ielts-simon.com

IELTS Writing Task 1: a common mistake

Students often make mistakes with thousands, millions and billions. It might seem strange, but you should say "10 million" not "10 millions". It's the same with hundred, thousand and billion. Try to avoid this mistake in writing task 1 - examiners notice it!

Correct: 10 million people
Wrong: 10 millions people, 10 millions of people, 10 million of people

Note:
When there is no number, we do write "millions of".
e.g. Millions of people travel abroad each year.

IELTS Writing Task 1: repeating key words

Students often worry about repeating the same words in writing task 1. For example, in last week's lesson I repeated the phrase average weekly spending maybe three times. Is this a big problem?

No! Repeating a key word or phrase a few times is not a problem; sometimes it is necessary to show that you are consistently talking about the same thing. If you try to use too much variety, there is a danger that you will confuse the reader or write something that does not mean what you want it to mean.

It's fine to either repeat the key words or make small changes. Look at these examples of small changes I made to the phrase average weekly spending:

• spent on average
• average expenditure
• weekly spending figures
• levels of spending
• spent per week
• expenditure per week

IELTS Writing Task 1: my 10 sentences

Last week I explained how to write 10 sentences about the chart below.

Average weekly household expenditure by region, 2007-09

Weekly expenditure (£)

Here are my 10 sentences:

1. The bar chart shows average weekly spending by households in different areas of England between 2007 and 2009.
2. Households in the south of the country spent more on average than those in the north.
3. Average weekly spending by households was highest in London and lowest in the North East.
4. English households spent on average around £470 per week.
5. The average expenditure for households in London was about £560 per week, almost £100 more than the overall figure for England.
6. Households in the South East, East and South West also spent more than the national average.
7. Weekly household spending figures for those three regions were approximately £520, £490 and £480 respectively.
8. Similar levels of household spending were seen in the West Midlands, the North West and the East Midlands, at about £430 to £450 per week.
9. In the region of Yorkshire and the Humber, households spent approximately £400 per week, while expenditure in the North East was around £10 per week lower than this.
10. It is noticeable that average weekly expenditure by households in the North East was around £80 less than the national average, and around £170 less than the London average.

IELTS Writing Task 1: ten sentences

One way to practise for writing task 1 is to think in terms of sentences rather than worrying about the full essay. Just take a chart or graph and try to write 10 sentences about it.

Try writing the ten sentences suggested below about last week's chart.

1. State what the chart shows.
2. Make a general comparison between the South and the North.
3. Contrast London with the North East (without giving the figures).
4. Give the overall figure for England.
5. Give the figure for London and compare it with the average for England.
6. Add that figures for the South East, East and South West were also higher than the country average.
7. Give approximate figures for the three regions above.
8. Describe the similar figures for the West Midlands, North West and East Midlands.
9. Give figures for the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber.
10. Compare figures for the North East, national average and London.

IELTS Writing Task 1: bar chart

The bar chart below is taken from the UK national statistics website that I mentioned in last week's lesson.

Average weekly household expenditure, by region, 2007-09

Weekly expenditure (£)

Try writing a full description of this bar chart. If you need some help, use the information below the bar chart on this page.

IELTS Writing Task 1: real statistics

A good place to find 'real' descriptions of graphs and charts is a government statistics website like this one for the UK. If you click on the different themes, you'll see graphs, charts and written summaries of recent statistics for the country.

Here's an example summary from the website:

The employment rate for those aged from 16 to 64 for the three months to June 2012 was 71.0 per cent. This is the highest figure since the three months to May 2009 and it is up 0.4 percentage points on the previous quarter. The number of people in employment aged 16 and over increased by 201,000 on the quarter to reach 29.48 million, the largest quarterly increase since the three months to July 2010. The number of people in employment was 96,000 lower than the pre-recession peak of 29.57 million recorded for March-May 2008.

Note:
I've underlined the verbs in the paragraph above. As I said last week, we tend to use 'easy' verbs when describing statistics.

IELTS Writing Task 1: nouns and verbs

When describing changes I prefer to avoid words like soar, rocket and plummet because they are too "sensationalist" - they exaggerate too much, and are more journalistic than academic in style.

Instead, we can demonstrate good control of grammar by using words like increase, rise and fall as both nouns and verbs:

- London saw a significant increase in the cost of homes. (noun)
- The cost of homes in London increased significantly. (verb)

- There was a rise in house prices between 1990 and 1995. (noun)
- House prices rose between 1990 and 1995. (verb)

- There was a 7% fall in the average house price in Tokyo. (noun)
- The average Tokyo house price fell by 7%. (verb)

IELTS Writing Task 1: how to use your 20 minutes

You have 20 minutes for task 1, so try spending 5 minutes on each paragraph. This might help you to organise your time better.

First 5 minutes
Read the question, make sure you understand the chart, write your introduction by paraphrasing the question.

Second 5 minutes
Look at the chart and try to find 2 general points. Don't look at specific details; look for "the big picture". Write 2 sentences summarising the information.

Final 10 minutes
Describe specific details. Try to break this part into 2 paragraphs because it looks better. You could spend 5 minutes on each paragraph.

IELTS Writing Task 1: example overview

In last week's lesson I gave some tips about how to write a good overview to summarise the information shown on a graph, chart or diagram. Let's look at an example overview of the graph below.

My overview:

Overall, car ownership in Britain increased between 1971 and 2007. In particular, the number of households with two cars rose, while the number of households without a car fell.

Analysis:

• Notice that I didn't include any specific numbers. Save the details for later.
• The first sentence describes the "big picture". The first thing I did was look at all 4 lines and the whole period. I noticed that there was an overall trend towards people having more cars (the word 'ownership' came from the question). Most students tend to miss this kind of general observation.
• The second sentence highlights the biggest changes over the whole period. With these 2 sentences, I've definitely summarised the main features of the graph.

IELTS Writing Task 1: the overview

A current examiner recently told me that the most common mistake in students' task 1 essays is that there is no overview. This was also true when I was an examiner.

So what makes a good overview? Here are a few tips:

• An overview is simply a summary of the main things you can see.
• Because the overview is so important, I recommend putting it at the beginning of your essay, just after the introduction sentence.
• I write two overview sentences. A one-sentence overview isn't really enough.
• Try not to include specific numbers in the overview. Save the specifics for later paragraphs.
• Look at the 'big picture' e.g. the overall change from the first year to the last year (if years are shown on the chart), the differences between whole categories rather than single numbers, or the total number of stages in a process.

Have another look at the overview paragraphs (paragraph 2) in the essays I've written here on the site. Analyse them carefully, and practise writing your own overviews in the same way.

IELTS Writing Task 1: ages and age groups

It's easy to make small mistakes when describing ages and age groups. Here are some examples that should help.

One person:

• He is 10 years old.
• He is a 10-year-old.
• He is aged 10.

More than one person:

• The children in the class are all 10 years old.
• It is a class of 10-year-olds (or "10-year-old children").
• The children in the class are all aged 10.

Age groups with more than one person:

• The chart shows the preferred hobbies of children (who are) between 10 and 12 years old.
• The chart shows the preferred hobbies of 10- to 12-year-olds (or "10- to 12-year-old children").
• The chart shows the preferred hobbies of children aged 10 to 12.

Note:
If you miss the hyphens (-), it's not a big problem. It won't affect your score.

IELTS Writing Task 1: full essay about 2 bar charts

Here's my full essay for the 'age group bar charts' question:

The bar charts compare students of different ages in terms of why they are studying and whether they are supported by an employer.

It is clear that the proportion of students who study for career purposes is far higher among the younger age groups, while the oldest students are more likely to study for interest. Employer support is more commonly given to younger students.

Around 80% of students aged under 26 study to further their careers, whereas only 10% study purely out of interest. The gap between these two proportions narrows as students get older, and the figures for those in their forties are the same, at about 40%. Students aged over 49 overwhelmingly study for interest (70%) rather than for professional reasons (less than 20%).

Just over 60% of students aged under 26 are supported by their employers. By contrast, the 30-39 age group is the most self-sufficient, with only 30% being given time off and help with fees. The figures rise slightly for students in their forties and for those aged 50 or more.

(178 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 1: choosing which details to include

In last week's lesson I wrote an introduction and overview for a question about two bar charts. For paragraphs 3 and 4, we need to describe each chart in detail.

I usually find that 3 sentences are enough for a good 'details' paragraph, which means that we only need to choose 3 things to describe for each chart.

3 sentences about the first chart:

1. Compare the percentages for students under 26.
2. Mention the overall trend as students get older, and that the proportions are the same for the 40-49 age group.
3. Compare the percentages for students over 49.

3 sentences about the second chart:

1. Write about the two youngest age groups.
2. Write about the 30-39 age group.
3. Write about the two oldest age groups.

IELTS Writing Task 1: bar charts with age groups

A few people have asked about the question on page 52 of Cambridge IELTS 5. It shows two bar charts with age groups. Click here to see the question.

As usual, I recommend writing 4 paragraphs:

1. A quick introduction to say what the charts show.
2. An overview of the main features - one sentence for each chart.
3. Describe the first chart in detail.
4. Describe the second chart in detail.

Here's an example introduction and overview:

The first bar chart compares students of different ages in terms of why they are studying their chosen courses, and the second chart compares the same age groups in terms of the help they require at work.

It is clear that the proportion of people who study for career purposes is far higher among the younger age groups, and decreases steadily with age. The need for employer support also decreases with age, but only up to the point when employees enter their forties.

IELTS Writing Task 1: paraphrasing

The easiest way to start your Task 1 essay is by paraphrasing the question. Paraphrasing means writing something in a different way (using your own words).

Here are some simple changes you can make:

• graph = line graph
• chart = bar chart
• diagram = figure
• shows = illustrates (or 'compares' if the graph is comparing)
• proportion = percentage
• information = data
• the number of = the figure for
• the proportion of = the figure for
• people in the USA = Americans
• from 1999 to 2009 = between 1999 and 2009
• from 1999 to 2009 = over a period of 10 years
• how to produce = the process of producing
• in three countries = in the UK, France and Spain (i.e. name the countries)

Tip:
"The figure for / figures for" is a great phrase that not many people use (e.g. the graph shows figures for unemployment in three countries).

IELTS Writing Task 1: more than one chart

Many students are still worried about questions with more than one chart.
Here are some tips:

1. If there are 2 charts, they often show different information. Don't worry about comparing them. Just do: introduction, overview, then one paragraph for each chart.
2. If the units are different (e.g. one chart shows 'millions' and the other shows 'percentages'), you can't usually compare them.
3. If the units are the same, you can probably compare the charts.
4. If there are 3 or 4 charts, you can usually compare them.

To see an essay about 2 different charts click here (Cambridge IELTS 6, p98).

To see an essay about 4 related charts click here (Cambridge IELTS 7, p101).

IELTS Writing Task 1: why I'd start with task 1

Students often ask whether it's better to do task 1 or task 2 first.

In my opinion, it's best to start any exam with something quick and easy that gives you confidence. Hopefully you'll agree that the quickest and easiest part of the whole writing test is the introduction to task 1.

You don't need to think too much about the introduction to task 1; simply rewrite the question statement by changing a few words. Click here to read one of my lessons about introductions, and then read this lesson about paraphrasing. If you practise these techniques, you'll start your IELTS writing test with confidence.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'chart without years' essay

The chart below shows numbers of incidents and injuries per 100 million passenger miles travelled (PMT) by transportation type in 2002.

The bar chart compares the number of incidents and injuries for every 100 million passenger miles travelled on five different types of public transport in 2002.

It is clear that the most incidents and injuries took place on demand-response vehicles. By contrast, commuter rail services recorded by far the lowest figures.

A total of 225 incidents and 173 injuries, per 100 million passenger miles travelled, took place on demand-response transport services. These figures were nearly three times as high as those for the second highest category, bus services. There were 76 incidents and 66 people were injured on buses.

Rail services experienced fewer problems. The number of incidents on light rail trains equalled the figure recorded for buses, but there were significantly fewer injuries, at only 39. Heavy rail services saw lower numbers of such events than light rail services, but commuter rail passengers were even less likely to experience problems. In fact, only 20 incidents and 17 injuries occurred on commuter trains.

(165 words, band 9)

Note:
Don't worry about the repetition of "incidents and injuries" in this essay. There are no perfect synonyms for these words, although I managed to use "problems" and "such events" later in the essay. The most important thing is to describe the data clearly and make some good comparisons.

IELTS Writing Task 1: bar chart without years

Last week we saw that there are two types of bar chart:
1. those that show changes over time
2. those that compare different items

The important thing to remember about the second type is that you can't describe increases and decreases. Let's look at this type in more detail.

The chart below shows numbers of incidents and injuries per 100 million passenger miles travelled (PMT) by transportation type in 2002.

Here's my advice for a 4-paragraph essay:

1. Introduction: Explain what the chart shows by paraphrasing the question.
2. Overview: Look for two main things - in this case, we could mention the highest item and the fact that there were more incidents than injuries for all five transport types. You don't need to mention any numbers at this point.
3. Details: I'd probably group together the two highest items (demand response and bus) in this paragraph. Remember that you can't talk about an increase or decrease; you can only compare the numbers.
4. Details: I'd group the three types of rail transport together for this paragraph. Write some nice comparison sentences!

Note:
You don't need to know what 'demand-response' transport is (it's an American term which I've never used), but click here if you want to know.

IELTS Writing Task 1: change or comparison?

While line graphs always show changes or trends (increase, decrease etc.), this is not always true for bar charts, pie charts and tables.

Here is a bar chart that does show 'change':

And here is a bar chart that shows 'comparison' rather than change:

Can you see the difference? How will this difference affect what you write in your essay? I'll go into more detail about the two charts next week, but the important thing for now is to see the difference.

(Charts taken from US Department of Transportation website)

IELTS Writing Task 1: find the mistakes

Can you find the mistakes in the paragraph below?

In 1980, the US produced 131 millions of tonnes of waste. Japan was in second place with 28 millions, while the figures for Poland, Portugal and Ireland were less than 5 millions. In 1990, the US was 151, and in 2000 it rose to 192 millions.

Note:
Some of the mistakes are not related to grammar.

IELTS Writing Task 1: verbs exercise

I've missed out the verbs in the following description. Choose them from the list to fill the gaps. For some of the gaps, more than one verb is possible.

Missing words:
risen, created, recorded, is, produced (x2), managed, given, had (x2), stood, were, increased

The US, Japan and Korea ______ by far the most waste. In 1980, the US ______ 131 million tonnes of waste, while the figure for Japan ______ at 28 million tonnes. No figure ______ ______ for Korea in 1980, but in 1990, 31 million tonnes of waste ______ ______ in that country. By 2000, waste production in the USA ______ ______ to 192 million tonnes, while Japan’s figure ______ ______ to 53 million tonnes. However, Korea ______ to reduce its output to 19 million tonnes. Ireland, Poland and Portugal only ______ a total of around 30 million tonnes of waste between them, adding the figures for all three years together.

Note:
The above description is not a full essay.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'waste' table

Last week we looked at the following question:

The table below shows the amount of waste production (in millions of tonnes) in six different countries in three different years over a twenty-year period.

Here are my answers to last week's questions:

1. It's fine to repeat the word 'waste' because there isn't really an ideal synonym ('rubbish' and 'garbage' have a more limited meaning). However, we can vary our sentences by writing things like 'waste output', 'waste materials' or 'the waste that was produced'.
2. The most noticeable feature must be that the US produced by far the most waste in all 3 years. Use this idea in you 'overview' paragraph.
3. The general trend is that waste production rose in every country apart from Korea. This could be your second 'overview' idea.
4. I would write one main paragraph comparing the 3 countries with the highest figures (US, Japan, Korea), and a separate paragraph about Ireland, Poland and Portugal. Try to use some 'comparing' language when describing the countries (e.g. while, whereas, by contrast) and some 'trend' language when describing the years (e.g. increased, rose, fell).

IELTS Writing Task 1: table about waste

A student sent me the following question from a recent IELTS test:

The table below shows the amount of waste production (in millions of tonnes) in six different countries in three different years over a twenty-year period.

A few things to consider before you write your essay:

1. Can you think of a few alternative ways to write "waste production"?
2. What is the most noticeable feature of the table?
3. Is there a general trend over the period of time shown?
4. How can you separate the information into 2 groups (in order to write 2 paragraphs about specific details)?

I'll share my answers to these questions next week.

IELTS Writing Task 1: singular or plural?

Students often make simple mistakes with singular and plural forms, especially in Writing Task 1. The problem is that the words used on graphs, charts and tables are usually singular.

So, the labels on a chart could be:

• single parent
• graduate
• only child
• laptop computer

But when you write a sentence, you might need to use a plural:

• The number of single parents increased.
• In 1999 nearly 55% of graduates were female.
• The UK has the highest number of only children.
• More laptop computers were sold in the UK than any other country.

Don't just copy the words from the graph or chart. Think first about how to use them correctly.

IELTS Writing Task 1: essay about 2 bar charts

Last week I suggested a way of writing introductions for 2 charts.

Today I'm attaching a full sample essay for this type of question. Click the following link to open my essay: download bar charts essay

IELTS Writing Task 1: introduction for 2 charts

You might find it easier to introduce two different charts by writing two separate sentences.

Here is an example question about a graph and bar chart:

The charts below give information about travel to and from the UK, and about the most popular countries for UK residents to visit.

Here is my 2-sentence introduction:

The graph shows numbers of visits to the UK and trips abroad by UK residents. The bar chart shows the five most popular destinations for UK travellers.

IELTS Writing Task 1: analyse model essays

Maybe you read my line graph essay last week, but did you really study it?

Here's some example analysis of last week's essay:

• Structure - 4 paragraphs: introduction, overview, 2 specific details
• Paraphrasing - proportion of the population = percentage of people (find more examples)
• Overview - overall trend, then biggest change
• Selecting key information - first year (1940), middle years (1990, early 2000s), end of period (2030 to 2040)
• Comparing - in each country, most dramatic, and, compared to, by contrast, while, slightly lower, respectively (analyse my sentences to learn how to use these words correctly)
• Verbs - compares, increases, is expected to see, were, rose, remained... (look carefully at the use of tenses)

It's possible to read model essays quickly and learn a little. It's also possible to spend a long time studying them carefully and learn a lot!

IELTS Writing Task 1: full essay

Here's my full essay for last week's line graph question:

The line graph compares the percentage of people aged 65 or more in three countries over a period of 100 years.

It is clear that the proportion of elderly people increases in each country between 1940 and 2040. Japan is expected to see the most dramatic changes in its elderly population.

In 1940, around 9% of Americans were aged 65 or over, compared to about 7% of Swedish people and 5% of Japanese people. The proportions of elderly people in the USA and Sweden rose gradually over the next 50 years, reaching just under 15% in 1990. By contrast, the figures for Japan remained below 5% until the early 2000s.

Looking into the future, a sudden increase in the percentage of elderly people is predicted for Japan, with a jump of over 15% in just 10 years from 2030 to 2040. By 2040, it is thought that around 27% of the Japanese population will be 65 years old or more, while the figures for Sweden and the USA will be slightly lower, at about 25% and 23% respectively.

(178 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 1: graph showing future years

Several students have asked me about the following question from Cambridge IELTS book 5 (page 29).

The graph below shows the proportion of the population aged 65 and over between 1940 and 2040 in three different countries.

Here are the steps I would follow to write my essay:

1. Introduction: write one sentence to introduce what the graph shows. Just paraphrase the question statement (i.e. change a few words).
2. Summary: describe 2 main things e.g. the overall trend for all 3 countries, and the biggest change that you can see.
3. Details: compare all 3 countries in 1940, then in 1990.
4. Details: describe the dramatic increase predicted for Japan, and compare all 3 countries in 2040.

Note:
Try writing some essay plans like the one above. Planning makes you think about selecting and organising, so it's a useful skill to practise (even if you don't do a plan in your exam).

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'process diagram' details

Here are my 'details' paragraphs to finish the essay I started last week:

Looking at the coffee production process in detail, coffee beans must first be picked in the fields. These beans are then dried, roasted, and cooled before being put in a grinding machine, which turns the beans into coffee granules.

At the sixth stage in the process, the ground coffee is mixed with hot water, and the resulting mixture is strained. Next, the mixture is frozen and then passed once again through the grinder. After that, the ground, frozen liquid is dried in a vacuum so that the water evaporates, leaving the coffee granules. Finally, these granules are packed into coffee jars for delivery to shops.

Did you notice the passives and sequencing phrases?

- Passives: must be picked; are dried, roasted and cooled; is mixed...
- Sequencing: then; and; at the sixth stage; next; after that; finally...