IELTS Podcast

Pass IELTS with expert help.

ielts tutor - Ben Worthington | IELTSPodcast

We help students improve their band score by giving expert feedback. Subscribe to our podcast here.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The IELTS writing exam is divided into two sections. You have an hour to write both. Since task 1 makes up 33% of the test you should plan to spend 20 minutes on this section to ensure that you make effective use of your time.

Graphs, charts or diagrams

Academic task 1 requires that you summarise and compare a diagram, chart or graph. You should use at least 150 words for the task. This section is not an essay. It is a summary. You should use formal language and it must factual. Keep your opinion for Task 2. It is not required in this section. You should also only comment on the information as presented in the task, nothing additional.

Marking criteria

The task is marked thus

  • 25% task achievement
  • 25% cohesion and coherence
  • 25% vocabulary
  • 25% grammar

Summarise and compare

The task may contain two to three charts which may be a line graph, a table, a pie chart, a map, a diagram or a bar chart. To do well in this task you need to take a general overview of the task. A good description will look at trends, at highs and lows and at the times that these occurred – beginnings and endings in other words. You need to describe the key features and changes in the graphs.

The process

Start off by looking at the graphs to determine what you need to summarise and compare. Write an introduction of one to two sentences. Then offer a general overview, describing trends. The next paragraphs should get into the specifics, grouping your information according to features and then describing each of them.

Always bear in mind that this is a test of your English-speaking abilities. Use the appropriate vocabulary. Try to showcase as much of your vocabulary as possible and make sure that your English grammar is immaculate.

Preparing for the exam

The best way to prepare for the exam is to get plenty of practice beforehand. Try your hand at describing and comparing various diagrams and graphs. Send them in for an evaluation and learn from the outcomes.

Useful links to help you prepare for Academic Task 1:

If you need some sample essays and questions, check out these resources :

How to Describe a Flow Chart in IELTS

By

In this tutorial you will: review how to write about a flow chart learn how to divide the writing task into 3 main parts This will help you to: approach this type of task with confidence obtain a high IELTS score in this exam task The Task 1 flow chart An IELTS Academic Writing Task […]

How to describe a bar chart for IELTS

By

In the IELTS academic task 1, you may be required to describe a bar chart. You will need to write a 150 word summary about the bar chart presented to you. The task requires you to use formal language and it must factual. In this latest audio tutorial, we will give you the best tips […]

Comparing two pie charts for IELTS

By

The language to compare two pie charts  Summarising two pie charts for an IELTS Academic Task 1 needs careful preparation. Here, I am going to focus on deciding the language we need to do this because if we use the correct language, then we have a good chance to obtain a high band score. Now […]

Describing a Natural Process in IELTS Task 1 Writing

By

Process diagrams are quite frequent in Academic writing task 1 and many students find them quite overwhelming as the processes can look quite complicated and they are often scientific. These process diagrams can include anything from recycling, concrete making, solar panels, heating systems to making glass. You are NOT expected to know about any of […]

How To Plan For IELTS Academic Task 1

By

How to Plan your Academic IELTS Task 1 writing In this tutorial we are going to look at a Strategy for Planning your Academic IELTS Task 1 writing and the reason we’re going to talk about this is because it’s very easy with the Task 1 to jump in and start writing your answer without […]