IELTS task 1 lesson

IELTS Task 1 Lesson Lesson 1: IELTS Task 1 Describing a Graph Over Time This lesson explains how to describe a line graph or bar chart for IELTS task 1 that is over time.. Now look at

IELTS Task 1 Lesson

Lesson 1: IELTS Task 1

Describing a Graph Over Time

This lesson explains how to describe a line graph or bar chart for IELTS task 1

that is over time This uses an example of a bar chart, but it will be the same

for a line graph

When you get a chart or graph to describe, it is always important to check whether there is a time frame or not If there is, you will need to use

the language of change

However, it is not enough just to describe the changes of each element (ActiveX, Java and Net in this case) on their own and ignore how they relate to each other

Look at the question – you are asked to compare the data as well So you must

also compare the elements where relevant in your IELTS task 1

You must also group datatogether to make sure you have a well organized and

coherent answer

To do this, you need to look for similarities and differences when you first analyze the graph for IELTS task 1, and decide what can be logically put

together or not

Now look at the bar chart below and read the IELTS task 1 model answer

The bar chart shows the number of times per week (in 1000s), over five weeks, that three computer packages were downloaded from the internet

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant

Model Answer

The bar chart illustrates the download rate per week of ActiveX, Java and Net computer packages over a period of five weeks It can clearly be seen that ActiveX was the most popular computer package to download, whilst Net was the least popular of the three

To begin, ActiveX and Java showed a similar pattern, with both gradually increasing from week 1 to week 5 However, the purchases of Active X remained significantly higher than for the other product over this time frame In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around 75,000, while those for Java were about 30,000 lower With the exception of a slight fall in week 4, downloading of ActiveX kept increasing until it reached a peak in the final week of just over 120,000 Java also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000 The product that was downloaded the least was Net This began at slightly under 40,000, and, in contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two weeks

to reach a low of approximately 25,000 It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000, which was well below that of ActiveX

(Words 197)

Language of Change

As you can see, there are several examples of this in the graph, so it is

important to learn how to use these correctly in order to successfully write an IELTS task 1 chart over time Here are some examples:

finishing the period at

You will need to practice this type of language, and also make sure you know a variety of structures to get a better score – if you keep repeating the same kind

of phrases this will show you have a more limited range of lexis and grammar

Here are some examples of where comparisons are made between the products

in the IELTS task 1 graph, and the language of comparison is highlighted in black:

It can clearly be seen that ActiveX was the most popularcomputer package to download, whilst Net was the least popular of the three

ActiveX and Java showed a similar trend, with bothgradually increasing from

week 1 to week 5

However, the purchases of Active X remained significantlyhigher than for the

other product over this time frame

In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around 75,000,while those for Java were about 30,000 lower

Java also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000

The product that was downloaded the least was Net This began at slightly under 40,000, and, in contrast to the other two products, fell over the next

two weeks

It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000,

which was well below that of ActiveX

Grouping the Data

It is a good idea to divide your answer into paragraphs so it is well organized To

do this, you should group similar things together into paragraphs or sections

If you look at the chart, you will see that ActiveX and Java have a similar pattern, both steadily increasing over the period (apart from the slight fall of ActiveX in week 4), so these could be put together:

To begin, ActiveX and Java showed a similar trend, with both gradually

increasing from week 1 to week 5 However, the purchases of Active X remained significantly higher than for the other product over this time frame In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around 75,000, while those for Java were about 30,000 lower With the exception of a slight fall in week 4, downloading of ActiveX kept rising until it reached a peak in the final week of just over 120,000 Java also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000

On the other hand, Net is the lowest and it has a different pattern – falling and then rising again So this could be described in another paragraph:

The product that was downloaded the least was Net This began at slightly

under 40,000, and, in contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two weeks to a low of approximately 25,000 It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000, which was well below that of ActiveX

There is usually more than one way to group the data for an IELTS task 1, so this needs to be your decision As long as it is logical and makes your answer easy to follow and read, this should be ok

Lesson 2: Describing an IELTS Pie Chart

This lesson will provide you with tips and advice on how to write an IELTS pie

chart for task 1

To begin, take a look at the pie chart below, and then answer the quiz questions

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The pie charts show the main reasons for migration to and

from the UK in 2007

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main

features and make comparisons where relevant

Write at least 150 words

IELTS Pie Chart Quiz

1 What is the best way to organize your answer?

Write one paragraph about immigration and one about emigration

Write about the pie charts together, comparing each of the reasons

2 What tense should you use to write about the IELTS pie chart?

The pie charts illustrate the primary reasons that people came to and left the UK

in 2007 At first glance it is clear that the main factor influencing this decision was employment

Having a definite job accounted for 30 per cent of immigration to the UK, and this figure was very similar for emigration, at 29% A large number of people, 22%, also emigrated because they were looking for a job, though the proportion

of people entering the UK for this purpose was noticeably lower at less than a fifth

Another major factor influencing a move to the UK was for formal study, with over a quarter of people immigrating for this reason However, interestingly, only a small minority, 4%, left for this

The proportions of those moving to join a family member were quite similar for immigration and emigration, at 15% and 13% respectively Although a significant number of people (32%) gave ‘other’ reasons or did not give a reason why they emigrated, this accounted for only 17% with regards to immigration

These will be the largest ones As you can see in the model answer,definite

job, looking for work, and formal study were all written about first, in order

of importance, as these are the main reasons that were chosen for moving

Items such as ‘other’ are usually less important and account for small amounts,

so can be left till the end

Make it easy to read

When you write a task 1, you should always group information in a logical

way to make it easy to follow and read

With an IELTS pie chart, the most logical thing to do is usually tocompare

categories together across the charts, focusing on similarities and differences,

rather than writing about each chart separately

If you write about each one separately, the person reading it will have to keep looking between the paragraphs in order to see how each category differs

Vary your language

As with any task 1, this is important You should not keep repeating the same structures The key language when you write about pie charts

is proportions and percentages

Common phrases to see are "the proportion of…" or "the percentage of…" However, you can also use other words and fractions These are some

examples from the model answer:

A large number of people

over a quarter of people

a small minority

A significant number of people

less than a fifth

This table presents some examples of how you can change percentages to fractions or ratios:

Percentage Fraction 80% four-fifths 75% three-quarters 70% seven in ten 65% two-thirds 60% three-fifths 55% more than half 50% half

45% more than two

fifths 40% two-fifths

35% more than a third 30% less than a third 25% a quarter

20% a fifth 15% less than a fifth 10% one in ten

5% one in twenty

Practice these phrases in a quiz

If the percentages are not exact as above, then you can usequalifiers to make

sure your description remains accurate Here are some examples:

Percentage Qualifier 77% just over three quarters 77% approximately three

quarters 49% just under a half 49% nearly a half 32% almost a third

This table presents some examples of how you can change percentages to other phrases:

Percentage proportion / number / amount

/ majority / minority 75% - 85% a very large majority

65% - 75% a significant proportion

10% - 15% a minority

5% a very small number

Practice these phrases in a quiz

The words above are interchageable, though number is forcountable

nouns and amount is for uncountable nouns

Follow this link to the writing pages to see another IELTS pie chart:

Lesson 3: IELTS Process Diagram

It is less common in the writing test, but sometimes you will get anIELTS

process diagram to describe

This should follow the same format as any task 1:

1 Introduce the diagram

2 Give an overview of the main point/s

3 Give the detail

Follow this link about how to write a task 1

However, there are different types of task 1 (line graphs, pie charts, maps etc) and each requires knowledge of a certain type of language

This lesson will look at how to write an IELTS process diagram for task 1

What is an IELTS Process Diagram?

To begin, look at this question:

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The diagram illustrates the process that is used to

manufacture bricks for the building industry

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the

main features and make comparisons where relevant

Write at least 150 words

A process will have a number of stages that are in time order So you

should start at the beginning, and describe each stage through to the last one

In the example above, this is fairly clear It begins with the digging of the clay, and ends with delivery

Processes are not always this clear, and you may have to look more carefully to spot the beginning, and there may also be two things happening at the same time

So it is important that you look at other sample processes to get a good

understanding of how they can vary

Introduce the Diagram

As with any task 1, you can begin by paraphrasing the rubric:

The diagram explains the way in which bricks are made for the building industry

As you can see, this has been taken from the question, but it has not been copied You need to write it in your own words

Highlight the main points

An IELTS process diagram is different to a line, bar, pie chart or table in that there are not usually key changes or trends to identify However, you should

still give an overview of what is taking place

The ‘public band descriptors’ state that to achieve a band 6 or more for

‘task response’ the student must provide an overview in a task 1

As there are no trends to comment on, you can make a comment on, for

example, the number of stages in the process and how itbegins and ends:

Overall, there are eight stages in the process, beginning with the digging up of clay and culminating in delivery

Giving the detail

Now you need to explain the IELTS process diagram, and there are two key aspects of language associated with this:

To begin, the clay used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by a large

digger This clay is then placed onto a metal grid, which is used to break up the

clay into smaller pieces A roller assists in this process

Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is

turned into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter Next,

these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 – 48 hours

In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process

They are heated in a kiln at a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging from 200c to 1300c),followed by a cooling process in a chamber for 2 – 3 days.Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations

These connectors are the same you would use to write a graph over time when you explain a series of changes

These are some common IELTS process diagram connectors:

To begin Following this Next

Then After After that Before**

Subsequently Finally

** If you use before, this means that you will be mentioning a later stage

before an earlier stage, so you need to use it carefully If you can use it properly though, it will get noticed

Here is an example using stages four and five:

Before being dried in the oven, the mixture is turned into bricks by either placing

it into a mould or using a wire cutter

The Passive

When we describe an IELTS process, the focus is on the activities, NOT the

person doing them

When this is the case, we use the passive voice, not the active

This is a brief explanation of how to use the passive voice, but if you are new or unsure about using it, you should do some further study and practice

Most sentences use this structure:

Subject + Verb + Object

(S) A large digger (V) digs up (O) the clay in the ground

In the active voice (as above), the digger is doing the verb i.e the digger is doing the digging

When we use the passive voice, we make the object (the clay) the subject, and make the subject (the digger) the object We also add in the verb ‘to be’ and the past participle (or Verb 3)

(S) The clay in the ground (V) is dug up (O) by the digger

So throughout most of your description for your IELTS process diagram, you should be using the passive voice

This is difficult as some verbs cannot take the passive For example, 'to go' cannot be passive, so it is kept in the active voice:

the bricks go through a heating and cooling process

This is why you need to make sure you practice the passive so you know exactly how to use it

Also, as you will see from the description, it is more usual to to comment on who

or what is doing the action so the 'by " phrase is excluded

Here is the same example description with uses of the passive highlighted:

To begin, the clay (which is) used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by a large digger This clay is thenplaced onto a metal grid, which is

used to break up the clay into smaller pieces A roller assists in this process

Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is

turned into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter Next,

these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 – 48 hours

In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process

They are heated in a kiln at a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging

from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a chamber for 2 – 3 days

Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations

Varying your Language

Sometimes it may be appropriate just to use the same language that you are given in the IELTS process diagram to describe it, but you should try to vary it

You may be able to use nouns from the diagram as your verbs For example,

the noun packaging in stage seven becomes:

Finally, the bricks are packed…

Follow this link from the model task 1 pages to see a full IELTS process diagram model answer for this process

Lesson 4:

IELTS Bar and Line Graph

This is an example of an IELTS bar and line graph together It is not

uncommon to get two graphs to describe at the same time in the IELTS test

It can look a bit scary at first However, when you look more closely, you'll see

it is probably no more difficult than having one graph

Take a look at the question and the graph:

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The line graph shows visits to and from the UK from 1979 to

1999, and the bar graph shows the most popular countries

visited by UK residents in 1999

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main

features and make comparisons where relevant

Write at least 150 words

When you state what the graph shows, mention both of them Here is a

sample first sentence of the introduction:

The line graph illustrates the number of visitors in millions from the UK who

went abroad and those that came to the UK between 1979 and 1999, while the

bar chart shows which countries were the most popular for UK residents to

visit in 1999

Remember to write this in your own words and not to copy from the question

Next you need to mention the key points from the graph When you do

this, mention the most interesting things from each:

Overall, it can be seen that visits to and from the UK increased, and

that France was the most popular countryto go to

Body Paragraphs

If there are two graphs and a lot of information, you will have to be careful not

to describe everything as you may then have too much information

Also, the examiner is looking to see that you can select the important

things and not describe every single detail

So the key skill when you have two graphs is being able to pick out the

important information or summarize things in a concise way, otherwise you will end up writing too much and probably run out of time

Here is an example description for the bar and line graph:

To begin, the number of visits abroad by UK residents was higher than for those that came to the UK, and this remained so throughout the period The figures started at a similar amount, around 10 million, but visits abroad increased significantly to over 50 million, whereas the number of overseas residents rose steadily to reach just under 30 million

By far the most popular countries to visit in 1999 were France at approximately

11 million visitors, followed by Spain at 9 million The USA, Greece, and Turkey were far less popular at around 4, 3 and 2 million visitors respectively

As you can see, the first paragraph discusses the line graph, and the second the bar chart

You will not usually need to mix up the descriptions This will only make things complicated and difficult to follow Writing about the first one and then the second one is ok

As with any task 1, you will need to make sure you use the right language, make comparisons, and group data appropriately

Follow this link to view the full graph with its model answer

Lesson 5:

Describing Graph Trends

This exercise introduces some common vocabulary and grammar needed for describing graph trends

The language that can be used for describing graphs in IELTS is extensive This lesson introduces some of the most common language used

It also shows you how it can be used grammatically in sentences

Vocabulary for Describing Graph Trends

verb: to drop, is dropping,

has dropped, dropped

clause that includes some

analysis; e.g 'Spending

rose in all three years', an

'_ing' form can be used to

describe numbers and

dates

Spending rose in all three

years, increasing from 17.6%

Have a look at the table below

Then, to help you with describing graph trends, decide which word should go in the gap in the example answer

Expenditure on Education in Hong Kong 1995 to 1998

Breakdown of spending 1995-6 1996-7 1997-8

Total expenditure

($ million) 33,611 39,165 45,315

As % of government budget 17.6% 18% 18.2%

Describing Graph Trends - Gap Fill

Public expenditure on education in Hong Kong (1) _ continuously from 1995 to 1998 In academic year 1995-6 it (2) _ HK$33,611 million, (3) to $39,165 million in 1996-7 and

$45,315 million in 1997-8 As a percentage of the government’s budget

spending on education also increased (4) year, from 17.6% to 18% and then to 18.2%

However, the percentage of expenditure spent on primary, secondary and tertiary education did not show the same consistent (5) _ In 1995-6 expenditure on primary education was 22.2% of the education budget, 33.7% (6) _ on secondary, and 35.9% on tertiary

In 1996, (7) of 0.8% in spending on tertiary education was finanaced by a (8) _ in spending of 0.7% in primary and 0.5% in secondary schooling

In 1997-8 tertiary spending as a percent of the education budget

(9) _to its 1995-6 level The percentage spent on primary education (10) to 21.6% and that on secondary to 33.5%, both figures being less than 1995-6 levels

This lesson will hopefully have helped you with the basics of describing graph trends and some of the different structures you can use

Remember though this example has only used a few of the words possible for describing change

It's important to vary your language so look around the IELTS buddy site, for example on the model graphs, to see what other language you can use

Lesson 6: Bar Chart Exercise

This bar chart exercise is a gap fill to give you pratice with the language of

comparison, contrast and percentages

Look at the graph and then read the model answer

Choose the right word to go in the gap

Bar Chart Exercise - Gap Fill

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The chart shows the percentage of drugs taken by girls and

boys in a school in New Zealand

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main

features and make comparisons where relevant

Write at least 150 words

Place the right word into the space Make sure you write (or copy and paste) the

word exactly as it appears in the box, otherwise it will get marked as wrong

at approximately 8% / the least / school children / are similar

The 1 information on the quantity of

drugs 2 in New Zealand take, divided

immediately apparent that hashish or marijuana is used 5.

any of the other drugs, whereas LSD is used 6.

At first glance we can see that boys take more drugs than

girls for 6 out of 7 of the drugs listed, however an 7. number

of boys and girls take cocaine

To begin with, boys use more hashish or marijuana than girls

at 8 and 29% respectively Following this, boys take

heroin, opium or morphine 9 but

girls 10

On the other hand, the 11 amphetamines and

solvents 12 for both boys and girls at 2% and 3% for girls

and 13 both drugs for boys Next, the pattern for LSD and

medical drugs 14 the same for both genders at 1% for girls and 3% for boys Finally, boys and girls take

Scroll down to see the full bar chart exercise answer:

Bar Chart Exercise - Answer

The 1 bar chart illustrates information on the quantity of drugs2.school

children in New Zealand take, divided by 3 gender and measured 4 in percentages Overall, it is immediately apparent that hashish or marijuana is

used 5 more than any of the other drugs, whereas LSD is used 6 the least

At first glance we can see that boys take more drugs than girls for 6 out of 7 of

the drugs listed, however an 7 equal number of boys and girls take cocaine

To begin with, boys use more hashish or marijuana than girls at 8.around

33% and 29% respectively Following this, boys take heroin, opium or

morphine 9 at approximately 8%, but girls 10 at only 5%

On the other hand, the 11 numbers for amphetamines and solvents12 are

similar for both boys and girls at 2% and 3% for girls and13 4% for both

drugs for boys Next, the pattern for LSD and medical drugs 14 is exactly the

same for both genders at 1% for girls and 3% for boys Finally, boys and girls

take cocaine 15 at the same level, 4%

Lesson 7: Line Graph Worksheet - Gap Fill

This line graph worksheet helps you with the language of change that is very

commonly needed to write about graphs, bar charts and tables in IELTS task 1

Firstly, take a look at the graph and check you understand it

 What does it show?

 What are the main trends?

 What are some important details?

Then look at the line graph answer and carefully work out which word from the drop down menu fits in the gap

_

Line Graph Worksheet - Gap Fill

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The line graph illustrates the amount of spreads consumed

from 1981 to 2007, in grams

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main

features and make comparisons where relevant

Write at least 150 words

Gap Fill - Choose the correct word

The graph shows the quantity of margarine, low fat spreads and butter

consumed between 1981 and 2007 The quantities are measured in grams Over the period 1981 to 2007 as a whole, there

was 1 in the consumption of butter and

margarine and a 2 in the consumption of low fat-fat spreads

Butter was the most popular fat at the beginning of the period, and

consumption 3 of about 160 grams per person

per week in about 1986 After this, there was 4. The consumption of margarine began lower than that for butter at 90 grams

Following this, in 1991, it 5 that of butter for the