How to Structure Your IELTS Writing Task 1?

Here is the essential information before attempting Writing task 1 of IELTS:

Writing task 1 Academic is Report Writing (line graph, bar graph, table chart, pie-chart, flow chart, process or diagram, map and any combination) with 150-200 word limit in 20 minutes. The weightage of task 1 is one-third of the total task. Assessment is based on four criteria:

Task Achievement: addresses the requirements of the task, overview of the task, highlighted key features of the task.

Lexical resource: Usage of vocabulary which also includes collocations.

Cohesion and Coherence: Skillful paragraphing, sequencing of ideas and information logically (in short, avoid going off the rail!)

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Formation of a variety of sentence structures, complex and compound sentences. Error-free sentences attract more score!

How to Write Paragraph 1?

The given bar graph illustrates the total telephone calls in the UK in billions of minutes, with three different types of calls in the duration of eight years from 1995 to 2002.

Explanation:

• There is no better and easy way than paraphrasing the question.
• Define the type of graph
• Instead of using a show, use illustrate/gives information about
• Minutes (in billions) becomes billions of minutes
• Duration: mention the number of years (where it is possible).

How to Make the Body 1 and Body 2 of Writing Task 1?

Overall, local fixed-line calls reached a peak by the middle of the period, then eventually declined. National and international calls showed a gradual rise over the whole period with mobile calls rising significantly by the end of the period.

Regarding local fixed-line calls, in 1995 it began at slightly over 70 billion minutes and rose gradually to a peak of 90 billion minutes by 1999.

However, from 2000, the trend showed a gradual decline in the numbers of calls, ending in 2002 at the same amount as the start of the period.

Explanation:

Avoid making sentences such as from the years 1998 to 2000, the local fixed-line reached the peak. In an overview or summary, there are no numbers. You can divide the period like in the middle of this period; likewise, the beginning and end of the period or entire period. Make comparisons where it is possible or relevant; otherwise, you may end up using the same connector (whereas/ while) in the entire report. This will hurt your score in GRA (Grammatical range and accuracy) and coherence and cohesion. Try to produce complex and compound sentences by using conjunctions. Here, it is ‘however’.

To sum up, mobile calls in 1995 stood at around 2 billion minutes. Over the next four years, there was a gradual rise and a considerable increase in call numbers from 2000 to 2002. International fixed calls showed a similar pattern, starting at just under 40 billion minutes of calls in 1995, then climbed steadily to around 60 billion minutes of calls in 2002.

Explanation:

Paragraph 3 and Paragraph 4 are interrelated. As you see, I have mentioned general trends and more data. The first sentence of paragraph 2 is described more in paragraph 3, and further in paragraph 4. This would fetch you more bands in coherence and cohesion as the information is given logically.

Bonus Tip:
Conclusion of Task 1 is usually the summary or based on the observation, the highest and lowest figures are included. I have seen the candidates using ‘it can be concluded’ which is grammatically incorrect. It must be ‘it is concluded’ if required.

General Tips:

• Analyse the task accurately. A small mistake can hurt your score.
• Avoid writing too many numbers and details if the graph is too informative. You can start giving an overview by ‘Overall’.
• Be meticulous about the choice of adverbs and verbs. All the graphs and charts demand the answer to the question, ‘’how?” which is given only by an adverb.
• For example, The rates of anything, say, fuel increased/ decreased from 1998 to 2001. The question here arises, ‘How much?’ In addition to this sentence could be gradually, eventually, progressively, continuously, significantly and so on. Mention the trend.

Secrets of IELTS Writing

• Leave one line between paragraphs
• Avoid writing number if it is less than ten. For example, Total nine students were absent in the batch. (Correct)
• Total 9 students were absent in the batch. (Incorrect)
• Beginning of the sentence must have any number written in words, no matter how long the number is.

For example, Twenty-seven students commenced their coaching from Aspire Square. (Correct)
About 27 students commenced their coaching from Aspire Square. (Correct)

27 students commenced their coaching from Aspire Square. (Incorrect)

Learn to avoid making mistakes in IELTS Writing task 1 from the Best IELTS Coaching Centre, Aspire Square Career Consultants.