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Try it first!
Summarize the
information by
selecting and reporting
the main features,
and make comparisons ]l II I n r: l i n
where relevant.
1 1J i 1XJ j
/
1 Try writing an answ er for the Task 1 question above. You w ill need to:
• write an introduction to the topic of the graph in your ownwords (paragraph 1);
• give an overview of the main ideas in the graph (paragraph 2);
• describe the most important details, including numbers (paragraphs 3 and 4):
• write a minimum of 1 5 0 words.
In the exam, you have 2 0 minutes for Task 1.
3 Decide w hether these statements about the graph are true (T) or false (F).
Correct the false ones.
1 On a typical Saturday, Bernie’s Buns is generally busier than Lovely Loaves.
2 Doughnuts are by far the most popular item among customers in both stores.
3 The second-best selling item in Bernie’s Buns is cookies.
4 Fresh loaves are the least popular snack overall.
5 Toasted sandwiches are as popular as cookies.
6 Lovely Loaves sells slightly more salads than Bernie’s Buns.
4 Compare answ ers w ith a partner and discuss the meaning of the phrases in bold.
8 C om parative graphs 91
r Spotlight 1
Key language for making comparisons
In Task 1, you need to compare accurately the information presented in line graphs,
pie charts, tables and bar graphs in a variety o f different ways. In this section you will
review and develop a variety o f useful ways o f doing this.
1 W rite these adjectives in their comparative and superlative forms in the correct
columns of the table below.
Ja u ts f cheap -l uinfurldbkr" common crowded dangerous difficult easy
economical expensive far fast good healthy high intelligent interesting
noisy popular quiet successful tall useful well-paid
comparative superlative
2 Compare your answers to Exercise 1 with a partner. W hat are the general rules?
W hat spelling rules are there? W hat are the opposites of the adjectives in
Exercise 1?
3 Write sentences about these pairs using comparatives. Share ideas w ith a
partner.
Example: "The cowbryside is QUie+er -the dfy.
• the city / the countryside • learning grammar /learning vocabulary
Tip • cricket / football • travelling business class / travelling economy class
Before comparatives, you
can use words to indicate • New York /Paris • a plane / a bicycle
if the difference is large or
small: A Rolls Royce is much
more expensive than a Ford.
4 Say whether these words relate to small differences or big differences.
• much • a lot • slightly • a bit • considerably • a little • far
5 Finish each of these sentence starters with a comparative and your own idea.
Compare with a partner.
1 Travelling by train is slightly ...
2 A night in a hotel costs much more ...
3 London is considerably ...
Another important way to write about comparatives is to use the structure 'x is not as +
adjective + as y .
Coffee in France is not as expensive as in the UK.
Becoming confident using this structure will make your writing more flexible.
2 Use the same structure to w rite sentences about these pairs of information.
1 hamburgers £2 / french fries £ 1 .9 0
2 Majorca 30 degrees / Castellon 35 degrees
3 southern trains 125 mph / northern trains 10 0 mph
3 Look at this chart and w rite three sentences about the data using the same
structure. Compare your sentences w ith a partner.
4 Rewrite the comparative sentences below using not as + adjective (from the
box) + as.
5 Look at these phrases and decide w hether they express a big difference or a
small one.
1 X is/was nowhere near as expensive as Y. big difference'
2 X is/was not quite as expensive as Y.
3 X is/was not nearly as expensive as Y.
4 X is/was almost as expensive as Y.
6 Rewrite the sentences in Exercise 4 using one of the four phrases from Exercise 5
to express w hether there is a small or large difference.
Example: Cxoo(\&C5 pic was t\cft QiAi+e- as successfl/l as Mcws+er Hiis Records in
W , selling %Vox000 CDs compared \o 740,000.
A further way to increase your range o f language for describing comparatives is to use
*not + verb + as + noun phrase + as.
Crooners pic did not sell as many CDs as Monster Hits Records in 1990, with 225,000 compared
to 230,000.
Coffee in France does not cost as much as in the UK, at £2 and £2.90 respectively.
i 1 Look at the table on the left and complete these sentences with ‘not + (verb) +
Gold Medals, as + noun phrase + as'. Be careful, one sentence is different.
Beijing Olympics, 2008
1 Japan did n o t..................Ethiopia, taking home nine compared to Ethiopia’s ten.
China 62 2 The USA won 48 gold medals, but this was nowhere n ear..................China won.
USA 48
3 The USA w as......................................China, winning 48 medals compared to 62.
Russia 47
42
4 Australia did n ot.................... the French athletes, taking home 21 compared to
UK
France 33 France’s 33.
Australia 21
Italy 19 Write one false and tw o true comparative sentences about other information in
Ethiopia 10 the table in Exercise 1. Swap sentences with a partner, then check and correct
Japan 9 the incorrect information.
South Korea 5
Linking devices
3 These sentences contain four useful linking devices. Find and underline them.
The first one has been done for you.
1 a Monster Hits Records sold 2 3 0 ,0 0 0 CDs in 1990, while Crooners pic sold
2 2 5 ,0 0 0 .
b Monster Hits Records sold 2 3 0 ,0 0 0 CDs in 1990, as opposed to Crooners pic, who
sold 2 2 5 ,0 0 0 .
2 a A hundred couples chose the name James in 2 0 0 0 , whereas just 20 couples opted
for the name Peter.
b A hundred couples chose the name James in 2 0 0 0 , compared to 20 who opted for
the name Peter.
4 The linking devices whereas and while work w ith slightly different grammar to
compared to and as opposed to. Study the pairs of sentences in Exercise 3. What
is the difference?
6 Complete these sentences with a suitable linking device and idea. Compare your
answers with a partner.
1 Five hundred people owned a dog, while ...
2 A meal at Rosie’s costs £20, as opposed t o ...
3 Fifteen per cent of people aged between 18 and 30 said they visited Barcelona for the
nightlife, compared t o ...
4 The majority of doctors said they found their jobs satisfying, w hereas...
8 Comparative graphs
jlf' Spotlight 4
Describing numbers
W hen writing a Task 1 answer, it is im portant to describe numbers and data in different
ways to avoid repetition. You will be given credit for doing this, as it will show you have
a wider range o f vocabulary.
1 Look at the graph about Bernie's Buns and Lovely Loaves on page 91 and answ er
these questions.
1 How many doughnuts does Bernie’s Buns sell on average?
2 How many doughnuts does Lovely Loaves sell?
3 What is the total number of toasted-sandwich sales in Bernie’s Buns?
2 Compare your answ ers w ith a partner. Does your partner have the same three
answ ers? How would you w rite about this data in w ords? Compare ideas.
3 Match these descriptions (a-d) to the questions in Exercise 1 (1-3). One is not
necessary.
a approximately 135 b about 4 0 c between 2 0 and 30 d just over 12 0
Describing percentages
8 Look at these four different w ays for w riting about key percentages.
10% a tenth of / one in ten / one out of ten / one out of every ten
Rewrite these key percentages using one of the four w ays above.
1 20% 2 25% 3 50%
8 C om parative graphs
Model answer: Comparative graphs
This bar graph compares the most popular items sold by respectively. Savoury foods are less popular. Bernie's
-two bakeries in London on a typical Saturday in 2010. Buns sells slightly more rolls than crisps, with roughly
The graph shows average sales of eight items, including 75 of each leaving the shelves. Toasted sandwiches and
cakes, rolls and toasted sandwiches, in Bernie's Buns salads are not nearly as popular, with just 25 and 18
and Lovely Loaves. sold in turn.
Overall, it can be seen that Bernie's Buns is generally Poughnuts are also the number-one purchase in
the busiest bakery, outselling Lovely Loaves in six out of Lovely Loaves, with just over 120 sold on a Saturday.
eight items. On the whole, savoury foods such as toasted Cookies are third, at around 65 sales. Salads come next,
sandwiches, salads and rolls are not as popular as sweet with just over 60, three times as many as are sold in
items like cakes and cookies. Bernie's Buns. Rolls and fresh loaves are joint fifth, with
In terms of sales at Bernie's Buns, doughnuts come 50 sales apiece, followed by crisps at approximately 45.
top of the list, with an average of around 135 sold on The least popular item in Lovely Loaves is toasted
a Saturday. Cookies and cakes are the next best sellers, sandwiches, with around 25 sales.
with around 115 and 100 of these snacks sold
( 236 words)
The word respectively is useful in Task 1 for placing data in the order that you write
about it.
Cookies and cakes are the next best sellers, with around 115 and 100 o f these snacks sold respectively.
This means: cookie sales 115; cake sales 100
3 Read these sentences and complete the gaps with the correct numbers.
1 The temperature in Rawai Island was much lower than in Phuket, at 15 degrees and
2 5 degrees respectively.
Temperature in Rawai Island:........... Temperature in Phuket:...........
2 The number of visitors to Portugal was twice as high as those who went to Greece, at
500 and 2 5 0 respectively.
Visitors to Portugal:........... Visitors to Greece: ...........
4 You can also use the expression in turn in the same w ay as respectively. Find an
example in the model answer above.
5 Write a sentence using respectively or in turn about each of these pairs of data.
1 house in Notting Hill average £ 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 / house in Sloane Square average
£ 6 2 0 ,0 0 0
2 people aged 2 0 -3 0 who like jazz 11%/ people same age who like hip-hop 35%
3 JFK Airport (March) 2.9 million users / Newark Airport (March) 1.9 million users
6 Choose another chart or table from this unit and w rite three more sentences
using respectively.
2 Look at the bar chart in Exercise 1 and complete the sentences below using the
w ords in the box. Then study the grammar structure in each one.
5 Use the structure from Exercise 4 to w rite three sentences about the most
popular film genres for wom en.
These two sentences contain more useful structures you can use in Task 1.
The number o f elementary students is three times higher than the number o f students in the
beginner's classes, at 90 and 30 respectively.
There are twice as many students in the upper-intermediate level as students in the advanced classes.
6 Choose one of the structures above to w rite tw o more sentences about the table
in Exercise 5.
4 Invent a table about w hat people do at weekends in the city/town w here you
are studying and add the percentages. Use the language for ranking information
to write a paragraph about it.
^ Often in Task 1 you will be asked to write about the results of a survey or questionnaire. ^
5 Listed below are some useful w ays to write about the results of a survey.
Rewrite the phrases in italic in the correct order.
1 Forty-five people prefer / said / they ... said “Hney prefer
2 Just 10% of the said /people /asked / who / w ere...
3 More than 30% of the people completed / said / the / survey / who ...
4 Over half of the said / respondents...
5 Around a third of the the / in /participants / said /questionnaire...
2 Study the sentences in Exercise 1 and choose the three pieces of language in
blue you like the most. Tell a partner the reasons for your choices.
Example: X liKe m^o&r %became X tViinK if is f\cft \oo difficult \o learn.
3 Look at this bar chart. Which of the destinations would you most like to visit?
W hy?
This chart shows the top eight honeymoon destinations for newlywed
British couples in 2010. The results come from a survey of 5,000 couples.
Spain
Paris
Thailand
The Maldives
The Greek Islands
Bali
Costa Rica
4 Using the language you studied in Exercise 2, add a clause to these sentence
starters to compare the data in the chart in Exercise 3.
1 Thailand was the number-one destination, with 1 ,4 1 0 couples choosing this, just
ahead of...
2 Bali was second on the list, with 1, 335 couples spending their honeymoon there,
making i t ...
3 Costa Rica was the third most popular destination for honeymooners at 750,
although this w a s...
4 The Maldives came next, with 60 0 , while the Greek Islands ...
5 W rite three more sentences about the chart w ith your own ideas. Compare your
answ er w ith a partner.
8 C om parative graphs
Next steps 1: Dealing with more than one graph
Often in Task 1, you will need to write about the information presented in two or even
three charts. This could be two bar charts, a line graph and a table, a pie chart and a bar
chart or any other combination.
Look at the Task 1 question below and think about these questions.
1 What would you write in the introduction?
2 What information would you include in the overview?
3 How would you organize the rest of your answer?
4 Would you have time to write about everything in detail?
The charts below show the most popular films by genre for men and women
and general ticket sales for different types of film in the USA in 2010.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant
I action
| comedy
49 %
( romantic
comedy
I thriller
other
2 Write a basic plan to show how you would write your answer. Compare notes
with a partner.
3 Look at the advice from tw o IELTS students in this table. Tick the advice you
think is more logical and would make it easier to w rite a clear answer.
introduction Try to be as clever as possible in the Keep it clear and simple. Write
introduction to impress the examiner. something like The bar graph shows the
Something like Both these charts most popular films ... and then use a
provide different information about the linker and explain the second graph
film industry in America, including cle a rly :... while the pie chart illustrates
popular films a n d ... how much m oney...
overview W rite about as many parts of the graph Study both graphs carefully first and
as possible. I start by writing about the then pick out a total of tw o or three
first thing I see, e.g. the action films, pieces of key information to w rite
then w rite about comedy next, etc., about, e.g. The most popular type o f
but you have to w rite really quickly! film was ... These act as a useful
summary of the charts.
writing about W rite about both charts together in W rite two separate paragraphs. Start by
the details one paragraph. This way, you can writing about the first chart, then write
compare the information as you w rite, another paragraph about the second
and it looks much more impressive. chart. You can include comparisons in the
second paragraph.
4 Which student do you think w rote the clearest answ er? W hy?
Studying texts which may not be directly related to the 1ELTS exam is an excellent way
to increase your range and level of vocabulary. Paying attention to useful phrases,
collocations and chunks of language will help in both Task 1 and 2, but also as you
continue to develop your command of English in the future.
1 This new spaper article contains useful vocabulary for giving your writing more
range and variety, particularly in Task 1. Read it and pick out some useful
language.
Go through the language you selected in Exercise 1. Note your ideas about
meaning and check in a dictionary.
this p ro ce ss w ith
R e p e at Examples: experience a booM - a big increase
other newspaper or
magazine articles you find. ihe S'fcrHs'lics reveal - -hne da+a shew
3 Find other articles in newspapers or online and repeat the process in Exercises 1
and 2.
CH A LLEN G E Use comparatives and superlatives to list this information. Try to express w hether
the difference is large or small.
1 Land Rover 140 mph /Jaguar 150 mph /Mitsubishi 1 20 mph
2 St James Football Club (3 cups) /Landport FC (15 cups) /Fleur De Lys FC (4 cups)
3 scuba-diving course ( 52 0 people) /kite-surfing course (800 people) /kayaking course
( 180 people)
Describing numbers
CH ECK Describe or rewrite these numbers in as many w ays as you can.
a 81 b 74% c 2 9 8 ,0 0 0 d 1 in 5 e 10% f 34% g about half
CH A LLEN G E Choose one of the graphs or charts from this unit and w rite about the data from
the chart in as many w ays as you can, using the language for describing numbers.
Numerical comparatives
CH ECK Add the missing words to these sentences.
1 Chicken Jalfrezi is twice expensive Saag Aloo, at £ 7 and £ 3 .5 0 respectively.
2 Chicken Jalfrezi, £7, costs twice much Saag Aloo, at £ 3 .5 0 .
3 Twice many customers ordered Saag Aloo the Chicken Jalfrezi.
CH A LLEN G E Practise comparative structures by writing about the data in this table.
100 60 50 25 20
I 75
Practice question
This table shows the class numbers by level at M other Tongue Language School.