IELTS Writing. Task 1. Overview

IELTS Writing Task 1 Overview
information transfer essay(diagrams, processes, tables)
9 general types
24 specific types
3 bands out of 9
min 150 words
20 minutes

Common structure for Task 1
Introduction
Overview
Body 1
Body 2

Two main types of Task 1
1.Descriptive: 2. Analytical:
A) map a)line graph
B) process B) bar chart
c) pie chart
d) table
e) multi task

Analytical essay
Analytical essay
1. overtime(past,Present,Future) 2. Fixed time
More than two years only one year
You can use: you can use :
trend description(Fall, rise…..) Compare Contrast
Compare contrast

Writing Task 1=> Taboo
Never include extra, irrelevant information
Never try to give explanation to numbers
Do not give your opinion=> describe the diagram based on data
Do not add any numbers in the overview except for years and names of groups

Basics about trends=> trends/dynamics=> patterns=> tendencies
To rise To fall To stay unchanged To fluctuate

Overtime
Three types
Covering the past Covering the past +present
Prediction Based
Note: To describe the past event, we use Past Simple while the action continued up to now is described through Present Perfect. Meantime, if we aim for making projections for the future, we usually use Future Simple.

Tenses in Task 1=> Trend Description
1) Graph covering the past=> Use Past Simple, Past perfect
e.g. The revenue of GM from cars sold increased tremendously from 5 million dollars in 1960 to 45 million USD in 1980, a nine-fold growth.
e.g. There was a tremendous increase in the revenue of GM received
from car sales by 40 million USD (from 4 million in 1960 to 45 million in 1980).
e.g. The GM sales registered a tremendous rise between 1960 and 1980, reaching 45 million USD.

Tenses in Task 1=> Trend Description
2) Graph covering the present=> Present Perfect => to reports the trends that started in the past and continued up to present
e.g. The amount of milk produced has increased significantly by 15,000 metric tones since 2015, and now the figure stands at 125,000 metric tones.
e.g. There has been a significant increase in milk production since 2015.

Tenses in Task 1=> Trend Description
3) Prediction based graphs=> Future Simple, Passive Voice
- Future Simple
e.g. The figure will/ should reach 20000 visitors in 2030.
- Passive Voice

Subjects in Task 1
1) %=> the percentage, the proportion, the share, the rate+of/for
e.g. the proportion of undernourished children; the percentage of undernourished children
e.g. the share of undernourished children; the rate of undernourished children
2) #=> the number of (c), the amount of (u), the quantity (u,c);
e.g. the amount of rice produced=> the quantity of rice produced
3) %/#=> the figure, the index, the indication+for
e.g. the figure for agriculture in India; the index for Indian farming; the indication for agriculture in India

Examples
The percentage for / of students in/for/of China
The students` percentage in China
The Chinese students percentage
The Chinese percentage for students
The percentage of China for students
The percentage of Chinese students
The Chinese figure

Three Trend Description Structures
1) Verb and Adverb Based: Subject+Verb+Adverb+to/by/at +Object
e.g. The number of private schools in Tashkent grew dramatically to 35 in 2018.
e.g. The electricity consumption rose by 25% over the next two years and reached a high of 450 mega watts.
e.g. The price of beef in Tashkent fluctuated at around 60,000 soums between 2018 and 2020.

Three Trend Description Structures
2) Adjective and Nouns: There+to be+adjective+noun+in+subject+object
e.g. There has been a dramatic growth in the proportion of English learners in Uzbekistan from 10% to 70% of students over the last 10 years.
e.g. There was a marginal reduction in the number of Toyota cars sold in the USA to 180,000 units in 2018.

Three Trend Description Structures
3) Special Verbs Based Structure: Subject+Special Verb+Adjective+Noun
Special Verbs: experience, saw, witness, go through, report, etc
e.g. The proportion of rice sales in China experienced a rapid increase to 3 million tones in 2003.
e.g. The GM sales registered a tremendous rise between 1960 and 1980, reaching 45 million USD.
e.g. The share of people employed in the private sector witnessed a gradual

The” case” structure
4)Adjective+noun+was+ the case+in+ Subject+object
A substantial growth was the case in the figure for german car manufacturing from 5% in 2010 to10% in 2015

Passive Stucture
5)Adjective+noun+to be+Special verb(3/ed/d)+in+ Subject+Object
A sharp growth was experienced in the figure for German car production from 5% to 10%

Time in Task 1
Introduction
1. From…………….to/till/until………….
2. Between………..and………………..
3. over 20-year period from……..
4. over a decade from……..
Overview
Over the given period
Over the entire span
Over the period under discussion

Linking devices in IELTS Writing Task 1
First event:
At first,/Initially/In the first year,/In 1999/
Middle events:
1) …and/but…
2) However/Nevertheless,
3) Then/Next,/After this,/Following this,/Afterwards,
4) This is followed by +
5) …following/after which… or …which is followed by… +
6) …until…after/following which…
7) …until…when…
8) …before… +
or After +
, …
9) during/over the next…years or …years later,

Approximation
1) roughly/[just] about/approximately/around+ 90%=>88%/89%/91%/92%
2) almost/nearly 90%=>88%/89%
3) [just] below/under
4) [just] above/over

Using the right prepositions
It is important to use the right preposition when you are reporting the features. Here are some examples to give you a basic idea of the differences:
1. Use to when describing what happened to the number:
e.g. In 2008, the rate of unemployment rose to 10%.
2. Use by when describing the amount of change between two numbers:
e.g. In 2009, the rate of unemployment fell by 2% (from 10% to 8%).
3. Use with to give the idea of 'having' the number:
e.g. He won the election with 52% of the vote.
4. Use at to add the number on the end of a sentence or to indicate the position:
e.g. Unemployment reached its highest level in 2008, at 10%.

Describing numbers, percentages & fractions (Referencing Part 1)
Referencing means adding numbers, percentages and fractions to make the data “meaningful”.
Case A : Describe the table using numbers, fractions or percentages:
1. The number went up by 600 from 1,200 to 1,800. (Number)
2. The number went up by one third from 1,200 to 1,800. (Fraction)
3. The number went up by 50% from 1,200 to 1,800. (Percentage)

Case B: You could describe the table using the words double, treble, quadruple, -fold and times:
1. The number doubled between 1992 and 1994.
2. The number trebled between 1994 and 1996.
3. The number quadrupled from 1996 to 1998.
4. There was a two-fold increase between 1992 and 1994.
5. The number went up six times between 1992 and 1996.
6. The figure in 1996 was six fold the 1992 figure.
7. The figure for 1996 was six times higher than that of 1992.
8. The figure for 1998 was four times greater than that of 1996.

Case C: You could describe the table using fractions
1. Between 1992 and 1994, the figure fell by one fifth.
2. Between 1994 and 1996, the figure dropped by half.
3. The figure in 1998 was one tenth the 1992 total.
Case D: You could put the percentage either at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence:
1. 6% of single aged people were living in poverty.
2. The level of poverty among single aged people stood at 6% .
Note: You could also add a comparison
1. 6% of single aged people were living in poverty, compared to only 4% of aged couples.

Describing peak points
a) verb-> to peak/to stand+at+%+in+time
b) phrase-> to reach/hit a peak+at/of+%+in+time
c)noun->a peak of/at+%+in+time
35%
30%
5%

Two types of describing peak structure
1. as a single sentence
A whole trend+ with+ a peak of/at%+in time
Asian index for foreign trade saw a sharp increase to 30% with a peak of 35% in 2008 throughout the given span
2.As TWO sentences
First period->peak(verb). However, this was followed by+adjective+nouno(remaining part)
The European foreign trade indication reached a peak at 35%in 2003 from its initial point. However, this was followed by an substantial fall till a mere 5% in the final year.

Describing low points
A)verb-> to bottom out at%+ in+time
B) phrase-> to reach a low of/at
C)noun-> a low of/at %

Discribing recovery in trends
to recover
The figure for Chinese tea consumption recovered its initial 15% over the period despite reduction in 2005.