bad.
Up variations
Down variations
Up and down
Sometimes 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 to
Prepositions are horrid in English. Have another look at the graph:
Note how these two sentences mean exactly the same:
The rate of unemployment rose to 12% in 2010.
The rate of unemployment rose by 5% in 2010.
Preposition problem 2 – in and of
This 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 rise in the rate of unemployment
There was a rise of 5% in the rate of unemployment.
***A strategy for planning your IELTS task 1
This lesson comes in three halves. In the first half, I try and persuade you to spend time planning your task 1 answer . This is where many task 1 answers go wrong. I then talk you through one possible strategy for planning an answer. Then I show you a sample summary/report with my notes.
The basics of planning your task 1 summary
In this section, I quickly talk you through some of the ideas for making a plan in task 1.
Think before you write – at least 5 minutes!
One common problem in the writing paper is that candidates run out of time. The way to avoid this is think before you write. Why?
if you know what you need to write – the writing part is easy and quick people waste most time in the test by getting stuck about what to say next: that won’t happen to you if you
think and make notes first
you need to write at leat 150 words – how long does it take you to write 150 words. 15 minutes is plenty of time, if you know what you want to write.
Does 5 minutes seem a long time to you? It shouldn’t: this is a thinking task – perhaps the most academic bit of all IELTS. It doesn’t pay to “think quickly”, rather you want to think clearly and that may take time.
Make some notes – organise them
This is just practical. In an exam you are under pressure. You may think that you will remember what to say, but you may not. You should also note that all the information is there in front of you. You could of course just make notes on the question paper. My best suggestion though is that you organise notes on paper. Why? It can be hard to
I’d add that it should be easy to make notes. Don’t be scared. I’m not suggesting anything complex here – all the ideas are there in front of you.
Be organised and have a strategy
One reason people don’t plan is that they don’t plan efficiently. What you want to do is make sure that you use your time well in the exam. This means knowing before the exam how you are going to plan. It really helps to have a strategy here – something you do every time. That way you will work efficiently and use your 5 minutes well.
Match your plan to the task
Below I talk you through one possible planning strategy for task 1. You may not like it or you may have a different strategy. That’s fine – there is almost always more than one way to approach a task. All I would say though is that your plan should take into account the task itself: that means it should be a plan for writing a summary not an essay. I’m pretty sure any plan must focus on selcting the main points and seeing the comparisons. Why? That is just what the task asks you to do.
A possible strategy
The main idea behind this strategy is that it focuses on what the question asks you to do – write a summary of the main points and make comparisons. I have deliberately made this strategy a set of 5 headings. This will depend on you, but one minute per heading is not a bad idea.
1. Understanding the basics – look at the question and axes
Is it time based or “static”. This tells you what type of graph/chart you are looking at and what type of language you need. Think about:
time – this tells you what tense to use (past for past time etc) the type of words you need – this includes both topic vocabulary from the question (eg transport) and perhaps
number language
2. Try and see the big picture
This is where a lot of people go wrong. They see the detail, but they fail to see the main points. Sometimes these points are so obvious that you can forget them. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
How many items are shown? Is it time based or static?
Is there one common pattern?
3. Find the main points to include
This is where I really do believe it can help to make some brief notes. You are not meant to include everything. Make a note of those points you do want to include. Quick notes. Ideas include:
is the pattern typically up/down in a time based graph? look at the extremes – the biggest/smallest – the beginning the end
what changes?
what common patterns are there? Are two items similar?
Remember that you need to include all the topics included on the axes. For example, if there 6 countries shown, you must include some information about all 6 countries.
4. What comparisons do you see?
This I think is a necessary step just because the question asks you to make comparisons. Fail to do this and your summary is incomplete. Very bad for task response.
5. Organize the information
Tough. A summary is normally harder to organise than an essay – there are far fewer “rules”. I don’t suggest that you spend too much worrying about paragraph structure here. You do need to use paragraphs though. Questions to think about include:
how many paragraphs do I need? (I normally suggest no more than 2 content paragraphs) if there is more one graph, is the sensible option to use one paragraph for each graph? (often yes, but not
always)
how can I group information so I don’t repeat myself?
is there a logical order to describe the information (for example, it often works best to start with the biggest and then move in order to the smallest)
Practice your IELTS task 1 planning skills
Here is a possible task 1 question. You will find my answer to download below. This time I have also included my notes, just to let you see how I do it in practice. If you like, look at the graph and see what notes you can make in 5 minutes and then compare your notes with my version.
The task
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant
Read my sample answer
This chart shows the amount of money British households spent each month on different items in a twenty year period from 1990 to 2010. We can see how the total amount spent rose in this period by approximately £300.
Rent was significantly the highest item of expenditure in all three years, accounting for well over a third of household expenses. The amount spent on rent rose steadily from around £425 in 1990 to exactly £600 twenty years later. Groceries were the next highest expense and it is notable how there was a comparatively small rise in expenditure in shopping during during this period. The amount spent each month on both transport and utility bills increased by approximately 50% to around £140 and £220 respectively. Although it should be noted that transport spending increased more in 2000 and utility bills expenditure more in 2010. Entertainment was the only area where British households spent less over this period, with the average expenditure falling from £110 to £100 in 2010, by which time it had become the lowest item of expenditure.
In summary, we can say that British households spent more overall on these items in 2010 than 1990 and that the largest item of expenditure throughout this time was rent with the one major change being that less was spent on entertainment than utility bills by 2010.
*** Identifying patterns in bar charts
This lesson looks in detail at one way to organize your answer when describing a chart or graph in part 1. The suggestion is that you should try and look for patterns in the data. When you write , you report those patterns and note any exceptions to them. This works on several levels:
your writing becomes more coherent – linking ideas together you are more likely to identify the key points
the report becomes easier to write
To help you do this, you will find a bar chart with a sample answer below. I also show you one way how to identify patterns in bar charts.
Don’t look at the whole chart, look at the x axis and the y axis separately
The first step is to analyse the chart – carefully. Don’t rush this stage. One way to do this is by asking yourself questions. One tip is to look at the y (vertical) and x (horizontal) axes one by one to see if you can see any patterns and/or exceptions. It can be very confusing of you look at the chart as a whole. As you do this, it is normally a good idea to look at the extremes as these are almost always key details.
Test yourself
Ask yourself if the lines look similar, different or the same
Try this brief quiz to analyze the y axis. As you go through the test, you should notice how I ask simple questions. What is the biggest? Are they the same, different or similar? Does any one bar look different from the rest? Remember that you are looking for patterns.
My conclusion from this is that we must state:
hotels were the most common form of accommodation at over 50% self-catering was second most popular (just below 30%) but there is one major exception
caravan and camping holidays were typically least popular (around 10%) but again there was an exception
England, Scotland and Wales follow a broadly similar pattern (Scotland is only slightly different)
the popularity of caravanning in Northern Ireland needs to be highlighted
Organizing the report – choose the simplest option
There is always more than one way to organize a report. In the exam you are under time pressure, so it makes sense to choose the simplest option. Here the 2 main choices you have are:
go through each type of accommodation (the y axis option) go through the countries (the x axis option)
My choice would be to use the countries. There are only 4 of them and 3 of those are very similar and it seems natural and easy to group England, Scotland and Wales together. Northern Ireland is the odd one out.
A sample answer
This answer is not perfect. It is not meant to be. Rather you should note how it is logically organised, grouping similar information together. There is one paragraph for England, Scotland and Wales showing the main pattern. I start by noting the most evident feature of the chart. I also use England as a model and then compare the situation in Wales and Scotland. Then there is a separate paragraph for Northern Ireland, highlighting the key exception.This bar chart shows the results of a survey on whether people in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales stayed in hotels, caravans, campsites or self-catering accommodation when they went on holiday in 2010.The most striking feature of the chart is that in all four countries the majority of people chose to stay in hotels. This figure was highest in England at around 55%, almost twice the number of people who cooked for themselves (27% of the sample) and far greater than the number who stayed in campsites (12%) and finally caravans (6%). A similar pattern was repeated for the Scots and the Welsh. In each case, around 50% of holidaymakers went to hotels with around 30% in self-catering apartments. The one difference being that caravan holidays at 12% were twice as popular than camping holidays in Scotland, while the opposite pattern could be seen in Wales.The one country that shows a different pattern is Northern Ireland. It is notable how there just over 30% of the population chose caravan holidays in preference to self-catering accommodation and camping (both around 12%).
Numbers
Audio J: Half
*** Using tenses in academic task 1 writing
Different types of chart/graphThink about what type of graph or chart you are looking at
The first step is to recognise that different types of chart and graph may require different approaches. In each case the key question is to ask is whether there is a time element to the chart/graph. The general advice is that you should choose one tense and stick to it is normally true. There are, however, sometimes ways for more advanced candidates to vary their tenses in some kinds of graphs.
The pie chartYou normally only need the simple tenses to describe charts and graphs
Perhaps the simplest place is to start is with the pie chart. Let’s look at this sample pie chart. The question to ask is what time is represented in the chart. Is it the past, the present or the future? Then the basic options you have for describing it are the present, past or future simple tenses depending on what time is indicated by the question. You won’t need a continuous tense here.
Don’t forget to look at the title of chart to see what time it relates to.
At first sight it may appear that there is no time element to this pie chart. If, however, you read the title, you see favourite leisure activities in 2009, so naturally we’ll use the past tense to describe it.
Another point to note is you should not try to use trend language to describe a pie chart as we only have one fixed point of time.
Bar charts
Bar charts are slightly more complex as there are 2 different types of bar chart. Some show changes over a period of time and some show a position for one period of time.
Static bar charts
This first bar chart shows a situation for one period in time and so can be labelled “static”. In many ways it is very similar to a pie chart. Which tense would you use for it?
Clearly the answer here is the present simple tense because the title to the chart shows we are looking at the present: “use most frequently“.
Dynamic bar charts and line graphs
This bar graph is dynamic because we can see that each bar (or column) shows a position for a different period of time. Typically, we also use just the one tense to describe this type of chart. Which one would you choose for this one? The logical answer here is to use the past simple as we can see the years 1999-2007 on the x axis.
Varying your tenses – an exampleIn dynamic charts you can sometimes vary your tenses
As I say, it is normal to stick to one tense and it is good advice not to try too many variations as you are likely to make mistakes that way. In dynamic charts it is sometimes possible, however, to vary your tenses. Look at this example:
The average price reached a peak of £127,000 in 2005 and then dropped slightly in 2006 and finished at £117,000 in 2007.
There is nothing “wrong” with this but for more advanced candidates it is possible to find a neater variation using the past perfect (“had”) tense. The benefit of this is that it avoids the “and then and then and then”
problem.
The average price finished the period at £117,000 after it had reached a peak of £127,000 in 2005 and fallen slightly the following year.
Varying your verb forms
In this type of chart, it is also possible to vary the form of the verb and so avoid the “and then and then and then” problem. Look at this example:
The average price reached a peak of £127,000 in 2005 and then dropped slightly in 2006 and finished at £117,000 in 2007.
Again, it is possible to rewrite this in a slightly more stylish way using a participle (ing) form:
After reaching a peak of £127,000 in 2005, the average price then dropped slightly in 2006 before finishing the period at £117,000 in 2007
You should note that this type of variation is only possible in dynamic charts and graphs where you have different times to compare.
*** The task in academic part 1 almost always contains these words:Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
This means that you cannot/should not try to report all the detail in the visual. If you do, it will be hard to write well in 150 words and more importantly you may be penalised on task response.
Some tipsHere are some general tips to help you select the main features on bar charts in brief.1. look at the top2. look at the bottom3. can you see an average?4. are there any exceptions?
You should note that the report is organised into 2 main body paragraphs which relate to the 2 main points:1. difference due to geography2. difference due to gender
This is only possible because I spent time selecting the main features. The message is that if you spend time and plan properly in this way, your writing will improve.
This lesson is designed to help you think about how part 1 IELTS writing works. The idea is that many of the problems with task 1 writing are caused by the thinking part – analysing the data. That matters because the goal in task 1 is not just to describe the information in the chart, but to summarise it by selecting the key data. To do this, you need to spend time thinking – it is not simply a vocabulary exercise.
I’d add that time spent thinking is rarely wasted. If you spend 3/4 minutes thinking of what details to include, the report actually becomes easier to write. All the “ideas” are there (good for your Task Response score) and it becomes much easier to organise the report (good for your Coherence and Cohesion score).
Test yourself first
This is a simple bar chart similar to one you might find in task 1. Your task is to analyse and decide what information you would choose to include in your writing.
1. Look at the chart and think for 3/4 minutes2. Make notes of what details you would include
3. Try the test – how many of the details I suggest did you find?
Have problems? Disagree with me? Read on below.
Start with the obvious
Sometimes it is easy to forget to include a detail because it looks too simple. Don’t do that. Simple matters. If you don’t include these simple details, your writing will lack clarity. The tip here is to look at the simple (that word again) things like colours and line lengths – let the visual help you. Do that and you get something like this:
1. there are 6 countries2. some bars are longer than others – there are significant differences in the proportion of proficient second
language speakers among the different countries
3. there are two colours of bars – males and females are included in the study
4. the green lines are typically longer – generally more females than males are proficient in a second language
Look at the key – use it to organise your answer
The key can also help you. Its role is to show what the different lines mean. One thing that you can do is to use it to organise your answer: in this case, that means making sure you write about:
males females
a comparison of males and females
I’ve helped you here by re-organising the data. This is what you should see and need to include:
1. India is much the largest (around 55%)2. China is the smallest (about a third of India) (around 17%)
3. Romania, Vietnam, Russia and Thailand are in that order and approximately similar (between 32 and 42%)
Likewise with females, it’s a good idea to look at the extremes and this is what you get:
1. India and Romania are the largest (around 65% and 65% respectively)2. Thailand is the smallest (about 27%)
3. There are fairly significant differences between Vietnam, Russia and China
Comparisons are almost always important. Here you should see:
1. Typically, more females are proficient than males2. Thailand is the exception because there the pattern is reversed (the lines cross)
3. Romanian females appear to be especially good at languages
Look at the axes
Another detail you need to include is that the percentage of second language learners varies considerably from country to country. You can see this by simply looking at the length of the lines on the “y” (vertical) axis. To help you see this, I have re-organised the data in a pie chart:
Key information to include from this is that overall:
1. China has significantly the lowest proportion of second language speakers2. India is much the largest
3. there are no major differences between Romania, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam
A sample report
Take a look at this sample report and see how I have included the relevant details.
This bar chart shows how second language proficiency varies between males and females in 6 different countries. It is immediately apparent that while there is significant regional variation in second language ability, typically a higher percentage of females than males speak a second language well.
If we look at males we can see that India has much the greatest proportion of proficient second language speakers at around 55% and China has the least at fewer than 18%. There is only a 10% difference in competency ranging from around 40% to around 30% between Romania, Vietnam, Russia and Thailand in second to fourth places respectively. There are,however, notably more female than male second language speakers in every country with the exception of Thailand. So, India once again leads the way with around 65% , closely followed by Romania and then Vietnam and Russia at 56 and 42% in turn. The two countries with fewest proficient second language speakers are China and Thailand at around 30%. The final point to note is that of the countries in the report, India would appear to have the highest overall proportion of proficient second language speakers and China the least.
Notes
The “obvious” details form the summary statement/introduction.
The main content paragraph looks first at males and then makes a contrast with females. Doing it this way means you don’t need to repeat a lot of detail.
For both males and females, the first figure included is the highest figure and, typically, the numbers run logically from high to low.
*** A bar chart – organising your answer
You need to be write so that someone else can “see” the diagram.
The key skill – paragraphing
The key skill is to make sure that you write in organised paragraphs – just as you would in an essay. This is so important because it will not just improve your coherence and cohesion band scores, but it will also make the report easier to write. To do this, we need to identify key features that will make the topics of the paragraphs. When we have done that, we can look for the details that explain those features.
What are key features?
Normally, they are obvious. Never ignore the obvious. Look at the bar chart below and what do you see?
What you should see is this:
1. 2 sets of lines (one red and one blue)2. some lines are longer than others
Those are your key features that you must highlight in your report as paragraph topics. Everything else is detail.
Tip: Think visually. Look for the obvious and ignore any writing when you first look at a chart. Close your eyes. What do you remember? It’s easy to be confused by detail.
We now see what the 2 key features that need to be reported are. Remember these will be the topics of our 2 content paragraphs :
1. the distinction between men and women (the blue lines and the red lines)2. how certain purposes of travel are more common than others (how long the lines are)
Supporting detail: men and women
Looking at the blue and red lines this is what I see and needs to be included:
1. little or no difference in “walking” “holidays” and “personal business”2. more men in “education”, “entertainment” and “commuting”
3. more women in “school run”, “visiting friends” and “shopping”
4. many more women in “school run” (5% difference)
5. many more men in “commuting” (8% difference)
Supporting detail: purposes
This is fairly straightforward as all you need to do is arrange the different categories into an order showing the most common and least common purposes.
1. commuting and shopping much the most common (around 20% average)2. visiting friends and school run both around 15% average
3. personal business just under 10% average
4. sport/entertainment around 7% average just more than education at 6%
5. least common is walking and holidays at around 3% each
Note the % figures here are averages of the male/female numbers.
Tip: when you have many different categories, it is a good idea to group them together under a few headings
In this form of writing comparisons are crucial. Indeed, they are perhaps the most important grammar item in academic task 1
Tip: try to vary the language you use to make comparisons. One way to do this is use adverbs such as “significantly”
*There are, of course, many possible answers to this task. Here is one solution.
This bar chart shows the different reasons for making journeys in the UK in 2006 and how males and females differed in this.
It is immediately apparent that the most common purposes for travelling were commuting and shopping, both being around 20 per cent of trips. The next most common reasons were visiting friends and doing the school run at 15%, closely followed by personal business at around 10%. Travelling for sport and entertainment (7%) was only just more common than journeys for educational purposes (6%). Finally, the fewest number of trips were travelling for holidays and walking, both of which accounted for around 3 per cent of all journeys.
Typically, there were few major differences between males and females. In holidays, personal business and walking both sexes took approximately the same amount of journeys, while slightly more men travelled for educational purposes and more women visited friends. Notably, almost twice as many men as women travelled for entertainment reasons and, likewise, around 7% more men commuted to work. The two areas in which women travelled significantly more than men were shopping and the school run.
*** A model pie chart report – step by step
This lesson gives you a step-by-step approach to dealing with pie charts in task 1. I talk you through how to identify the main points, select the supporting details and then structure your report. I then show you two model answers: one with standard vocabulary and then a much more advanced version with more vocabulary and grammar you can borrow.
The task
The following pie charts show the results of a survey into the most popular leisure activities in the United States of America in 1999 and 2009.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Step 1: seeing the big picture
The first step is to identify the main points of the two charts. This is not just an important part of the task and your band score, it will also help you write your description. The main points are normally obvious. Sometimes they are so obvious that candidates ignore them. Look at these questions:
1. How many activities are there in each chart? – Just count
2. Are the activities the same in each chart? – Read the key
3. Are there any changes in popularity between the two years? – Look at the colours
You should get these answers:1. There are 8 activities for each year2. 7 of 8 activities are the same
3. There are a number of differences in popularity between the two years.
All you need to do now is put that into English and you have the main points of the report. Adding in a short description of the task we have:
These two pie charts show the changes in popularity of different leisure activities in the United States of America between 1999 and 2009. We can see that the most popular leisure activities were almost the same in both periods, but there were a number of differences in popularity between the various activities.
Step 2: choose the details to include
There are 16 different figures you can include. This is too many. The task is to select and report the most important details. This will include naming all the activities, but not all the numbers. To do this, try looking for:
1. the biggest number2. the smallest number
These are generally important details to include. You should also consider what changes beween the two charts, not least because the task asks you to make comparisons. So, ask yourself:
1. what’s gone up2. what’s gone down
3. what hasn’t changed
4. what’s new
Putting this together, we need these details:
1. walking is most popular in both periods2. yoga disappears and weightlifting is new
3. swimming doubles
4. aerobics, jogging and cycling all fall
5. soccer and camping don’t change much
Step 3: organise your report
This will vary from task to task, but typically you will be looking at two content paragraphs. As you write your paragraphs, you want to think of three key ideas:
highlight the main points – they come first group similar ideas together
find a logical structure to present the points
In this case, I would go with this structure:Paragraph 1
walking is much the biggest slice of the pie in both years
weightlifting is new and yoga has gone
It is clear that walking was the most popular activity in both 1999 and 2009 with around 30% of Americans saying that they preferred it. Also, yoga was no longer among the preferred activities in 2009, but weightlifting was chosen by 10% of people.
Paragraph 2
refer to the other activities in order of popularity in 2009 – soccer and swimming first, jogging and aerobics last
note the biggest changes – cycling, jogging and aerobics all big fallers, swimming the big riser.
The second most popular activity was soccer at just under 20% in both years, a figure that was matched by swimming in 2009, having almost doubled in popularity over the previous decade. Most of the other activities became less popular over the same period of time, with cycling, jogging and aerobics all falling by at least a half to under 10%. The one exception to this trend was camping which stayed almost unchanged at around 9%.
Step 4: get the vocabulary right
This is the big one and will take time to learn. To help you on your way, I show you two model answers with extensive vocabulary notes. My suggestion is start with the first one. Don’t be worries that it looks too simple. it isn’t. It is in fact extremely good – band score 9. The when you have that right, take a look at the second version which has some more advanced vocabulary.
A good version
This is the final report
These two pie charts show the changes in popularity of different leisure activities in the United States of America between 1999 and 2009. We can see that the most popular leisure activities were almost the same in both periods, but there were a number of differences in popularity between the various activities.
It is clear that walking was the most popular activity in both 1999 and 2009, with around 30% of Americans saying that they preferred it. Also, yoga was no longer among the preferred activities in 2009, but weightlifting was chosen by 10% of people.
The second most popular activity was soccer at just under 20% in both years, a figure that was matched by swimming in 2009, having almost doubled in popularity over the previous decade. Most of the other activities became less popular over the same period of time, with cycling, jogging and aerobics all falling by at least a half to under 10%. The one exception to this trend was camping which stayed almost unchanged at around 9%.
My band score 10 answerThe above report is exceptionally good. It covers all the right details (Task response), has a good range of grammar with relative clauses (Range and accuracy of grammar), is very coherent (well organised and linked) and has some range of vocabulary, even if some words are repeated (Lexical resource). This answer can help you by extending the range of vocabulary you use for:
general words dealing with numbers
linking
These two charts illustrate how the preferred leisure activities of Americans changed between 1999 and 2009.Generally speaking, while the list of activities remained almost identical over the decade, there were a number of changes in their relative popularity.
It is immediately evident that walking was by some distance the most popular pastime in both years,accounting for just under a third of the preferences expressed. Of equal note is that by 2009, yoga had disappeared from the list of preferred activities and had been replaced by weightlifting, which was chosen by one in ten Americans.
Among the less popular activities, the most notable development was that the proportion of people who went swimming doubled, making it equal second in popularity with soccer at 18%. In stark contrast, around as half as many Americans went cycling in 2009 as compared to ten years earlier, with the result that it became less popular than camping, at 7% and 9% respectively. Likewise, the number of people who went jogging and did aerobics also dropped significantly, with less than 5% of respondents to the survey choosing them.
*** IELTS pie charts exercise – range of vocabulary
This lesson gives you a model IELTS pie chart answer. But what is really about the language you need for task one academic writing. My answer may surprise you. It’s SIMPLE language used well – that means CLEARLY. Another key word (one that I repeat a lot below) is VARIETY. The idea is that if you can use simple language in a varied way, then you can write an excellent task one answer – without having to learn lists of words.
Test yourself before you start
Look at the pie charts below and think of the type of language you need to write the answer. To help you, I will tell you that my answer includes 4 major language areas: one of which is the language of transport. What are the others?
IELTS pie charts – transport
Test yourself a little more
Before you read my model answer, try and think of different words and ways of describing
1. 1990,2000 and 20102. 4%, 6% and 10%
Now try and think of as many different forms of the word “commute” as you can. Can you think of any collocations?
What words do you know for “stay the same”,”go up” and “go down”? Are there any adverbs or adjectives you regularly use with these words?
Pie charts show you proportions. Can you think of any other related number words you might want to use?
Now read my answer
What you should immediately see is that very nearly all this is in colour. Read on and you will discover why.
We can see from these charts how commuters travelled to work in London in 1990, 2000 and 2010.
In all three years, a majority of commuters used rail transport to get to work. However, there was a steady decline in the proportion of commuters using the underground system, this fell from a high of 38 per cent in 1990 to 34 per cent in 2010. In contrast, use of the train network remained almost unchanged at around 23 per cent in this period.
The means of transport that increased most in popularity was the bicycle. In 1990, only 4 per cent of commuters chose to cycle to work. By 2010, this figure had more than doubled, with one in ten people commuting to work by bicycle. By way of contrast, the percentage of car drivers fell from 22 per cent in 1990 to 19 per cent twenty years later. The figures for motorcyclists and pedestrians remained fairly constant at around 5 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.
In general, it is possible to say that there were only minor changes in commuting patterns during this period and that was a move away from commuters using the underground system in London towards cycling.
Language notes
The language you need to use in task one is normally quite predictable. What this means in practice is that you should be prepared to use a variety of different words. The words you use need not be complex, just varied. Below, I show you how I have varied my language in three key areas. You may think my language is simple. You’d be correct. But if you think it is too simple, I’d suggest you think again. This is a very good answer because I vary my words.
1. The language of change
The change words are highlighted in red. Note that I don’t use complex words, but I use the core words of “fall” and “change” in different ways and accurately.
a steady decline in – note the preposition in here and the adjective (steady) to qualify decline
fell from a high of - “high” is very good here, a nice alternative of “peak” – a word that is sometimes overused and works better in line charts generally
remained almost unchanged at – again see the preposition “at” and the qualifier “almost: both of these show accuracy and variation
that increased most – a simple word again, but the word order may trick you
fell from …. to – I am not afraid to use the simple “fall”; I can do this because I used decline earlier – variation is enough.
remained fairly constant at – I have repeated the word “remained” – that’s not a real problem because I have changed the way I have qualified it
only minor changes in – change is a simple word. I could have used “variations”instead, but what I want you to see is that “minor changes” is effective enough because of the qualifying “minor”
a move away from – this is another very effective use of a simple word (“move”), it works well because it is used in combination with other words in a set phrase “a move away from”. The message here is not to learn words by themselves but focus on how they are used with other words.
2. The language of time
You need to refer to time in your answer. The trick here is to make sure that you change the language you use. Nothing complicated required.
in 1990, 2000 and 2010/in these three years/in this period/during this period – all four of these phrases mean much the same
20 years later – another good variation (what is the difference between 1990 and 2010; answer 20 years)
in 1990/ by 2010 – these may look the same, but mean different things; you should note how things “had” changed “by” 1990 – prepositions may be small words but they can mean a lot
3. The language of numbers
Pie charts show percentages and proportions and these are the two words you will and should use most. Don’t look for variation for variation’s sake – accuracy matters too. I do, however, change between these quite frequently, something you want to learn to do.
a majority of – more than 50%
the proportion of – the standard word
38 per cent/around 23 per cent/only 4 per cent – note how I use around and only to show an approximate figure and that it is a low figure. You might also want to notice “per cent” is written properly as two words.
this figure had more than doubled – figure is a super useful word that can be used for numbers
one in ten – another way to talk about percentages
the percentage of – another standard word that I can use because I have so many variations
around 5% and 10 per cent respectively – “respectively” is a useful for talking about two sets of figures at the same time. Here motorcyclists and pedestrians show a similar pattern so I want to write about them together, “respectively” allows me to do this
4. Transport language
This language is a bit different – this is topic language that you cannot predict, it all depends what the chart is about. Just as before though, the idea is to change the words you do have. My particular suggestion is that you think about word forms. “Commute” is the right word: there isn’t really any other way of saying except “travel
to work”. That isn’t a problem though because “commuter”, “commuting” and “commute” are in a way all different words. If you can use them all, you are showing the examiner variation.
commuters travelled to work/commuters used rail transport/commuters using the underground system/people commuting to work by bicycle – all of these are “commute” words, but note how I change the way I use the word each time
use of the train network/the underground system - the words to note here are “network” and “system”
the means of transport – I could also use “mode of transport”, but that is in the question
the bicycle – not at all simple though it may look it – articles are really hard. “The bicycle” here means the category of bicycle.
car drivers/motorcyclists/pedestrians - I don’t want to repeat “car”, motorcycle” and walking”, so i think of the people instead and find connected words. The only one that may be new to you is “pedestrian”, which means someone who walks.
*** Academic task 1 – tables
Describing a table is almost certainly the most challenging IELTS writing task. In this post I look at what causes the difficulty and suggest a technique for dealing with it. You will find two exercises and a model report at the end of the post to help you write the report yourself.
A sample task
The table below shows the in which sector of the economy different age groups were employed. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, making comparisons where relevant
The problem – too much information
There are 30 different pieces of data here. How on earth can you describe all of that? The solution is simple: don’t try to! Remember the task is to summarise and to select the main features of the table. This means leaving some items of information out.
A solution – divide and conquer
My solution is to divide and conquer by looking at the table in columns and rows. This way you can more easily identify the key details and comparisons. The key is to understand that you have two sets of data:
1. the data from the rows (across)2. the data from the columns (down)
Rather than try and understand the table as a whole all at once, look at each row in turn and each column in turn and note the main features.
What are the main features?
Typically, the main features are
1. high numbers2. low numbers
3. the biggest contrasts
4. the closest similarities
An example
Looking at this column, we see that we need to include 23 and 3 as the highest and lowest numbers
Now looking at the rows in turn we note the numbers for manufacturing are much higher than catering and agriculture.
Then once you have gone through each row and column, you need to look for the obvious comparisons and contrasts.
Organising your report
This is the simple bit. The logical thing is almost always to write one paragraph for the rows (here the sectors of employment) and one for the columns (here the age groups).
*** Comparisons in task 1 tables
This 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 for range.
The approach I take here is to think about using different words and different word forms in describing a table.
A task
Look 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 at columns and rows.
One tip is to ask yourself questions about what you see in the table. Try this simple quiz:
Instructions: Click the answer button to see the correct answer.
1. How would I generally compare the two age groups? a. The younger boys played more sport
b. There was no notable difference between the two groups
c. The older boys played more sport
2. Were any sports different when thinking about the age groups?
a. Swimming
b. Cricket
c. Football
d. Basketball
3. Which sport was most popular in the younger age group?
a. Basketball
b. Football
c. Cricket
d. Rugby
4. Which sport was least popular in the younger age group?
a. Swimming
b. Football
c. Cricket
d. Rugby
5. Which sport was most popular in the older age group?
a. Football
b. Basketball
c. Rugby
d. Cricket
6. Which sport was least popular in the older age group?
a. Cricket
b. Swimming
c. Rugby
7. How would I describe the popularity of the sports when comparing the two age groups?
a. Similar
b. Identical
c. Different
My answer
Looking 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 words
The 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. Don’t worry though, you don’t need lots of new words. You just need to use the words you already have, but more flexibly. The keys are:
1. use different comparing words2. use different comparing structures
To show you what I mean, here are a few variations for you to consider. I’m going to choose In each case I suggest one word and show you how it can be used in different ways. The point is that if you change the form of the word, you change your gramamtical structure and that is a good thing.
Tip: think about changing nouns to verbs or nouns to adjectives
Compare
This is probably the first word you’ll want to use. Note how it can be used both as a verb and as a noun and see also the different prepositions it uses.
Contrast
This is the next most important word. Here I have just shown you the noun forms, but you should note that in each case you end up using a different grammatical structure.
Similar
Different
This is a handy alternative: a simple word that is very effective when making comparisons. Here the main variations are between the noun “difference” and the adjective “different”.
Change
This is another very useful alternative with a noun and verb form that can be used for comparisons sometimes. It is mostly used of course when there is a time element to the diagram, but it can also be used in other cases too.
line graphsgeneral instruction
• Try to write 4 paragraphs - introduction, summary of main points, 2 detail paragraphs.• For your summary paragraph, look at the "big picture" - what changes happened to all of the lines from the beginning to the end of the period shown (i.e. from the first year to the last). Is there a trend that all of the lines follow (e.g. an overall increase)?• You don't need to give numbers in your summary paragraph. Numbers are specific details. Just mention general things like 'overall change', 'highest' and 'lowest', without giving specific figures.• Never describe each line separately. The examiner wants to see comparisons.• If the graph shows years, you won't have time to mention all of them. The key years to describe are the first year and the last year. You should also mention any 'special' years (e.g. a peak or a significant rise/fall).• Start describing details (paragraph 3) with a comparison of the lines for the first year shown on the graph (e.g. In 1990, the number of...).• Use the past simple (increased, fell) for past years, and 'will' or 'is expected/predicted to' for future years.• Don't use the passive (e.g. the number was increased), continuous (e.g. the number was increasing), or perfect tenses (e.g. the number has increased).
Example:-Sentence structureintroductionThe graph shows the overall numbers of tourist arrivals in five countries between 1995 and 2010.Body 1In 1995 over 70 million tourists visited the United States, more than twice as many as the next most popular destination shown, France.However, between 2005 and 2010 there was a decrease of approximately 1,500,000 in the numbers going to the United States whereas there was an increase of nearly 20 million tourists visiting France.The result was that in 2010 the number of tourists arriving in the United States and France was almost equal at around 90 million each.
Body 2The number of tourists visiting Malaysia rose steadily over the whole period but by 2010 the total was still under 50 million.The countries with the fewest tourist arrivals were Brazil and Egypt.The number of tourists going there was similar between 1995 and 2000 but after that there was a greater increase in tourists going to Egypt than to Brazil.
:- vocabulary
Movement (Verbs): Up• Rose• Went up• Increased• Grew• Shot up• Surged• Rocketed Movement (Verbs): Down• Fell• Declined
• Dropped• Decreased• Sank• Went down• Plunged• Plummeted
Prepositions• Between 1995 and 2000• From 1995 to 2000
• Sales rose from 200 to 250• Sales fell to 150 in March• Sales fell by 50% Adverbs and intensifiers• slightly• a little• a lot• sharply• suddenly• steeply• gradually• gently• steadily
No Movement: (Verbs with Adjectives, Verbs)
• remained steady• were unchanged• did not change• remained constant• remained stable• stabilized
Tops and Bottoms• reached a peak• peaked• reached their highest level• fell to a low• sank to a trough• reached a bottom
LINE GRAPH VocabularyAdjectives and adverbs
This 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 the spelling of the adverbs. There is a particular problem with the word “dramatically:• dramatically – correct• dramaticly – wrong• dramaticaly – wrong
vocabulary
Gradually
bit by bit, step by step
1. little by little2. step by step3. piecemeal4. stepwise
slowlyslow, easy, tardily1. belatedly2. tardily3. lento
1. magnetic variation2. magnetic declination3. mutation4. variation5. vacillation6. hesitation
Phrases:-To be noticed;in evidence »; visibly present; spontaneously, on the spur of the moment »; at a moment's notice »
Apparent It is already established thatTo be obviousA deciding instant clears that
Predict:It is predicted It is foreseen To see throughNaturallyA sentence to fate,
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 drop”
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 changes
notes• “marginal” is a particularly useful word for describing very small changes
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”
BAR CHART
Vocabulary:-
Verbs for Upward Trend increased, rose, went up, peaked, improved, gained, recovered, soared, skyrocketed
For Same/Unchanged Trend levelled off, stabilised/stabilized Depending on the rate (speed) of the trend, you may use any of the following adverbs to describe it.
Big upward/downward trend sharply, dramatically, suddenly, rapidly, considerably, significantly example. rose sharply, fell dramatically
Adjectives to describe a trend especially on profits exponential, huge, big, slightexample: huge decrease/increase, exponential change, slight increase/decrease
It should be structured as follows;
• A short introduction (one or two sentences) which provides an overview of the data, i.e. what is the topic/area and how is the data presented. Do not copy the title heading, you should use your own words.• The main body which includes-The most significant information in the data / process; main similarities, differences, overall trends. You do not need to describe all the information presented-A few facts/figures from the data to support your description. It is not necessary to refer to all the data• A short conclusion ( one or two sentences) which summarises the main trends or most significant features
Things to remember:-
Notice that in the single line graph we said that ‘the graph shows… but with two bar graphs we can more accurately say ‘the graphs compare … ’.
Notice that the Simple Past tense/simple present tense used. Even though it describes information from the past, the graph shows the information in the present time
Notice that the sample opening sentence does not simply copy the words used on the graphic material. Copied sentences will not be assessed by the examiner and so you waste your time including them.
Graphs: The Vocabulary of NumbersThis is part of a short introduction to writing about Graphs.There are some special words for numbers, fractions and percentages.
Look at the following table which shows a number in different years (1990-1995) :1990 1995
1200 1800
You could describe the above table using numbers, fractions or percentages:
• The number went up by 600, from 1200 to 800. (Number)• The number went up by half, from 1200 to 1800. (Fraction)• The figure went up by 50%, from 1200 to 1800. Percentage)• The figure went up 150%, to 1800. (Percentage)
1992 1994 1996 1998500 1000 3000 12000
Use “trebled,” “-fold,” and “times:”The number doubled between 1992 and 1994.The number trebled between 1994 and 1996.The figure quadrupled from 1996 to 1998There was a twofold increase between 1992 and 1994.The figure went up sixfold between 1992 and 1996.The figure in 1996 was three times the 1992 figure.The figure in 1998 was four times the 1996 figure.
1992 1994 1996 19981000 800 400 100
Use Fractions:• Between 1992 and 1994, the figure fell by one-fifth.• Between 1994 and 1996, the number dropped by a half.• The figure in 1998 was one-tenth the 1992 total.
Linking phrases
“while“: a useful and slightly more advanced variation of “but”
“Generally speaking,”: an alternative to “in general”. It is a good habit to use a phrase like this in your summary paragraph. Note the comma..
“It is immediately evident that“:a variation of the standard “It is clear that”. Again, it is a good habit to use a phrase like this when you are writing about the main points of the chart/graph.
“Of equal note“: a useful linking phrase when you are joining two important main points.
“Among the less popular activities“:this is good writing as it explains to the reader that this paragraph is about a different topic.This is a good structure to borrow.
“In stark contrast“:this is a set phrase when you have a large contrast. Don’t overuse it, it only works for big differences.
“Likewise“: another very useful linking phrase. You use it between two sentences which are about similar ideas. Note the comma.
*** IELTS writing task 1 – process diagrams – an introduction
The 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 ends
The 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.
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 process
The 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 and look. 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 1
Find a way of organising your description
This 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 money
As 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 conclusion
This 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 description
Topic language
The 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 don’t worry too much if you can’t. It may be that the language you are given is the correct topic language and there are no, or few, variations
2. don’t copy language incorrectly. If you are given a verb, you may need to change it into a noun
Sequencing language
Some 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
once
See this download for an explanation of this language: Sequencing language for process diagrams (22046)
Passives
A 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 grapes are crushed and their stems are removed
Put 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 notes
Close Me
This 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 step is that the customer offers to pay for the goods by credit card. At that point, the merchant has to request for the payment to be authorised by the credit card organisation, which must also request authorisation in turn from the consumer’s bank. Once that authorisation has been received, the merchant can then release the goods to the customer.
The merchant, however, does not receive the money for the transaction until it has paid a fee to the credit card organisation. After that has been paid, the consumer’s issuing bank will transfer the money for the transaction to the merchant’s own bank, which will then credit the merchant’s bank account with the amount of the purchase less the credit card fee.
notes
introduction
This diagram shows the different stages in the process of making a purchase with a credit card
Simple sentence to start explaining what the diagram shows
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.
Complete the introduction by giving an overview of the process (how many steps and how many parties)
paragraphs 1 and 2 sequencing language
The first step…At that point….Once that authorisation has been received…in turn…until… After that has been paid
paragraph 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 “product”
Paragraph 2 organisation and vocabulary
The 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 credit
*** Describing a natural process in task 1 writing
If 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.
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 atmosphere
The 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.
This 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 alternative
atmosphere: no alternative
terrestrial and aquatic: either repeat the words, or if you understand them try “land and water”
primary, secondary, tertiary: these mean first, second and third level
consumers: try the word “eat” or vary it to “consume” or “consumption”
respiration: this means “breathing”
Read my sample description
This 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 description
It 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.
See the coherence
This 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 paragraph is a summary of the whole diagram
I 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 diagram
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.
I start my paragraph with a short summary like sentence that links back to the introduction paragraph
Each 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.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.
This paragraph also starts with a short summary sentence. This links back to the first paragraph and the introductory paragraph
“This”: I use the same linking technique to make sure my sentences are coherent
The pie charts compare the proportion of carbohydrates, protein and fat in three different diets, namely an average diet, a healthy diet, and a healthy diet for sport.
It is noticeable that sportspeople require a diet comprising a significantly higher proportion of carbohydrates than an average diet or a healthy diet. The average diet contains the lowest percentage of carbohydrates but the highest proportion of protein.
Carbohydrates make up 60% of the healthy diet for sport. This is 10% higher than the proportion of carbohydrates in a normal healthy diet, and 20% more than the proportion in an average diet. On the other hand, people who eat an average diet consume a greater relative amount of protein (40%) than those who eat a healthy diet (30%) and sportspeople (25%).
The third compound shown in the charts is fat. Fat constitutes exactly one fifth of both the average diet and the healthy diet, but the figure drops to only 15% for the healthy sports diet.
(164 words, band 9
The pie charts below show the average household expenditures in a country in 1950 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Average Household Expenditures by Major Category
The two pie charts give information about household expenditure on goods and services in 1950 and 2010. It is immediately obvious that there are some quite significant differences between the two charts.
In 2010 the largest proportion of expenditure was on food whereas in 1950 it was on housing, with food for just 11.2%. There is a great difference in terms of housing expenditure between the two years. In 1950 72.1% of the total household budget went towards housing, compared to only 22% in 2010.
There has been a notable increase in the amount of money spent on transportation between the two dates. In addition, the charts show a significant rise in the proportion of money spent on health care in 2010 compared to 1950.
There are some similarities, however. For example, in both 1950 and 2010 the proportion of education expenditure was roughly the same.
1. The pie charts below show electricity generation by source in New Zealand and Germany in 1980 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Electricity Generation by Source in New Zealand
Electricity Generation by Source in Germany
model answer:
The charts compare the sources of electricity in New Zealand and Germany in the years 1980 and 2010. Between these years, electricity generation almost doubled, rising from 127 units to 200 in New Zealand, and from 107 to 214 units in Germany.
In 1980 New Zealand used coal as the main electricity source (56 units) and the remainder was produced from natural gas, hydro power (each producing 30 units) and petroleum (which produced only 11 units). By 2010, coal had become the fuel for more than 75% of electricity produced and only hydro continued to be another significant source supplying approximately 20%.
In contrast, Germany used coal as a source for only 28 units of electricity in 1980, which was matched by natural gas. The remaining 49 units were produced largely from petroleum and nuclear power, with hydro contributing only 7 units. But by 2010 nuclear power, which was not used at all in New Zealand, had developed into the main source, producing almost 75% of electricity, at 155 units, while coal and petroleum together produced only 55 units. Other sources were no longer significant.
Overall, it is clear by 2010 these two countries relied on different principal fuel sources: New Zealand relied on coal and Germany on nuclear power. (210 words)
2. The two graphs show the main sources of energy in the USA in the 1980s and the 1990s.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the changes which occurred.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The two graphs show that oil was the major energy source in the USA in both 1980 and 1990 and that coal, natural gas and hydroelectric power remained in much the same proportions. On the other hand, there was a dramatic rise in nuclear power, which doubled its percentage over the ten years.
Oil supplied the largest percentage of energy, although the percentage decreased from 42% in 1980 to 33% in 1990. Coal in 1990 was the second largest source of energy, increasing its proportion to 27% from 22% in the previous decade. Natural gas, the second largest source in 1980 at 26%, decreased its share very slightly to provide 25% of America’s energy ten years later. There was no change in the percentage supplied by hydroelectric power which remained at 5% of the total energy used. Nuclear power the greatest change: in 1990 it was 10%, twice that of the 1980s. (152 words)
3. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
model answer:
In this analysis we will examine three pie charts. The first one is headed ‘World Spending.’ The second is ‘World Population’ and the third is ‘Consumption of Resources.’
In the first chart we can see that people spend most of their income (24%) on food. In some countries this percentage would obviously be much higher. Transport and then housing are the next major expenses at 18% and 12% respectively. Only 6% of income is spent on clothing.
In the second chart entitled ‘World Population’, it is not surprising to find that 57% of people live in Asia. In fact China and India are two of the most populated countries in the world and they are both situated on this continent. Europe and the Americans account for nearly 30% of the total, whilst 10% of people live in Africa.
Finally, the third chart reveals that the USA and Europe consume a huge 60% of the world’s resource.
To sum up, the major expenditure is on food, the population figures are the highest for Asia and the major consumers are the USA and Europe. (182 words)
The graph below shows the population figures of different types of turtles in India between 1980 and 2012.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The total number of all species of turtles in India has been relatively stable over the last two decades, although there were significant drops in numbers between 1987 and 1989 and again in 1992 and 1996. Since 2004 there has been an improvement in numbers of all species, although the graph shows a slight decrease in 2010.
In contrast, the population of Leatherback turtles has suffered a severe decline, particularly in 1988 when numbers fell dramatically. The rate of decline in the population appears to have slowed and it has remained relatively stable since 2009.
There was also a fall in the number of Green turtles of around 30% between 1984 and 2002. The population increased slightly in 2010 but it had dropped again by 2012.
It is only Olive Ridley turtles that have seen a steady increase in population over this period. Their numbers dropped slightly in 2007 and again in 2012 but the overall trend has been a positive one.
4. Total Value Of Exports From 2000 To 2005 - GRAPH
IELTS Writing Sample - Task 1 The graph below shows the total value of exports and the value of fuel, food and manufactured goods exported by one country from 2000 to 2005. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
How many words? Ho w long?
Solution: 1
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The graphs show the relation between the total value of exports , the value of fuel, food and manufactured goods exported between the period 2000 and 2005.
The first graph represents the value of total exports between the years 2000 and 2005. The total exports were 300000 million dollars in 2000. There was a steady decline till the total exports value reached 250000 million dollars at 2002. The value of total exports increased with a linear rate till it reach 350000 million dollars in 2003. The trend was then on a continuous rise and peaked at $420000 million in 2005.
The value of selected exports over the period from 2000 to 2005 was shown in the second graph. The value of food fluctuated slightly over the period below 10000 million dollars. The manufactured food increased from under 20000 million dollars to around $25000 million in 2002 and then dropped to 20000 million dollars in 2003 followed by a rise to a new peak in 2005.The fuel value plunged from a peak value in 2000 to a minimum value in 2005 of 20000 million dollars.
Critique+TASK ACHIEVEMENT You were able to achieve the task by describing the trends shown in the 2 graphs.+LEXICAL RESOURCEVocabulary is fairly good but wrongly used in many places in the essay.+COHERENCE AND COHESIONParagraphs are clearly organised.+GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACYCompare to the original writing.PERSONAL ADVICE: + After reading your essay, we noticed you are very weak at using prepositions.+ You shouldn't repeat the requirement "the total value of exports and the value of fuel, food and manufactured goods exported".+ Wrong "between the period 2000 and 2005" > Right: between 2000 and 2005 > Right: in the period from 2000 to 2005 > Right: in the period between 2000 and 2005 + Simple Past: > "the total exports value reach 250000 million dollars at 2002" -> "the total exports value reached 250000 million dollars in 2002" > "it reach 350000 million dollars at 2003" -> "it reached 350000 million dollars in 2003" (preposition "in") + Missing article: "increased with linear rate" -> "increased with a linear rate" + "The trend was then continuously rise": you are using 2 verbs in the same sentence. -> "the trend was then on a continous rise"
+ Strange expression "into a new peak at 2005" -> "peaked at 420000 in 2005" + Wrong "in the range below 10000 million dollars" + Unnecessary to say "from a value under" -> "from under ... to ..." + Wrong "fell into 20000 million dollars" Example: he fell into a big well in the garden.
Solution: 2
The two graphs provide information about the value of exports of a country in the period between years 2000 and 2005.
The first graph shows the total value the country exported, whereas the second graph covers fuel, food and manufactured goods. It can be seen that the total value was shrinking from 2000 to 2002. In 2002, the numbers changed rapidly and the total export value started to grow. The most remarkable point of the graph is the year 2005, because in that year the country exported more than twice the value it exported in 2000. Other facts worth noticing are the amounts of selected good that were exported. We can see that the value of exported food was very stable from 2000 to 2005 - approximately 4 000 million of dollars. The country exported the greatest value of fuel in 2000 and then the numbers were falling steadily until 2005. The value of exported manufactured goods was rising from 2000 to 2002, then falling and then rising again from 2003 to 2005.
Critique
+TASK ACHIEVEMENT You were able to achieve the task by describing the trends shown in the 2 graphs.+LEXICAL RESOURCEVocabulary is very good and used properly.+COHERENCE AND COHESIONParagraphs are clearly organised. +GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACYCompare to the original writing.PERSONAL ADVICE: + You can remove the comma in this sentence: "The most remarkable point ... 2005, because in that year". For example: "He failed the subject because he was too lazy" + If you can just add a short summary your essay would be really great.
IELTS Writing Sample - Task 1 The graph below shows the proportion of the population aged 65 and over between 1940 and 2040 in three different countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main feature and make comparisons where relevant.
Solution: 1
The graph compares percentages of population of people with the age of 65 and over in Japan, Sweden, and the USA between 1940 and 2040. It can be clearly seen that there are upward trends in the number of people in all of the countries during that period.
As we can see, the proportion of elderly people was the highest in the USA with 8%, and the least in Japan, which was %5 of all the Japanese population, in 1940. On the other hand, in the next century (2040), it is predicted that the proportion of elderly people in the USA will reversely be the least, with 23% of the total population, and Japan will the country with the highest population of senior people. Sweden stood at the middle in both 1940 and 2040 with the population of people aged 65 and over of 7% and 25% respectively.
In conclusion, the percentages of people in the age range in these three countries are significantly rising from 1940 to 2040.
Critique
+TASK ACHIEVEMENTYou were able to achieve the task by summarising the key ideas.+LEXICAL RESOURCEVocabulary is not good and you have not demonstrated your ability in using a wide range of vocabulary.
+COHERENCE AND COHESIONYou should improve your essay's structure. +GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACYCompare to the original writing.PERSONAL ADVICE: + "with 65 age" is wrong -> "with the age of 65 and over."+ "in 3 Asian, European, and American (Japan, Sweden, and USA respectively)" is wrong.We can understand you wanted to say the continents in which the countries are located but it's not what people normally use.+ "this years" is wrong: this is for singular nouns and "years" is plural.+ "upward trends in changes of the number" is repeating the idea > "upward trends" already means changes > then you use "in changes" -> wrong. + "the people aged 65 and over are the most in USA" doesn't sound right. > the people are ... : when you are giving definition but actually you mean the proportion. > you were talking about 1940 so you shouldn't have used "are". + "On the other hand, according to the graph," is grammatically correct but sounds odd. > You should use one of them not both. + "the 65 age and over people in USA reversely will the least" is not a complete sentence. > "will the least" is wrong: after "will", you should use a bare infinitive. For example: you will be my best friend. + You should have used "the USA" instead of only "USA". + "with the 23%" is wrong > with 23% of the total population. + "both in 1940 and 2040" is inappropriate. > if you want to use "in" after "both", you should write "both in 1940 and in 2040". > or you can write: "in both 1940 and 2040". + "the amount of 65 age and over individuals" is totally wrong. > "the amount" is only used for uncountable nouns such as water or sugar. > "individuals" is a countable word here. + "they are increasing from the least to the most in Japan" is not correct. + "the most" should be accompanied by an adjective normally. + You should use less parentheses.
Solution: 2
The line graph above reveals data about the percentage of people at the age of 65 and older in Sweden, Japan and the USA, over a century between 1940 and 2040.
Overall, what stands out from the graph is that there were and will be steady upward trends in the proportion of elderly people in both Sweden and the United States, whilst in Japan, people will witness a substantial rise by the end of the period in question.
Looking at the details, as regards the USA, the percentage began at approximately 9% in 1940, then there was a significant increase to nearly 15% in the next forty years wherein it has fluctuated between 15% and 14%. Following this, projections show that there will be a sharp increase, finishing at about 23% in 2040. If we look at Sweden, the trend is similar. Having
started at around 7% in 1940, there has been then a gradual improvement to exactly 20% by 2012. However, this was followed by a decline to roughly 17% in the second half of 2020. There will be then a leap to 25% in 2040.
By contrast, the figure of Japan differs a bit. Having fluctuated between 5% and 3% throughout the first 70 years, the rate of people aged 65 and over will surge to approximately 25% by 2030, and then there will be a negligible increase to somewhere about 27% in 2040 being the peak level of elderly people in Japan during the whole period.
Critique
+TASK ACHIEVEMENTYou were able to achieve the task by summarising the key ideas of the graph.
+LEXICAL RESOURCEVocabulary is excellent and you have demonstrated your ability in using a wide range of vocabulary.
+COHERENCE AND COHESIONVery well organised structure of the essay.
+GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACYCompare to the original writing.
PERSONAL ADVICE: + Very good introduction. You clearly mentioned the main features of the graph without repeating the requirement + "Japan will have witnessed" -> "Japan will witness": future perfect is normally used with time clauses. + "the percentage in Japan will have witnessed a substantial rise": No, it's not the percentage that will witness. It's a number not a person. + "at which point it has fluctuated between 15% and 14%": no, it's not a point in time but a period of time.
6. The graph below shows the differences in wheat exports over three different areas.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The three graphs of wheat exports each show a quite different pattern between 1985 and 1990. Exports from Australia declined over the five-year period, while the Canadian market fluctuated considerably, and the European Community showed an increase.
In 1985, Australia exported about 15 millions of tonnes of wheat and the following year the number increased by one million tonnes to 16 million. After that, however, there was a gradual decline until 1989 and 1990 when it stabilised at about 11 million tonnes. Over the same period, the amount of Canadian exports varied greatly. It started at 19 million tonnes in 1985, reached a peak in 1988 of 24 million, dropped dramatically in 1989 to 14 million tonnes and then climbed back to 19 million in 1990. Seventeen million tonnes were exported from the European Community in 1985, but this decreased to 14 million tonnes in 1986 and then rose to 15 million in 1987 and 1988 before increasing once more to 20 million in 1990. (165 words)
7. The graph below gives information about international tourist arrivals in five countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The graph shows the overall numbers of tourist arrivals in five countries between 1995 and 2010. In 1995 over 70 million tourists visited the United States, more than twice as many as the next most popular destination shown, France. However, between 2005 and 2010 there was a decrease of approximately 1,500,000 in the numbers going to the United States whereas there was an increase of nearly 20 million tourists visiting France. The result was that in 2010 the number of tourists arriving in the United States and France was almost equal at around 90 million each.
The number of tourists visiting Malaysia rose steadily over the whole period but by 2010 the total was still under 50 million. The countries with the fewest tourist arrivals were Brazil and Egypt. The number of tourists going there was similar between 1995 and 2000 but after that there was a greater increase in tourists going to Egypt than to Brazil.
(157 words)
8. The graph below shows the unemployment rates in the US and Japan between March 1993and March 1999.
Write a short report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
model answer:
According to the results of the labor-force research published recently, the following conclusions can be drawn from it:
In March, 1993, United States had seven percent of their workforce which might not seem disastrous until compared with Japan, where 2.5% were unemployed. However, the unemployment rate in United States began declining slowly since March 1993, and reached 5% mark in the middle of 1996. Japan turned out to be less lucky, as their unemployment rate doubled in three years. From then on, the percentage of unemployed workforce in United States remained roughly the same — about 5% until March 99, although there were minor falls and rises in the unemployment rate.
As for Japan, the percentage of unemployed fell rapidly by 0.5—0.6% after March 1996, but from summer 1996 and onwards it grew steadily and without any falls to reach 5.0% boundary in March 1999.
The major conclusion that I’ve drawn using the graph, is that number of unemployed in USA decreased by about 2.0% in the course of six years, while in Japan it actually increased by 2.5% percent. As a result, in March 99, both Japan and US had about 5% of their work force unemployed. (198 words)
EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 7
“This is a good account of the information presented in the graph, although occasionally the organisation of the data is slightly unusual. The writer grasps all the key points, however, and supports these with figures, before providing a summary of the main points. Sentence structures are more than adequate, although the writer has some problems with the use of tenses and prepositions. There are minor examples of unsuitable register (e.g. ‘turned out’,
‘disastrous’, and one contracted verb form), but as there are only a few instances of this, the candidate has not been penalised.”
9. The graph below shows radio and television audiences throughout the day in 1992.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
model answer 1:
The blue graph shows the television audiences throughout the day. It shows that the percentage of audiences is three percent in early morning but it gradually rises unto ten percent at 8:00 am and maintains the same for the next two hours. There is a slight fall in percentage in next two hours however after that it raises sharp unto twenty percent within the next two hours. After this the graph rises very fast and attains its peak at 10 pm which is about forty five percent. The graph gradually falls down and at 2:00 am it is at five percent. The red graph shows the percentage for radio audiences. Unlike the television one the peak percentage of the radio audiences is at 8:00 am which is about 30 percent. Then it gradually falls and it corresponds with the television one at two pm. After that it gradually falls but with a small increase in percentage at 4:30 to 6:00 pm. The percentage of audience then gradually goes down and at four AM it is the lowest which is near 2 percent. These graphs prove the progressive popularity of television.
(191 words)
EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 7
“The answer deals well with both the individual media trends and the overall comparison of these trends. The opening could be more fully developed with the inclusion of information relating to the groups studied and the period of time during which the study took place. There is a good variety of cohesive devices and the message can be followed quite easily although the expression is sometimes a little clumsy. Structures are complex and vocabulary is varied but there are errors in word forms, tense and voice though these do not impede communication.”
10. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with a word or phrase from the box below.
steadily hovering trend meanwhile
rocketed fluctuated peak plummeted
period
The chart shows the average daily viewing figures for Channel One News over a 12-month period. The figure for the 1pm News remained fairly stable, hovering at around 1.3 million throughout the year. The figure for the 6pm News began the year at 4.8 million. It fluctuated,
but the general trend was downwards, and it ended the year at 3.4 million.
The figure for the 9:30 News gradually increased from 3.2 million viewers per day in January to a peak of 3.8 million in May. However, this month saw the introduction of the 11pm News, and the figure for the 9:30 News plummeted, hitting a low-point of 1.1 million in August. In the same period, the figure for the 11pm news rocketed from 0.2 million to 4.1 million. At this point, the trend reversed. From August onwards, the figure for the 9:30 news grew steadily, reaching 3 million by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the figure for the 11pm News declined sharply, and in December fell below the 1 million mark.
1. The graph below compares the number of visits to two new music sites on the web.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words. 20min.
model answer 1:
The graph shows the number of hits to two new music sites on the web, measured in thousands over a period of fifteen days. As far as Music Choice is concerned, the number of visits to the Site fluctuated between 20,000 and 40,000 in the first eleven days, except for Day 3 when they reached 60,000. By contrast, visits to the Pop Parade Site fell erratically from approximately 120,000 hits on Day 1 to around 40,000 on Day 7.
Between days 11 and 15 visits to Music Choice fluctuated dramatically, hitting a peak of over 120,000 on Day 14. Despite a drop to less than 40,000 hits, Pop Parade Saw a huge increase in the number of hits between Days 9 and 11, reaching a total of over 150,000 hits on Day 11. At the end of the fifteen-day period the number of hits to Pop Parade peaked at around 170,00, whereas those for Music Choice Showed a marked decline to around 70,000. (163 words)
model answer 2:
The graph shows people using new music places on the Internet in fifteen days period of time namely personal choice and trendy pop music.
The overall trend shows fluctuation with slight Increased towards the end of the period.
Starting with Music Choice websites; 40,000 poeple went on this new site on first-day. Half of them backed out the next day. In Contrast to this Pop Parade net sites were visited by 120,000 music lovers on day one which decreased slightly on the next day thereafter regaining the same fame on 3rd day.
After 3rd day the enthusiasm for both music lines on Internet dropped slowly- reaching maximum fall of 40,000 on 7th day. Whereas Music choice gained popularity, slightly Improoving to get the original strength of 30,000 viewers on screen, but was getting still less visiters than their opponent Pop group i.e. 40,000 on day 7.
In the biegining of the next week both gained remarkable recovery after a few fluctuations for 8th and 9th day having 40,000 and 50,000 visiters respectively, reaching to their peaks of one and a half thousand new viewers for Pop Parade on 11th day showing a contrast of very few people visiting Music choice for the same day. Thereafter Music choice gained popularity on 12th day for having more than 120,000 new visiters on web.
In the end of the period Pop sites were visited by maximum viewers of 180,000 whereas sites located to Music choice were not explored by more than 80,000 explorers on the last day of the report. (257 words)
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 6 score. Here is the examiner's comment:
Well organized with some good linking devices and collocations (gain popularity, remarkable recovery, decrease slightly) and some valid comparison of the music sites. However, some sentences are long and confusing (paragraph 5), some collocations are inaccurate (slight increased, reaching to their peaks) and there is some repetition (7th day, 3rd day, 11 th day). Some words are spelt incorrectly (poeple, Improoving, visiters, biegining).
The diagram shows the consumption of renewable energy in the USA from 1949-2008.
Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer identifying the main trends and making comparisons where relevant.
Model Answer
The line graph shows growth in the consumption of renewable energy during the period 1949-2008 in the USA. The results are also broken down by source.
The first thing to note is that renewable energy use more than doubled over the period, with particularly strong growth in biofuels. This sector did not exist in 1980 but experienced a steep rise during the 2000s to over one quadrillion Btu per year. This made biofuels a serious challenger to both wood and hydroelectric power, which both saw only limited growth overall. The former grew steadily between 1975 and 1985, but then slipped back to around its original level of 1.8 quadrillion Btu. The latter began the period at the same level as wood but experienced more substantial growth. However, it also fell back to around 2 quadrillion Btu, with a particularly sharp drop in the late 1990s.
Finally, wind power emerged late in the period but showed a gradual rise to around 0.5 quadrillion Btu, suggesting that it, along with biofuels, will replace wood and hydroelectricity as the main sources of renewable every in the future.
(184 words, IELTS 8.0)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task achievement: The model answer describes the overall trend first, followed by an analysis of the different energy sources. Numerical evidence is used sparingly to illustrate the trends. The main trends are used as the basis of a prediction in the final sentence.
2. Factors Affecting Work Performance – BAR CHART***
IELTS Writing Sample - Task 1
The bar chart below shows the results of a survey conducted by a personnel department at a major company. The survey was carried out on two groups of workers: those aged from 18-30 and those aged 45-60, and shows factors affecting their work performance.Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
Solution 1:
The bar chart indicates a survey on two different age groups on the factors contributing to make their environment pleasant for working.
These factors are divided into external and internal factors. The internal factors are team spirit, competent boss, respect from colleagues and job satisfaction. The external factors are chance for personal development, job security, promotional prospects and money.
On the internal factors above 50% in both age groups agreed that team spirit, competent boss and job satisfaction are essential to make their environment pleasant. Whereas on the external factors, there are contrasting results. On the chance for personal development and promotional aspects, 80% to 90% of the younger groups were in favor while only less than 50%
of the older group thought so. A similar pattern is also noted on job security. With regards to money, 69% to 70% on both age group said it is essential.
In conclusion, the internal factors have similar responses from the two age groups while they had dissimilar responses on the external factors.
(170 words)
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7 score. Here is the examiner's comment:
The information contained in the bar chart has been described accurately and concisely and follows a clear progression. There is a clear introduction followed by effective comparisons between the age groups and a valid conclusion. Good formulaic phrases (the bar chart indicates, these factors are divided), although the candidate uses the same language to describe the factors in the bar chart and does not attempt to rephrase them in any way.
Solution 3:
The bar chart shows various factors that have impacts on work performance of two different age groups 18-30 and 45-60.
Money seemed to have the same effect on the two age groups which contributed around 70% of work performance. Likewise, 60% of work performance can be achieved through team spirit on both the young age group and the middle age group. Surprisingly, work environment contributed as few as 30% on both groups. Next, chance for personal development seemed to be significantly important for the group of people aged 18-30; whereas for the middle age group, it contributed only half of the work performance of the young age group with 40%. Similarly, young people surveyed had a higher level of work performance in a relaxed working environment but this didn't improve much the work performance of the middle aged people. Having competent managers played a fairly important role in improving the work performance of both of the two age groups with 50%.
The bar chart shows the relative electricity consumption and cost per year of various household devices.
Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer explaining the data and making comparisons where relevant.
Model Answer
The bar chart compares the energy consumption and expense of operating 16 different items of household equipment. Overall, we can see significant differences in both cost and consumption.
To begin with, there are some common household items which consume relatively little energy. These include an electric blanket (approx. $10 or 100kwh/year), a microwave oven (approx. $15 or 150kwh/year) and a television (approx. $17 or 170kwh/year).
By contrast, devices that might be classified as ‘luxury’ items such as a pool pump or spa are comparatively expensive and energy-intensive, at nearly $125 or 1500kwh/year and around $190 or 2225kwh/year respectively.
It is interesting to note that even among household items normally considered alike, such as a microwave and refrigerator, there are enormous discrepancies in cost and energy use. The former uses only around $15 or 150kwh/year, while the latter consumes at least six times that amount at $90 or 1150kwh/year.
In conclusion, it appears that there is no clear pattern in the relative energy consumption of domestic equipment, although households had better be aware of the high running costs of luxury items such as a pool pump and spa.
(187 words, IELTS 8.5)
3. The chart below shows information about the challenges people face when they go to live in other countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The chart shows the challenges people face when they settle in a new country and how the challenges vary according to people’s ages.
The most challenging aspect for young people aged 18 to 34 is making new friends, a problem experienced by 46% of the people in this age group. However, only 36% of 35 - 54 year olds find it hard to make friends, while even fewer people over 55 (23%) have this problem.
54% of the older age group finds learning the local language the biggest obstacle when settling. In comparison, the youngest age group finds this easier, and the percentage of people who have problems learning the language is much lower, at only 29%.
In contrast to their language-learning difficulties, only 22% of people in the oldest age group have trouble finding accommodation. However, this is the second most significant problem for the other two age groups with 39% to 40% of the people in each group finding it hard.
In general, all age groups experience the same problems to some extent, but people over the age of 55 reported that they face markedly fewer challenges settling in a new country than their younger respondents. (198 words)
Model Answer
The bar chart illustrates the gross domestic product generated from the IT and Service Industry in
the UK from 1992 to 2000. It is measured in percentages. Overall, it can be seen that both increased as a percentage of GDP, but IT remained at a higher rate throughout this time.
At the beginning of the period, in 1992, the Service Industry accounted for 4 per cent of GDP, whereas IT exceeded this, at just over 6 per cent. Over the next four years, the levels became more similar, with both components standing between 6 and just over 8 per cent. IT was still higher overall, though it dropped slightly from 1994 to 1996.
However, over the following four years, the patterns of the two components were noticeably different. The percentage of GDP from IT increased quite sharply to 12 in 1998 and then nearly 15 in 2000, while the Service Industry stayed nearly the same, increasing to only 8 per cent.
At the end of the period, the percentage of GDP from IT was almost twice that of the Service Industry.
4. The chart below shows the GDP growth per year for three countries between 2007 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The chart shows the annual GDP growth for three countries from 2007 to 2010. By the year 2007 the figure for Tunisia was by far the highest at close to 6.3% per annum.This figure is double that of Ecuador and three times that of Japan on a global level.
However by 2008 this trend has changed considerably; the Japanese doubled their annual GDP over this period and there was also an increase in the GDP of Ecuador, while Tunisia fell to 4.5% per year. In 2009 and 2010, the downward trend for Tunisia continued falling to a low of 3% at the end of this period.
For Ecuador, the GDP fell sharply to just under 1.5% in the year 2009 and rose only slightly in 2010 to 2.3%. ON the other hand, for Japan, the GDP figure rose significantly throughout this time and by the year 2010 had more than matched the GDP figures for Tunisia of the year 2007. (162 words)
5. The graph below shows the changes in maximum number of Asian elephants between 1994 and 2007.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The graph shows the estimated maximum population of elephants in a range of Asian countries in both 1997 and 2004.
In most of the countries included in the graph, the population fell. This was most noticeable in Malaysia and Thailand, where the number of elephants was thought to be less than half the figure in 1997. In the former, the number of elephants dropped as low as 1000. India remained the country with by far the largest elephant population, but experienced a dramatic fall in numbers so that in 2004 there may have been as few as 7500. Despite its size, China had a very small population of at most 500 elephants by 2004.
Although the trend was downwards overall, elephant populations were thought to have remained stable in Laos and Vietnam at approximately 1200. The only country where elephants showed signs of recovering was Cambodia, where numbers may have risen by up to 200.
(155 words)
6. The chart below shows male and female fitness membership between 1970 and 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The chart shows male and female fitness membership over a thirty-year period. The vertical axis represents the number of members. The horizontal axis represents the period from 1970 to 2000.
Overall, the chart indicates that there were greater fluctuations in fitness membership among men than among women. The number of male members started the period at just over two thousand and reached highs of four thousand in 1975 and five thousand around 1995. The lowest rates were in 1985 and more recently in 2000 when the rate dipped as low as one thousand.
Female fitness membership began lower at one thousand, doubled by 1975, and then fluctuated between two and three thousand for the remainder of the period. When male rates were at their lowest, female rates were higher. This was particularly true in 1985 when over three thousand women held fitness membership.
In brief, there were marked differences in rates of male and female fitness memberships in the period covered.
(161 words)
7. The chart below shows the total number of minutes (in millions) of telephone calls in Finland, divided into three categories, from 1995 – 2004.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The chart shows the time spent by Finland’s residents on different types of telephone calls between 1995 and 2004.
Local landline calls were the highest throughout the period, rising from 12000 million minutes in 1995 to just under 17000 million in 2000. After peaking at 17000 million the following year, these calls had fallen back to the 1995 figure by 2004.
National and international landline calls grew steadily from 6000 million to 10500 million at the end of the period in question, though the growth slowed over the last two years.
There was a dramatic increase in mobile calls from 250 to 9800 million minutes. This rise was particularly noticeable between 2000 and 2004, during which time the use of mobile phones tripled.
To sum up, although local landline calls were still the most popular in 2004, the gap between the three categories had narrowed considerately over the second half of the period in question. (155 words)
8. Leisure Activities of Australian Children
IELTS Writing Sample - Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The graph below gives information about the preferred leisure activities of Australian children. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown. You should write at least 150 words.
Solution: The graph shows the preferred leisure activities of Australian children aged 5-14. As might be expected, it is clear from the data that sedentary pursuits are far more popular nowadays than active ones.
Of the 10,000 children that were interviewed, all the boys and girls stated that they enjoyed watching TV or videos in their spare time. In addition, the second most popular activity, attracting 80% of boys and 60% of girls, was playing electronic or computer games. While just under 60% of girls rated activities such as art and craft as their favorite activity in their spare time, only 35% of boys opted for creative pastimes. Bike riding, on the other hand, was almost as popular as electronic games amongst boys and, perhaps surprisingly, almost 60% of girls said that they enjoyed this too. Skateboarding was relatively less popular amongst both boys and girls, although it still attracted 35% of boys and 25% of girls.(157 words)
9. The chart below shows the number of girls per 100 boys enrolled in different levels of school education.
Write a short report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The chart shows the number of female students per 100 male students in primary, secondary and tertiary education.
On Average, more boys than girls were enrolled in school both in 1990 and 1998 in all the countries, except in tertiary education in developed countries. The number of girls per 100 boys was bigger in 1998 than in 1990 in the two country groups and in all the educational stages.
Turning to the detail, there were more boys than girls in primary and secondary education. As can be seen, developing countries saw a bigger discrepancy between the numbers of male and female students than developed countries, with the number of girls per 100 boys at 83 in 1990 and 87 in 1998 in primary education.
However, in developed countries, the balance of the two was much closer to the ideal, particularly in secondary education, with 98 girls per 100 boys in 1990 and 99 in 1998.
Regarding tertiary education, the balance was even worse than in any other levels of education in developing countries with 66 girls enrolled for every 100 boys in 1990 and 75 in 1998. On the other hand, in developing countries, the number of girls overtook that of boys at 105 per 100 boys in 1990 and 112 in 1998. (213 words)
This answer would probably exceed Band 7
10. The chart below shows the percentage of total US population aged 65 and over between 1900 and 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The chart shows the percentage of total population aged 65 and over in the U.S. between 1900 and 2000. In the year 1900 just over 4% of the population was aged over 65. However, by 1960 this figure had doubled.
The number of people aged between 75 and 84 remained fairly steady between 1900 and 1930, making up only 1-1.3% of the population. The figure began to rise more significantly in 1940 and by 1970 it had tripled to reach 3% of the population.
Although there was no change in the number of people aged 65 -74 between 1960 and 1970, the number of people aged 75 and over increased during this time. By the year 2000, 12.4% of the US population had reached the age of 65 or more, although this was slightly lower than in 1990 when it peaked at 12.6%.
The chart shows that today people in the U.S. can expect to live longer than in 1900. By the year 2000 more than 12% of the population had managed to live to the age of 65 and over compared to only 4.1% in 1900. (187 words)
11. The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying fulltime or part-time.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer 1:
The bar chart illustrates how many males and females have studied in full-time and part-time education in the following years: 1970 to 1971, 1980 to 1981 and 1990 to 1991.
It is clear that in all three time periods more people of both sexes were involved in part-time education than fulltime. Overall the number of men in fulltime education rose from approximately 100 thousand to 200 thousand, whereas the number of men in part-time education was lower in the early nineties than twenty years earlier.
As far as women are concerned, the numbers increased in both sectors of education. The number of part-time female students increased dramatically from 700 thousand to 1.2 million in the twenty year period. The amount of women in fulltime education went up more gradually from 100 thousand in 1971 to just over 200 thousand in 1991. This was similar the increase for fulltime male students.
To sum up, the number of women in both sectors increased significantly while it seems that the rate of men entering part-time education decreased a little and was fluctuating. (179 words)
model answer 2:
According to this graph, the number of men and women in farther education in Britain shows that following pattern.In the case of male, the number of male has declined slightly from about 100 thousands in 1970/71 to about 850 thousands in 1990/91. However, this figure rose back to about 850 thousands in 1990/91 from about 820 thousands in 1980/81. The proportion of full-time education has declined during this period. However, the proportion of part-time education has increased dramatically.On the other hand, in the case of female, the number of both full-time education and part-time education has increased during the period.From about 700 thousands in 1970/71, these figures rose to about 820 thousands in 1980/81, to about 1100 thousands in 1990/91.In terms of full-time education, this figure rose by about 260 to about 900 in 1990/91.On the other hand, with respect to part-time education, this figure rose dramatically between 1980/81 and 1970/71. However this figure rose slightly between 1980/81 and 1990/91. (165 words)
EXAMINER’S EXPLANATION Band 6
“The candidate has made a good attempt to describe the graphs looking at global trends and more detailed figures. There is, however, some information missing and the information is inaccurate in minor areas. The answer flows quite smoothly although connectives are overused or inappropriate, and some of the points do not link up well. The grammatical accuracy is quite good and the language used to describe the trends is well-handled. However, there are problems with expression and the appropriate choice of words and whilst there is good structural control, the complexity and variation in the sentences are limited.”
12. The chart shows student expenditure over a three-year period in the United Kingdom.Write a report for a university lecture describing the information shown below.You should write at least 150 words.
Student expenditure (aged under 26 in higher education) United Kingdom*
Percentage of total expenditure
(1) includes non-essential consumer items and credit repayments* Source: Student Income and Expenditure Survey. Department for Education and Employment.
Study these three sentences and then write three similar sentences about other parts of the chart.
1 During the period 1996 to 1999, student spent 3% less on accommodation, which fell from 23% to 20% of total expenditure.2 There was a 3% decrease in spending on accommodation, which fell from 23% to 20%.3 Spending on accommodation went down by 3% from 23% to 20%.
Using prepositions
The chart shows the changes which took place in student spending in the United Kingdom during/over the three-year period from 1996 to 1999.
Students spent 3% less on accommodation, which fell from 23% to 20% of total expenditure, and there was a 2% decrease in spending on food, bills and household goods, which fell from 20% to 18%. At the same time course expenditure went down by 3% from 10% to 7%. Children, who constituted 1% of students' expenditure in 1996, are not represented in 1999.
On the other hand, there was a 5% growth in spending on entertainment, which stood at 26%
of total expenditure in 1996 but rose to 31% in 1999. Spending on other non-essential items and credit repayments grew by 4% to make up 16% of total expenditure. Spending on essential travel went up by 3% while non-essential travel underwent a 1% fall.
Overall, with the exception of expenditure on travel, the most significant general change was a shift from/in spending on essential items to spending on non-essential items.
When only a simple table is given. There is nothing to compare at times.
In this situation pick related values and discuss them, and compare with others.
13. The table below shows the average band scores for students from different language groups taking the IELTS General Test in 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Listening Reading Writing Speaking Overall
German 6.8 6.3 6.6 6.9 6.7
French 6.3 6.1 6.5 6.6 6.5
Indonesian 6.3 6.1 6.1 6.7 6.3
Malay 6.2 6.4 6.0 6.6 6.4
model answer:
The table illustrates the breakdown of scores for the IELTS General Test in 2010. It shows separate scores for all four sections (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking), together with the overall score for students from four different language groups around the world.
From an overall perspective, German speakers achieved the highest grades with an average score of 6.7 across all four sections. Moreover, they scored the highest of all four language groups in three sections of the four sections (Listening, Writing, Speaking).
French speakers scored the second highest scores overall, closely followed by Malay and Indonesian speakers. Although French speakers did not do so well in the Reading, Speaking and Listening sections compared to Indonesian and Malay speakers, there was a significant difference in their grades for the Writing section. These grades were high relative to Indonesian and Malay candidates. Surprisingly, Malay speakers, who achieved the second lowest results overall, achieved the highest results of all four language groups for the Reading section.
As a final point, it is interesting to note that the scores for each section show that all students on average scored the highest marks for the Speaking section and the lowest marks for the Reading section. (200 words)
14. The table below shows the number of medals won by the top ten countries in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The table shows the number of medals won by the top ten countries in the London 2012 Olympic Games. The USA won greatest number of medals overall with the total of 104. They won more gold medals than silver and more medals than any other country in both categories. China had the second number of medals at 88, and like the USA, China won fewer silver medals than gold medals.
While Russia’s silver medal total was better than Great Britain’s, they did not do as well as Great Britain in the gold medals, winning just 24. In fact Great Britain had a lower overall medal total than Russia but, as the table is based on the number of gold medals won, they were placed third. Similarly, Germany was significantly more successful at winning medals than South Korea, with a total of 44 compared to South Korea’s 28, but because South Korea won two more gold medals than Germany they were ranked higher. Australia gave the worst performance in this group, winning only seven gold and sixteen silver medals.
(178 words)
15. The table below shows the monthly expenditure of an average Australian family in 1991 and 2001.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
1991 2001
Australian Dollar Per Month
Food 155 160
Electricity and Water 75 120
Clothing 30 20
Housing 95 100
Transport 70 45
Other goods and services* 250 270
Total 675 715
*Other goods and services: non-essential goods and services
model answer:
The table shows changes in the spending patterns of an average Australian household between 1999 and 2001. In general, Australian household spending was high in 2001 than in 1991 but the difference was not significant (AUD $715 per month and AUD $675 per month respectively).
The amount of monthly spending on electricity and water saw a dramatic increase over the 10-year period from $75 to $120. Yet in terms of the expenditure on non-essential goods and services, the rising trend was less obvious with a minor increase of $20. At the same time, the amount of money spent on food and housing rose only slightly from $155 to $160 and $95 to $100 respectively.
However, there was a decrease in expenditure on the other two items. Australians spent one third less on clothing, which fell from $30 to $20. Similarly, expenditure on transport dropped from $70 in 1991 to $45 in 2001.
It seems that food and “other goods and services” were the two biggest items of expenditure.
Altogether, they accounted for more than half of the total household spending. By comparison, Australians spent little on dressing up.
(188 words)
16. The take below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Underground Railways Systems
City Date opened Kilometres of routePassengers per year
(in millions)
London 1863 394 775
Paris 1900 199 1191
Tokyo 1927 155 1927
Washington DC 1976 126 144
Kyoto 1981 11 45
Los Angeles 2001 28 50
model answer:
The table shows the details regarding the underground railway systems in six cities.
London has the oldest underground railway systems among the six cities. It was opened in the year 1863, and it is already lye years old. Paris is the second oldest, in which it was opened in the year 1900. This was then followed by the opening of the railway systems in Tokyo, Washington DC and Kyoto. Los Angeles has the newest underground railway system, and was only opened in the year 2001. In terms of the size of the railway systems, London, For certain, has the largest underground railway systems. It has 394 kilometres of route in total, which is nearly twice as large as the system in Paris. Kyoto, in contrast, has the smallest system. It only has 11 kilometres of route, which is more than 30 times less than that of London.
Interestingly, Tokyo, which only has 155 kilometres of route, serves the greatest number of
passengers per year, at 1927 millions passengers. The system in Paris has the second greatest number of passengers, at 1191 millions passengers per year. The smallest underground railway system, Kyoto, serves the smallest number of passengers per year as predicted.
In conclusion, the underground railway systems in different cities vary a lot in the site of the system, the number of passengers served per year and in the age of the system.
(233 words)
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7 score. Here is the examiner's comment:
This answer selects and describes the information well. Key features are clearly identified, while unexpected differences are highlighted and illustrated. The answer is relevant and accurate with a clear overview.Information is well-organised using a good range of signals and link words. These are generally accurate and appropriate, although occasional errors occur.The writer successfully uses some less common words. There is a clear awareness of style but there are occasional inaccuracies and there is some repetition. Grammar is well-controlled and sentences are varied and generally accurate with only minor errors.
17. Complete the description of the table using an appropriate word, words or number.
reasons for shopping at ASDA supermarket no. of men no. of women
close to home 25 20
good reputation 17 22
24-hour shopping 4 0
parking facilities 21 20
friendly staff 6 6
competitive prices 14 17
The table shows the main reasons why ASDA is a popular supermarket for shoppers. The top three reasons are its location / closeness to home, its reputation and its parking facilities. Of these, the most important reason why men shop at ASDA is that the shop is close to their home – 25 men rated this as an important factor. Women, however, prefer ASDA to other supermarkets mainly because it has a good reputation / of its reputation. They rated the location of the supermarket second. A significant number of both men and women also choose to shop at ASDA because it has / of the / of its good parking facilities.
The women felt / said / thought / considered this was as important as the location of the supermarket. On the other hand, the attitude of the staff does not seem to be an important factor as only six women and six men rated this highly. Surprisingly, almost no one said they prefer to shop / shopping at ASDA because it is open 24 hours a day.
18. Rental Charges And Salaries In London
IELTS Writing Sample - Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The table below provide information on rental charges and salaries in three areas of London. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. You should write at least 150 words.
Weekly rents per property
(£/w) Salaries needed (£/year)
Area
Notting Hill
Regent's Park
Fulham
1 bed 2 bed 3 bed
375 485 738
325 450 650
215 390 600
1 bed 2 bed 3 bed
98,500 127,500 194,000
85,500 118,000 170,500
56,500 102,500 157,500
Solution:
The table shows two sets of related information: the relative cost, in pounds, of renting a property with one, two or three bedrooms in three different suburbs of London and an indication of the kind of annual salary you would need to be earning to rent in these areas.
Of the three areas mentioned, Notting Hill is the most expensive with weekly rents starting at £375 (salary approximately f 100,000) and rising to £738 per week for a 3-bedroom property. To afford this, you would require a salary in the region of £200,000 per annum. Alternatively, Fulham is the cheapest area shown with rents ranging from £215 per week for a one bedroom property to £600 per week for a 3-bedroom property. To rent in this area, salaries need to be somewhere between £85,000 and £170,000 depending on the number of bedrooms required. For those able to pay in the middle price range for accommodation, Regent's Park might be a more suitable district.
19. Consumer Spending in Five Different Countries 2002
IELTS Writing Sample - Task 1
The table below gives information on consumer spending on different items in five different countries in 2002.
Percentage of national consumer expenditure by category - 2002.
Solution 1:
The table shows the expenditure for three different categories in five countries: Turkey,Ireland,Sweden,Spain and Italy in 2002.
For the food/drinks/tobacco category, Turkey was the most spending country with the percentage of 32.14%. On the other hand, Sweden was recorded having the lowest consumption with 15.77%.
Next, in the clothing and footwear category, Italy spent with the highest amount of 9.00%, followed by Turkey with 6.63%. Sweden was the least consuming country with 5.40%. Finally, in the last category which is about leisure and education, Turkey was again the most spending country which had the consumption of 4.35% compared to the total expenditure. Lastly, Spain was cited to have the consumption of 1.98%, therefore was considered as the least spending country in the category.
In summary, Turkish people was mostly spending more in all the categories, especially in the food/drink/tobacco category. The least spending country was Sweden when compared across all the three categories.
+TASK ACHIEVEMENTYou were partially able to achieve the task by giving the details of expenditure in the 5 countries in 2002.
+LEXICAL RESOURCEVocabulary is very limited with lots of repetition.
+COHERENCE AND COHESIONParagraphs are unclear, not well organized. You need to improve your skills in using transition words.
+GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACYYou should improve your grammar skills because there were many incorrect words.
PERSONAL ADVICE+Pay more attention to avoid grammatical mistakes such as "various three categories" => "three various categories".+Wrong usage of "various" since there are only 3 categories.+Your first sentence doesn't have clear subject/verb distinction.+Wrong punctuation "It can be clearly seen,that" => "It can be clearly seen that".+It should be homegeneous in the way you use "%" and "percent". You shouldn't use "32.14%" and "15.77 percent" as written in your original essay.+"Proportion" refers to the relationship between different things or parts with respect to comparative size, number, or degree. In other words, you must have at least 2 things to compare. Therefore, you can't use it as you wrote in the essay.+"expender" is not a correct word.+The way you used linking words such as "in addition" is not appropriate.
20. The table below shows the proportion of different categories of families living in poverty in Australia in 1999.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Family typeProportion of people from eachhousehold type living in poverty
single aged person
aged couple
single, no children
couple, no children
sole parent
couple with children
all households
6% (54,000)
4% (48,000)
19% (359,000)
7% (211,000)
21% (232,000)
12% (933,000)
11% (1,837,000)
model answer:
The table gives a breakdown of the different type of family who were living in poverty in Australia in 1999.
On average, 11% of all households, comprising almost two million people, were in this position. However, those consisting of only one parent or a single adult had almost doubt this proportion of poor people, with 21% and 19% respectively.
Couples generally tended to be better off, with lower poverty levels for couples without children (7%) than those with children (12%). It is noticeable that for both types of household with children, a higher than average proportion were living in poverty at this time.
Older people were generally less likely to be poor, though once again the trend favoured eldery couples (only 4%) rather than single eldery people (6%).Overall the table suggests that households of single adults and those with children were more likely to be living in poverty than those consisting of couples.
(154 words)
21. The table below shows the sales at a small restaurant in a downtown business district.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Fulfilling the Work Experience RequirementCredits will be awarded when the final report is submitted.
Application
Choose potential workplaces from approved list and arrange interviews. Submit applications to places of interest.
Approval
When acceptance letter is received, submit itto professor for approval.
Schedule
Arrange schedule to work a minimum of 10hours/ week over 20 weeks.
Reports
Complete weekly Report Form and submit toprofessor every Friday.
Evaluation
During final workweek, participate in evaluation meeting with work supervisor. Supervisor submits Evaluation Form.
Final Report
Submit Final Report before last week of spring term.
model answer:
Gaining work experience prior to graduation helps university students to succeed in getting their first job. For this reason, some universities insist that all students must complete a Work Experience Requirement. Completing the following six stages results in the requirements’ fulfillment.
The process begins with the Application stage. A student reviews an approved list of workplaces and submits applications to places where he would like to work. Next is the Approval stage. When a student receives an acceptance letter, he gives it to the professor for approval. The third stage, Schedule, requires a student to arrange his work schedule. The student should work at least 10 hours/week over 20 weeks. Reports are next. The student must complete a Weekly Report Form and turn it in to the professor every Friday.
The fifth stage, Evaluation, takes place during the final work week. A student participates in an evaluation meeting with his work supervisor, who submits an Evaluation Form. The last stage requires that a student submit a Final Report before the last week of spring semester.
By following these stages and subsequently submitting the final report, the student receives credit from the university.
(192 words)
22. The table below shows the sales at a small restaurant in a downtown business district.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
The sales at this small restaurant during the week of October 7 to 13th followed a fairly set pattern from Monday to Friday, and then showed notable shift on the weekend. The lunch and dinner sales during the week peaked on Friday and then dipper down as the weekend set in.
During the week of October 7-14th, the lunch sales averaged at approximately $2,400. The highest lunch sales occurred on Friday, and the lowest occurred on Sunday. Sunday's lunch sales were approximately $1,000 less than the average lunch sales during the rest of the week.
Dinner sales, which generated at least $1,000 to $1,500 more a day than lunch sales, also remained steady during the week. Just like the lunch sales, the dinner sales peak on Friday and dipped down for the weekend.
Excluding Wednesday and Thursday, the lunch and dinner sales from October 7-11 rose gradually until the end of the business week. Midweek, on Wednesday and Thursday, the sales were slightly lower than they were on Tuesday.
According to the sales report, this restaurant has a steady lunch and dinner crowd. The most profitable day during the second week of October was Friday. Sunday, was the least prof¬itable day, with the full day's sales totaling/totalling less than the Friday dinner sales. These numbers are reflective of a restaurant that is located in a business/financial district where business hours are Monday through Friday.
(234 words)
23. The tables below give information about the amount of beer and fruit juice consumed per person per year in different countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Beer
Country
Amount* 1 Ireland 155 litres
2 Germany 119 litres
3 Austria 106 litres
4 Belgium 98 litres
5 Denmark 98 litres
6 United Kingdom 97 litres
7 Australia 89 litres
8 United States 85 litres
9 Netherlands 80 litres
10 Finland 79 litres
Fruit juice
Country Amount*
1 Canada 52.6 litres
2 United States 42.8 litres
3 Germany 38.6 litres
4 Austria 37.3 litres
5 Sweden 35.5 litres
6 Australia 34.4 litres
7 Finland 33 litres
8 United Kingdom 29.3 litres
9 Netherlands 28.1 litres
10 New Zealand 24.8 litres
*Litres per person per year
model answer:
The tables show the amount of beer and fruit juice consumed per person per year in countries around the world. Beer is most popular in Ireland, with the average Irish drinking 155 litres per year. Germany ranks second with 119 litres per person. In fact, the top six countries in terms of consumption of beer are all European. Australia and The United States come next in seventh and eighth positions, with Netherland and Finland consuming the least beer of the countries mentioned. Finnish people only drink an average of 79 litres of beer a year.
The country which consumes by the greatest quantity of fruit juice per capita is Canada. Canadians drink an average of 52.6 litres each a year, that’s almost double the consumption of New Zealand, which is placed at the bottom of the table. Another North American country, The United States, come second in the table, while German drinkers are ranked at number three, consuming an average of 38.6 litres annually. Swedes drink approximately the same
quantity of fruit juice as Australians, which is 35.5 litres per year. The Finnish and the British drink 33 and 29.3 litres per year respectively.
(194 words)
24. The table below gives information about Favorite Pastimes in different countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
This table clearly presents and compares favorable pastimes in eight different countries. The pastimes, across the top of the table, are analyzed in relation to each country.
As can be seen, about 60% of Canadians, Australians and Americans like watching television. On the other hand, this figure is quite low for China where only 15% of people watch television. Predictably, Americans like music at 23%, whereas only 2 to 5% of people in the other countries feel the same way. 20% of people in England enjoy sleeping as a pastime whereas in Canada and the USA, for example, the figure is only 2%. Interestingly, the Chinese like hobbies the most at 50%, as opposed to only 20% in France. It isn’t surprising that the highest percentage of beach-lovers is in Australia and the USA at 30%.
It seems that pastimes of people of different nationalities may be influenced by a number of factors such as the socio-economic situation or the climate. These factors influence cultural differences between different nationalities and make cross-cultural experiences more interesting (175 words)
25. A Project for Eiffel Tower
IELTS Writing Sample - Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.The diagrams below give information about the Eiffel Tower in Paris and an outline project to extend it underground.Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.You should write at least 150 words.
The diagram shows the planning of the underground project for Eiffel Tower.
As demonstrated, all five underground levels will be constructed with glass ceiling. The first level will be used as the entrance to the main tower. Ticket offices are also situated at the same level. Next, shops and restaurants can be found on the second level. As stated, the height of the second level is slightly more than double of the height of the first level with 115m and 57m accordingly. Speaking of the third level, it is planned to have cinemas and museums which will be equipped with all the most modern devices from around the world. Therefore, it is believed to be the place for the best cinemas and museums. Moreover, considering the fact the height of Eiffel Tower is quite significant with 324m and its weight reaches more than 10,000 tonnes; architects of this project have to be very careful in selecting appropriate materials.
Solution 2:
The Eiffel Tower is situated close to the Seine River in Paris. It is a metal structure that is 1,063 feet high and weighs 7,417 tonnes. The tower has been a tourist attraction since 1889, when it was built, and there are 1,665 steps that can be climbed in order to reach the two viewing platforms.
There are now plans to build below the foundations of the tower. These plans include the development of five underground levels that will incorporate the tower's ticket office, shopping facilities, a cinema and museum and two floors of underground parking.
Although details have yet to be finalised, the principle is that the five floors will be connected by two vertical passenger lifts on either side of the tower. In addition, the floor immediately below the tower, which is planned to house the ticket office, will also consist of a large atrium with a glass ceiling so that visitors can look directly up at the tower itself.
(162 words)
26. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram below gives the information about the Hawaiian island chain in the centre of the Pacific Ocean.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.
You should write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The Hawaiian island chain, in the centre of the Pacific Ocean, is approximately 2,700 km in length. It is formed of volcanoes and the active ones are at the south-east tip of the archipelago, where Hawaii itself is located.
It is believed that the chain began to form nearly 80 million years ago. Each island started to evolve after an eruption on the sea floor. First, a `hot spot' existed on the ocean bed, which let out a plume of material called magma. This magma may originate as deep as 2,883km below the ocean bed. Next, further eruptions took place, which built up the volcano. Eventually, it emerged above the surface of the ocean.
Since that time, the spume of magma has remained static as the Pacific tectonic plate moves in a north-west direction across it at a speed of 7-9cm per year. As it moves, a volcano forms as it passes over the hotspot and then become inactive when it has passed it.
164 words
27. The diagram below shows how a central heating system in a house works.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
model answer:
This diagram provides an overview of a domestic central heating system. It shows how the tank, boiler and pipes ensure a constant flow of hot waterto both the radiators and the taps.
The cold water enters the house and is stored in a water storage tank in the roof. From there ü flows down to the boiler, located on the ground floor of the house.
The boiler, which is fuelled by gas or oil, heats up the water as it passes through it. The hot water is then pumped round the house through a system of pipes and flows into the radiators, located in different rooms. The water circulates through the radiators, which have small tubes inside them to help distribute the heat, and this warms each of the rooms. Some of the water is directed to the taps to provide hot water for the house.
Once the water has been through the pipes and radiators, it is returned to the boiler to be re-heated and circulated round the house again.
Introduction: First sentence. Overview: Second sentence.Key features: Entry of cold water into boiler; circulation of hot waterto radiators and taps; return of waterto boiler.Supporting information: direction of flow; types of boiler; location of radiators; radiator tubesParagraph breaks: The paragraph breaks mark stages in the process.Linkers: and, from there, then, once, again Reference words: it, both, there, which, thisTopic vocabulary: enters, stored, roof, flows, ground floor, located, passes, pumped, system, circulates, heat, directed, returned, re-heatedLess common vocabulary: ensure, fuelled by, heats up, distribute the heat, warmsStructures: An appropriate mix of active and passive structures and a range of sentence types are used.
Length: 172 words
28. The following diagram shows how greenhouse gases trap energy from the Sun.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
Write at least 150 words.
Energy from the Sun reaches the Earth as heat. Some of this heat energy is subsequently/then radiated into space, while some of it is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and
reflected back to Earth. This is a natural process, but in recent decades, human activities have led to an increase in the amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which is now trapping too much heat.
One of the main greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, and extra quantities of this are released/have been released into the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels as a source of energy in power stations, factories and homes. Exhaust gases from cars and lorries result in/have resulted in further emissions of carbon dioxide.
Plants serve to remove some of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by absorbing it through their leaves. However, as large areas of forest are (being) felled/have been felled in the Amazon and elsewhere, less carbon dioxide is removed in this way.
29. The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
model answer:
The first potential location (S1) is outside the town itself, and is sited just off the main road to the town of Hindon, lying 12 kms to the north-west. This site is in the countryside and so would be able to accommodate a lot of car parking. This would make it accessable to shoppers from both Hindon and Garlsdon who could travel by car. As it is also close to the railway line linking the who towns to Cransdon (25 km to the south-east), a potentially large number of shoppers would also be able to travel by train.
In contrast, the suggested location, S2, is right in the town centre, which would be good for local residents. Theorically the store could be accessed by road or rail from the surrounding towns, including Bransdon, but as the central area is a no-traffic zone, cars would be unable to park and access would be difficult.
Overall, neither site is appropriate for all the towns, but for customers in Cransdon, Hindon and Garlsdon, the out-of-town site (S1) would probably offer more advantages.
(179 words)
30. The flowchart illustrates the production of coloured plastic paper clips in a small factory.
Write a report for a university tutor describing the production process.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer:
There are four main stages in the production of plastic paper clips from this small factory. Two of these stages involve actual preparation of the clips, while the other two consist of quality control before the clips are sent out from the factory to the retailers to be sold to the public.
To begin with, molten plastic is poured into three different moulds depending on the colour required; the colours are red, blue and yellow. Once these clips emerge from the moulds a quality control machine checks them for strength. Unsatisfactory clips are rejected. In the third stage in the process the clips are stored by hand into two groups, mixed and single colours. When this stage is complete the groups are checked a second time to ensure that the colour mixtures are divided correctly into single colours and mixed colour batches. Finally, the clips are packed and dispatched to the markets. (152 words)
The illustration below shows the process of tying a bow tie.
Write a report explaining to a university lecturer how to tie his bow tie.
The diagram illustrates how to knot a bow tie in eight stages.
To begin with, the tie should be placed around the neck, with one end slightly longer than the other. Then place the longer end over the other and pass it upwards and behind the point where the two ends cross.
Next, take the other end of the tie and bend it twice to form an ‘S’ shape. Bring the longer end down and in front, so that it holds the ‘S’ curve in place. Now comes the trickiest part of the process. Take the long end of the tie and form a similar ‘S’ shape before passing it through the narrow gap behind the other end. This creates a knot and the bow should now be held securely in place.
Finally, adjust both sides of the bow to make it symmetrical and prepare to be the envy of your friends.
(152 words, IELTS 9.0)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 9 score?
Task achievement: The model answer fully satisfies all requirements of the task by describing each stage in the process.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer uses a range of sequencing expressions to describe the order in which the actions should be carried out. The answer is divided into several paragraphs for ease of understanding, with the inclusion of a general sentence – Now comes the trickiest part of the process – to aid coherence.
Lexical resource: A range of appropriate vocabulary is introduced, including action verbs such as knot, bend, pass and adjust.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The correct forms – imperatives, modals – are used to give instructions. Sentence patterns vary and are always grammatically accurate.
The diagram below illustrates the carbon cycle in nature.
Write a 150-word description of this diagram for a university lecturer.
The diagram shows how carbon moves through various stages to form a complete cycle. This report will give a brief description of the main stages in this cycle.
First, we can see that energy from the sun is transformed into organic carbon through a process in plants known as photosynthesis. This organic carbon is then transferred underground when plants, and the animals that feed on them, die and decay. Some of this carbon is trapped underground in the form of fossils and fossil fuels.
Carbon is also released back into the atmosphere, however, through various means. One is when animals and plants respire, and another is when humans burn fossil fuels in cars and factories. All this carbon enters the atmosphere as CO2. It is then reabsorbed by plants, and the cycle begins again.
Overall, we can see that carbon moves in a natural cycle, although human factors may now be affecting the balance. (154 words, IELTS 8.0)
Task achievement: The model answer selects and describes most components of the diagram except for waste products and ocean uptake. There is an overall description of the cycle followed by a clearly sequenced and divided description of the stages. The summary identifies something noteworthy about the diagram. The length is sufficient.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer is divided into clear paragraphs with a logical separation between the body paragraphs and connective markers first, then, however, and overall. There is a general overview in
paragraph 1 and a summary in paragraph 4. Referencing techniques such as ellipsis (one is…) are used to avoid over-repetition of key words.
Lexical resource: The writer makes good use of the language in the diagram and is also able to change forms in the case of respiration > respire. The writer also introduces a range of verbs for describing a process or cycle such as transform, transfer and release.
The diagram shows how electricity is generated by a hydroelectric dam.
Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer explaining how the process works.
The diagram illustrates the basic principles of hydroelectric power. The process requires the construction of a large dam connected to a powerhouse. The dam creates a large reservoir and the powerhouse is where the electricity is generated.
First of all, water trapped in the reservoir behind the dam is forced through an intake. It then flows into a narrow chamber called a penstock, where the resulting high pressure turns a turbine. The turbine is connected to a generator in the powerhouse above, and this is where the movement of the turbine is converted into electricity. The resulting electricity leaves the powerhouse via cables that carry it over long distances to where it can be used.
It is interesting to note that a hydroelectric dam creates no harmful byproducts and relies entirely on natural forces to produce electricity. After the turbine stage, water flows out through a second channel and into a river. The process is renewable, thanks to the water cycle in nature. (163 words, IELTS 8.0)
The diagram shows the skeletal systems of two ancestors of modern human beings.Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer describing the diagram and making comparisons where relevant.
Variations in the skeletal systems of two early types of human are illustrated in this diagram. Overall, we can see that australopithecus afarensis had a heavier body and much longer arms, while homo erectus was slimmer and had more developed joints.
To begin with the upper half of the body, australopithecus afarensis had a much broader chest and waist than homo erectus, giving it a rounder appearance. The former had much longer arms and larger hands, which would have been useful for climbing trees.
As for the lower half of the body, we can see that homo erectus had proportionately longer legs and larger hip, knee and ankle joints. The feet of homo erectus were also smaller and more arched, with shorter toes. These differences meant that homo erectus was better suited to long-distance running.
In conclusion, we can see significant changes in the development of early humans from the diagram. Homo erectus is more similar to contemporary human beings with its long legs and arched feet. The physical differences are clearly related to differences in the lifestyles of tree climbers and endurance runners.
(183 words, IELTS 8.0)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task achievement: The model answer selects only the most important information from the diagram and uses this to make several direct comparisons. The physical differences are clearly connected to the description of
each creatures’s lifestyle, providing a very rounded answer. The length is sufficient.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer is divided into clear paragraphs with a logical separation between the body paragraphs. There is a general overview in paragraph 1 and a summary in paragraph 4. A reference link, the former, is used to avoid over-repetition of the names of the creatures.
Lexical resource: The model answer adds more vocabulary not in the diagram such as lifestyle, proportionately, suited, appearance and contemporary. There are also attempts to paraphrase such as wide > broad and endurance > long-distance.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The model answer uses comparative structures accurately. The temptation to list all the features in repetitive structures is avoided. A variety of grammatical devices are used to extend sentences, including with, which and -ing clauses.
31. The bar chart below shows the estimated sales of jeans for two companies next year in Turkey.
The pie chart shows the projected market share of the two companies in jeans at the end of next year.
Write a short report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
Write at least 150 words.
model answer 1:
The bar chart shows the estimated sales of jeans in thousands of pairs for two companies in Turkey next year.
It is anticipated that purchases of jeans at Mango Co. will rise from 150,000 pairs in January to approximately 500,000 pairs in August, and will remain there until November. For December,
sales are expected to be in the region of 600,000 pairs.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that the sales of jeans for Jack & Jones Co. will begin the year at around 450,000 pairs in January, falling to about 250,000, before increasing to around 400,000 in June. For the next two months until August, sales are forecast to remain steady at this level, after which they are expected to rise steadily to hit a peak of approximately 900,000 pairs in December.
The pie chart shows that, at the end of next year, the anticipated market share for Mango Co. and Jack & Jones Co. is 20% and 30% respectively.
As can be seen from the chart, the overall sales trends for both companies are forecast to be upwards.
(178 words)
model answer 2:
The bar chart shows the predicted sales of jeans in thousands of pairs for two companies in Turkey; Mango Co. and Jack & Jones Co. for next year.
The most striking feature is that sales will increase for both companies, It is anticipated that sales of Jack & Jones Co. will start at 450,000 pairs in January decreasing by 200,000 pairs following month with a gradual recover over the subsequent four months reaching 400,000 pairs in June. Those of Jack & Jones Co. are predicted to be stable until August picking up to 600,000 pairs in September and October.
Sales of Jack & Jones will reach a pick of 900,000 in December, For those of Mango Co. is forecasted a gradual increase with the largest sale of 600,000 pairs in December. In the beginning of the next year those of Mango Co. will stand at 150,000 pairs falling back to 100,000 pairs in February, rising steadily to 250,000 in June, In subsequent months sales will reach 450,000 pairs increasing to 500,000 pairs in August, staying stable until November,
Regarding the pie chart the sales of Jack & Jones Co. will share 30% of market whereas those of Mango Co. 20%. 50% of market is set to be shared by other companies.
(211 words)
This answer would probably exceed Band 8
32. The table below shows CO2 emissions for different forms of transport in the European Union.
The Pie Chart shows the percentage of European Union funds being spent on different forms of transport.
You should write at least 150 words.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
model answer:
The chart shows CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre for variuos methods of transport in the European Union while the pie chart shows European Union spending on transport. Flying
by air produces by far the greatest CO2 emissions, approximately three times as much as passenger cars which are the next largest producers. Very little is spent by the EU on air travel while roads make up more than half of the EU transport budget.
Trains produce about three times less CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre than passenger cars and eight times less than air travel. Nearly a third of EU transport funds are spent on railways.
Ships are a clean form of transport and produce about the same amount of CO2 per passenger kilometre as trains do. However, only 2 percent of EU funds are spent on ports. A further one percent is spent on inland waterways.
Coaches are the cleanest form of transport. Emissions of CO2 per passenger kilometre from coaches are half those of buses. Buses emit less than half as much CO2 per passenger kilometre as cars. The European Union spends 10 percent of its transport budget on public transport, such as buses and coaches.
(197 words)
33. The charts below show the percentage of their food budget the average family spent on restaurant meals in different years. The graph shows the number of meals eaten in fast food restaurants and sit-down restaurants.
You should write at least 150 words.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
model answer:
Over the past 30 years, the average family has dramatically increased the number of meals that they eat at restaurants. The percentage of the family's food budget spent on restaurant meals steadily climbed. Just 10 percent of the food budget was spent on restaurant meals in 1970, and 15 percent in 1980. That percentage more than doubled in 1990, to 35 percent, and rose again in 2000 to 50 percent.
Where families eat their restaurant meals also changed during that 30-year period. In 1970, families ate the same number of meals at fast food and sit-down restaurants. In 1980, fam¬ilies ate slightly more frequently at sit-down restaurants. However, since 1990, fast food restaurants serve more meals to the families than do the sit-down restaurants. Most of the restaurant meals from 2000 were eaten at fast food restaurants. If this pattern continues, eventually the number of meals that families eat at fast food restaurants could double the number of meals they eat at sit-down restaurants.
(164 words)
34. The graph below shows the demand for electricity in England during typical days in winter and summer. The pie chart shows how electricity is used in an average English home.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
model answer:
The Demand for electricity in England during typical days in winter and summer is illustrated in the graph. The use of electricity in an average English home is shown in the pie chart. From the graph it is generally obvious that the demand is in its maximum around 2100 in winter times and in its minimum around 400 being almost constant between 1200 and 2100 in winter times. During summer times on the other hand the demand reaches its top point around 1300 and the bottom point around 900 being almost constant between 1550 and 2000.
In wither times the curve gradually increases to reach 40000 units of electricity by 3 o’clock in the morning. This is followed by gradual decline to its lowest limit of 30000 units at 9 o’clock. A gradual rise is obvious again to reach a stationary level between 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock of about 40000 units again. Then there is a sharp rise in the next hour to reach its maximum before collapsing again to a lower level by the end of the day.
In summer time the curve gradually decrease to reach its lower limit around 9 o’clock of a bit
more that 10000 units. A gradual increase is noticed to reach its top of 20000 after which a stationary phase is obvious between 3 o’clock and 10 o’clock at night of about 15000 units.
The pie chart on the other hand shows that 52.5% of the electricity is used for heating rooms and water. 17.5% is consumed for ovens kettles and washing machines 15% is used in lighting TV and radio and finally 15% is consumed in the sue of vacuum cleaners food mixtures and electric tools.
(285 words)
This answer would probably exceed Band 6
35. The graph and table below give information about water use worldwide and water consumption in two different countries.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Country Population Irrigated land Water consumption per person
Brazil 176 million 26,500 km² 359 m³
DemocraticRepublicof Congo
5.2 million 100 km² 8 m³
model answer:
The graph shows how the amount of water used worldwide changed between 1900 and 2000.
Throughout the century, the largest quantity of water was used for agricultural Purposes, and this increased dramatically from about 500 km³ to around 3,000 km³ in the year 2000. Water used in the industrial and domestic sectors also increased, but consumption was minimal until mid-century. From 1950 onwards, industrial use grew steadily to just over 1,000 km³, while domestic use rose more slowly to only 300 km³, both far below the levels of consumption by agriculture.
The table illustrates the differences in agriculture consumption in some areas of the world by
contrasting the amount of irrigated land in Brazil (26,500 km³) with that in the D.R.C. (100 km²). This means that a huge amount of water is used in agriculture in Brazil, and this is reflected in the figures for water consumption per person: 359 m³ compared with only 8 m³ in the Congo. With a population of 176 million, the figures for Brazil indicate how high agriculture water consumption can be in some countries.
(180 words)
36. In June 1996, an experimental flu vaccine was trialled in a large country town on females only.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
model answer:
The diagrams show data for a flu epidemic which hit a large country town in 1996. Figure 1 gives the number of persons who died; Figure 2 shows the percentage breakdown of females who received a new flu vaccine; and Figure 3 gives the number of cases of flu before and during the epidemic.
In Figure 1 it can be seen that the flu was responsible for the deaths of 2 females but no males in the period from March to May. However, from June to August, there were 4 female deaths and 1 male death.
According to the pie chart in Figure 2, only those females most at risk were given the new flu vaccine; 28% did not take part in the trial. Of those females who took part, 35% were aged (over 65 years old); 24% were babies or children; and 13% were either hospitalised or receiving other medical attention.
From Figure 3 it is clear that the new vaccine had a positive effect on the number of new cases of flu reported in females. There were just over 1000 cases reported in March, climbing rapidly to a peak of 3500 in June. Thereafter, the number of cases dropped slowly to about 2800 in August, before levelling off at 2500 for the rest of the year. For males, the figures were lower but showed a similar trend throughout the epidemic.
(232 words)
37. The charts A and B show the share of the UK and Australian cinema market in 2001 and cinema admission in the UK and Australia from 1976 to 2006.
Write a report for a university lecture describing the information shown below.
You should write at least 150 words.
Sources: Admission data: BFI, Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA).
Vocabulary in the reportRead this sample report and fill each space by choosing one of the words in the box.
accountedcompareddroppedstoodfell
increasedopposedpredominatedrecovered
Chart (A) shows the cinema industry’s share of the Australian and UK cinema market by origin in 2001. In both countries, films made in the United States predominated with 77% of the market in the UK compared to 67% in Australia. UK films accounted for 21% of the UK cinema market and 6% of the Australian market. On the other hand, while 11% of the films shown in Australia were Australian, no Australian films were shown in the UK. Films from other countries had 16% of the market share in Australia as opposed/compared to just 2% in the UK.
Chart (B) shows cinema admissions in the UK and Australia since 1976. In both countries cinema admissions dropped/fell in the early 1980s. In Australia admissions fell/dropped from just under 40 million in 1980 to about 30 million in 1984–6 while in the UK the decrease was far more dramatic (from 100 million in 1980 to less than 60 million in 1984). Since then, however, the industry has recovered in both countries. In 2001, cinema admissions in the UK stood at over 150 million, whereas in Australia they reached 90 million.
Overall, the charts show that the cinema has increased in popularity in both countries over the last 15 years, but that the origins of the films projected in Australia are more diverse than in the UK.
38. The chart shows the division of household tasks by gender in Great Britain.Write a report for a university lecture describing the information shown below.You should write at least 150 words.
Source: Office for National Statistics on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
Study these three sentences and then write three similar sentences about other parts of the chart.
1 Women spend over twice as much time doing kitchen tasks as men.2 Men spend 30 minutes a day doing kitchen tasks whereas / while women spend 74 minutes a day.3 Women are more active in the kitchen than men (74 minutes a day for women as opposed to 30 minutes for men).
Sample ReportThe chart shows the average number of minutes per day men and women in Great Britain spend on jobs around the house.
In total, men spend just over two-and-a-half hours on household tasks whereas women spend slightly less than four hours. Women spend more than twice as much time doing kitchen tasks such as cooking and washing up as men (74 minutes for women as opposed to 30 minutes for men. Women are also more active in cleaning the house- it takes 58 minutes of their day compared to / with 13 minutes for men - and childcare, where women put in more than twice as much time as men.
On the other hand, men are more active in gardening and pet care, where they spend twice as long as women, and maintenance and DIY, on which they spend 15 minutes more than
women. Women account for almost all the time spent on washing and ironing clothes. This takes them 25 minutes, while / whereas men spend just 2 minutes on this task.
Overall the figures show that women spend more time on routine domestic chores than men, while / whereas men do more household maintenance, gardening and pet care.
Adjective or Adverb?
Complete the answer by filling the gaps with an adverb or adjective from the box below.
dramatic dramatically impressive impressively
slight slightly steady steadily
sharp sharply steep steeply
The world population grew dramatically between 1960 and 2000.
The world population experienced a dramatic growth between 1960 and 2000.
European City Tourism showed an impressive growth of 50% for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008.European City Tourism grew impressively by 50% for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008.
Diesel consumption showed a slight increase between 2010 and 2011.Diesel consumption increased slightly between 2010 and 2011.
Consumption of chocolate fell steadily between 1970 and 2010.There was a steady fall in consumption of chocolate between 1970 and 2010.
Worldwide sales of CD-ROM drives climbed steeply during the first half of the year before falling sharply in August.There was a steep climb in worldwide sales of CD-ROM drives during the first half of the year before a sharp fall in August.
