Academic Writing Task 1: How to answer chart questions
Table of Contents
by Deborah Bang
ILAC Teacher
If you are looking for some tips on how to get the best IELTS results for the Academic Writing Task 1, look no further – you are in the right place!
In the Writing section, the IELTS Academic test wants you to produce answers to two separate tasks, namely Task 1 and Task 2. Many students have a harder time writing Task 1 because it requires more than just writing; you also need to understand the objective or goal of the task, think about (or analyze) the information provided, and organize all your ideas in a coherent fashion. With ILAC KISS, our IELTS preparation courses can guide you through each of these steps and help you improve your writing to get the scores you need.
The more you practice, the better your IELTS results will be!
What happens in Task 1?
What do I need to do in Writing Task 1?
A typical task will ask you to do the following:
“Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.”
Notice the words “summarize, “select,” and “main features.” Task 1 does not ask you to “describe” or “express your thoughts” freely. It does not ask you to engage in creative writing. That is why, Task 1 is also referred to as “analysis writing” or “reporting.”
You will need to examine and interpret the visual provided, to understand the underlying features, and general trend(s). Remember, an analysis is different from a description.
How much time will I get?
You have 20 minutes to complete Task 1 writing.
How many words should I write?
You need to write a minimum of 150 words. You can write more, if you wish, but it will not award you extra marks. However, if you write less than 150 words, you will lose points. A suggestion is to write a little more than 150 words, but to not waste extra time by writing more than that.
Strategy
Spend about 2-3 minutes planning your answer and thinking about the visual. Make an outline and write down the order in which you are going to write your response. This is a must! Making an outline of your answer before you write it will help you organize your ideas better and see if they follow a logical order.
Spend about 15 minutes writing. Finally, use the remaining 2-3 minutes checking and editing what you wrote. Check for spelling mistakes, grammar, vocabulary word choice, and so on.
Types of Visuals
There are several charts and other visuals that you might see in Task 1 of the Writing section:
- Bar charts
- Pie charts
- Line graphs
- Tables
- Maps
- Diagrams or processes
You might get just one type of visual (i.e. a table), or any combination of two (i.e. a table and a pie chart). Be aware that one chart or diagram may contain more than one set of data. For example, a line graph may contain more than just one line. Don’t forget to report on both or all data sets that you see.
Evaluation Criteria
In Task 1, the examiner is looking for 4 criteria:
- Task Achievement (25%)
- Coherence and Cohesion (25%)
- Vocabulary (25%)
- Grammar (25%)
Task 1 is worth less than Task 2 in IELTS Writing because less time is spent. However, it is important that you do well on both writing assignments to achieve a high overall IELTS Writing score.
A Typical Answer
In Task 1, your answer should follow this basic structure:
- Introduction (1-3 sentences)
- Overview (2-3 sentences)
- Body A (3-5 sentences)
- Body B (3-5 sentences)
Keep reading to learn more about about each of these!
Step 1: Introduction
In the introduction, state these two things:
- the type of visual (bar chart, line graph etc…);
- and the topic.
Indicating the type of visual will show not only that you can identify the graph, but also that you know the vocabulary word in English.
When stating the topic, do not simply “copy and paste” it from the task question. Instead, paraphrase the topic using your own words. This will show that you know how to paraphrase (which is an academic skill) and that your vocabulary base is good (use appropriate synonyms!).
Sample Answer
Consider the following IELTS Academic, Writing Task 1 question:
The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Before you write your introduction, we suggest that you first underline the words and phrases which could be replaced.
- For example: The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.
Now paraphrase the underlined words and phrases:
- “The bar chart illustrates the estimated sum of men and women attending a post-secondary institution in Britain in the following three terms: 1970-71, 1980-81, and 1990-91. It also specifies whether they were enrolled part-time or full-time.”
Step 2: Overview
The overview is the second paragraph of your answer. This is the most crucial part of Task 1. Here, you need to state the “general trend” of the chart. This is your general analysis or report of what is happening in the chart.
Keep in mind that if you do not write an overview, you may lose points.
How to Identify the General Trend
To identify the general trend in your visual, look for any patterns such as increases or decreases over time, or between subject groups.
For example, in the case of a bar graph, you can see how all the bars align. Do they go up or down over time?
For Part-Time Education:
- For men, the general trend is downwards.
- For women, the general trend is upwards.
For Full-Time Education:
The line is upwards for both men and women in full-time education. However…
- The line for men is smoother than the line for women.
- The line for women is more abrupt and may be divided into two. The first line indicates a sharp increase. The second line shows a shallow increase.
Therefore, for your overview, you can write the following:
- “Overall, the total number of men pursuing higher education on a part-time basis decreased over the span of the three periods, while the figures for women in part-time education increased substantially each decade. In addition, even though the enrollment of both men and women in full-time education went up, the enrollment of men in a college or university was more moderate than the enrollment of women for the same institutions. There was a sharp hike in enrollments for women from 1970-71 to 1980-81.”
Step 3: Body A and Body B
Body A and body B (paragraphs 3 and 4) should report in more detail about what you see, and compare the data. Depending on the type of visual and the amount of data contained in the visual(s), you need to decide what to include in your writing and what to leave out, plus how to present it to the reader. In these paragraphs, you are most likely going to use comparison language, and include the details that are relevant to your points of comparison.
These paragraphs are a chance for you to show off your English skills to the examiner, and use more complex vocabulary, grammar and expressions.
In each body/paragraph, focus on one type of data set. For this answer, I decided to write about part-time education in body A, and full-time education in body B. Yet, this is not necessarily the only way of organizing the information. For example, you could choose to write about men in body A and women in body B. You are free to choose how to do it.
Body A: Part-Time Education
- “Initially, the total number of male students studying part-time in a post-secondary institution in Britain was higher than that of female students. For example, in 1970-71, there were 1,000 male students attending a college or university. The count for women for the same period was approximately 750. Thus, there were around 350 more men than women studying part-time in Britain in 1970-71. Over the years, however, the enrollment of male students declined steadily, whereas the enrollment of female students rose considerably.”
Body 2: Full-Time Education
- “The trend for full-time education increased for both male and female students throughout the years; both sides showed a considerable gain. About 100 men studied full-time in a post-secondary institution in Britain in 1970-71. However, in 1980-71, the number rose to about 170. Finally, in 1990-91, the average enrollment was around 250 men. For female students, there was a more noticeable expansion of enrollment between 1970-71 and 1980-81, than between 1980-81 and 1990-91. Whereas in 1970-71 there were less than 100 female students studying full-time in higher education in Britain, this number rose to over 200 ten years later, before increasing a little further to match the number of men enrolled in full-time education by 1990-91 at approximately 250.”
Step 4: Edit and review
Finally, do not forget to leave some time at the end to edit or review your writing. Make sure that your words and any information included in the writing are accurate and reflective of the visual. If you write about things that are unrelated to the graphs, you will lose points. The idea is to stay focused.
Once again, you are not supposed to write creatively but to examine and report on the information presented in the visual. This does not mean drawing conclusions outside of the data you see.
Full answer
Here is the full writing response:
“The bar chart illustrates the estimated sum of men and women attending a post-secondary institution in Britain in the following three terms: 1970-71, 1980-81, and 1990-91. It also specifies whether they were enrolled part-time or full-time.
Overall, the total number of men pursuing higher education on a part-time basis decreased over the span of the three periods, while the figures for women in part-time education increased substantially each decade. In addition, even though the enrollment of both men and women in full-time education went up, the enrollment of men in a college or university was more moderate than the enrollment of women for the same institutions. There was a sharp hike in enrollments for female students from 1970-71 to 1980-81.
Initially, the total number of male students studying part-time in a post-secondary institution in Britain was higher than that of female students. For example, in 1970-71, there were 1,000 male students attending a college or university. The count for women for the same period was approximately 750. Thus, there were around 350 more men than women studying part-time in Britain in 1970-71. Over the years, however, the enrollment of male students declined steadily, whereas the enrollment of female students rose considerably.
The trend for full-time education increased for both male and female students throughout the years; both sides showed a considerable gain. About 100 men studied full-time in a post-secondary institution in Britain in 1970-71. However, in 1980-71, the number rose to about 170. Finally, in 1990-91, the average enrollment was around 250 men. For female students, there was a more noticeable expansion of enrollment between 1970-71 and 1980-81, than between 1980-81 and 1990-91. Whereas in 1970-71 there were less than 100 female students studying full-time in higher education in Britain, this number rose to over 200 ten years later, before increasing a little further to match the number of men enrolled in full-time education by 1990-91 at approximately 250.
Tips for success
Here are a few tips to consider when writing your Academic Task 1 response:
- Read the task question carefully. If it uses the word “chart” or “graph” without specifying the exact type of chart/graph, you should identify and state it. Is it a bar chart, pie chart, line graph, table, map, diagram or process? Is there more than one type of visual? Identify both!
- Never “copy and paste” the words from the task. Instead, paraphrase the topic question. Underline all the words and phrases that you can replace. Re-write the topic using your own words- this is paraphrasing.
- Identify the general trend. Notice what the overall messages are for the whole visual. Come up one or a few main ideas. Remember that there is a difference between reporting and describing. The general trend requires you to think further about what is happening in the chart, and not describe every tiny detail.
- Choose two data points to write about in body A and body B. Both of these paragraphs need to support the general trend(s).
- Do not write conclusions, or draw inferences. Only report on the data you can see.
- Stay focused. Task 1 does not ask you to produce a piece of creative, English literature. Avoid fantasizing about the possible causes and future prospects. Do not include your personal opinion. Do not give advice or any sort of justification for the visual. Write only about the content included in the visual(s).
- Practice the structure of typical Task 1 essays. Practice sample questions with different types of visuals (line graphs, bar charts…) and have someone give you feedback.
- Study collocations. A collocation is a combination of words that form a more specific meaning. For example, when something goes up, think about how it goes up (i.e. steeply, sharply, slowly, gradually, and so on). Use adverbs and adjectives to describe how trends change. So, instead of just saying “The line goes up,” try writing “The line goes up sharply.” or “There is a sharp increase.”
- Again…Practice. Practice. Practice! The more you practice, the more your writing and analytical thinking skills will improve.
To achieve the highest IELTS results, it is important that you understand the test format and specific requirements. The IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 measures your ability to think analytically and write down the main ideas presented in the visual, such as a graph or chart.
As Task 1 is a specialized type of writing, it is best to get feedback from someone experienced with the test marking criteria and standards. Anybody can check your overall English and grammar; however, only those who are familiar with the IELTS test can give you the kind of feedback you need to do well on it. ILAC offers IELTS Preparation classes (virtual, group) to help test-takers prepare efficiently for their test and receive the best guidance to achieve their target scores. Contact us to find out more!
