Guide to IELTS Writing Task 1.

Writing Task 1 is one of two IELTS Writing Tasks and requires the analysis of a chart within 20
minutes. You have to write a report which is 150-180 words long.
1. Line graph 2. Table 3. Bar chart

4. Pie chart 5. Mixed chart 6. Map

7. Process chart 8. Flow chart

The structure of every Writing Task 1 is standard:

First paragraph – One sentence that introduces the chart type and its main topic (i.e. unemployment
Introduction figures)
Second paragraph – This is a very important paragraph. We normally write it after the introduction, but you
Overview can write it after the body paragraphs too. This paragraph is a summary of the main
trends and points shown in the chart. However, you do not need to include numbers or
figures here.
Body Paragraph 1 Here you give one part of some important details. Let`s say, your chart depicts
unemployment figures from 1960 to 2000, and you describe key changes from 1960 to
1980 in the first Body Paragraph.
Body Paragraph 2 Here you give the remaining key information. For example, you describe unemployment
figures from 1980 to 2000.
1. Introduction.
The introduction of every chart should clearly state the following information:
❖ Chart type (table, process chart or pie chart)
❖ Information (amount of oil produced, energy consumed etc.)
❖ Number of categories and location (5 countries, 2 cities)
❖ Time interval (years)

Let`s look at the sample chart:

Here are the main points regarding the chart:

➢ Chart type – bar chart.

➢ Information – expenditures on five categories.
➢ Categories/locations – four countries (UK, USA, Canada, Japan).
➢ Time interval – 2009.
Now, let`s create an Introduction sentence. Here are sample sentences:
➢ The bar chart displays how people from four countries, namely the UK, the USA, Canada and
Japan, spent their money on five different categories.
➢ The chart shows the distribution of spending among five primary categories in the United States,
United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan during the year 2009.
➢ The chart illustrates how expenditures were divided among five main categories in 2009 across the
United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan.
We can also start in a non-standard way:
➢ The distribution of spending among five primary categories in four countries in 2009 is shown on
the bar graph.
➢ We can see the distribution of spending among five primary categories in four countries in 2009
shown on the bar graph.
At the end of the Introduction paragraph, we can also add the following sentence (not compulsory):
➢ The information is shown in percentage points.
➢ The information is expressed in percentage points.
So, overall, the introduction may look like this:
The chart breaks down how spending was distributed among five primary categories in the United States,
United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan during the year 2009. The information is expressed in percentage
points.

Good phrases for the introduction:

❖ The chart shows/displays/illustrates/breaks down (how) … / provides information on … - to
start the introduction.
❖ We can see from the chart … - the alternative way to start it.
❖ … during the year 2009/in 2009/in the year 2009 – when you show only one year.
❖ … within the period of 20 years/within the 20-year time frame/time span – when you show the
period.
❖ … countries, namely/such as the USA, the UK and Canada, … - to list the categories/countries
(not necessary).
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Overview.
We don`t have conclusions in Writing Task 1 (as we do not present our opinions or positions, we
purely analyze the statistics or information and present it in a logical way). But we definitely need a
good summary for the chart – Overview.
Overviews can be written after the introduction or at the end (after body paragraphs).
Remember: we do not provide figures (numbers, percentage points) in the overview, we only
summarize information!
The overview should include the following details:
➢ The most significant figures – generally the highest and lowest figures.
➢ The most significant changes – generally the figures that changed more noticeably.
➢ The patterns that can be seen in the chart – generally the overall process that can be observed
(all figures rose, all figures saw minimal changes etc.).
The overview should also imply how you are going to divide your body paragraphs.
Let`s analyze the following chart:

Key points here are these ones:

➢ Food, housing, and transportation – are the major categories (housing is number 1 in all
years), and health care and clothing – are the smaller ones.
➢ US and Canadian people spent more on transportation than food, while the reverse pattern
is true for UK and Japanese people.
➢ In all other sectors (housing, health care, and clothing), the figures for countries were close to
each other.
Sample overview:
Overall, people in these countries mainly spent money on housing, food, and transportation, particularly
on the former one. Americans and Canadians allocated a higher portion of their expenses to
transportation rather than food, whereas the opposite trend was observed among individuals in the
United Kingdom and Japan. In all other sectors, the figures for all countries were almost identical.

Let`s analyze this chart:

Here, we can see the percentage of UK residents interested in various kinds of sports. Here are the
key points regarding this chart:
➢ Football was the main choice for UK residents, judo – the smallest one.
➢ In general, there was no significant change in the preferences of people during this 20-year time
span (from 1990 to 2010), except for rugby.
Sample overview:
Overall, it is clear that football led the table, with judo being the least preferred type of sport for UK
residents. Interestingly, the only noticeable change was in rugby: with the passage of years, its
popularity grew.

Recommended linking devices and phrases for the Overview:

❖ Overall, it is clear/evident/obvious that – to start the paragraph.
❖ Overall, we can see from the chart that – alternative start.
❖ Interestingly, - to show a noticeable change (the only one).
❖ However, / Conversely, - to show the opposite information (for example, you talk about
increasing trends, then move to decreasing ones)
❖ Similarly, / Likewise, - to show similar information.
❖ The only significant/noticeable/increasing/decreasing figure/number was … - to highlight
specific information.

____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Body Paragraphs.

Once we finish the Introduction and the Overview, we need to start giving the specific information
in our body paragraphs.

First of all, we need to understand the following rules:

❖ We should clearly know how to divide our body paragraphs.

❖ We should group figures and show the main ones – no need to show every single figure for
every category or year. If we have 20 figures in the chart, we may need to mention 8-10 only.

Let`s look at this bar chart again:

We can write one body paragraph about the top categories – food, housing and transportation, and the
other about the smallest categories – health care and clothing. Alternatively, we can divide by countries
(USA and Canada generally show similar patterns – same with UK and Japan).

Body Paragraphs should start with clear linking devices so that the examiner understands the
purpose of each paragraph:

Body Paragraph 1: In terms of major expenditures, housing was the highest, accounting for over 20%
of the budget. Notably, in the United States, a larger share of 25% went to housing compared to the other
countries. Both Americans and Canadians spent around one-fifth of their budget on food and less on
transportation. In contrast, Japan and the UK allocated roughly one-fifth of their income to food and 15%
or less to transportation.

Body Paragraph 2: As for the remaining/smallest categories, both health care and clothing made up
around 5 % of households in these four countries. The only noticeable point was that US residents spent
more on health care than others (around 10 %), while for clothing the figures were almost similar.

General rules:

❖ We should highlight the highest and most noticeable figures.

❖ The remaining figures should be grouped (The figures are around 5 %, between 5 % and 10
%).
❖ Use linking devices to show similar (Similarly, Likewise, Like A, B) and opposite (In
contrast, Conversely, However, Nevertheless, Unlike A, B).
❖ Don`t overuse the same format for figures – use 10 %, a tenth part of, a tenth of … etc.
❖ Try to create different sentences:

1. Standard body paragraph ❖ The USA experienced a rising trend, increasing from 50
sentence to 75 million between 2000-2005.
❖ The figure for the USA increased from 50 to 75 million in
2005.
2. Sentence stressing the figure ❖ 50 million tons of oil was produced by the USA in 2000,
first while this figure experienced a positive trend and reached
75 million in 2005.
3. Sentence providing grouping ❖ The USA and the UK saw opposing trends between 2000
and 2005: while the former country (USA) witnessed a
rising trend from 50 to 75 million tons, the figure for the
UK halved, amounting to 35 million tons in 2005.
4. Sentences showing noticeable ❖ The most remarkable pattern was observed/witnessed by
changes. the USA since it was the only country which had the higher
figure for health care (10 %) than others.