There are several different graphs you could see in Writing 1 Task:
Single line graph
Double line graph
Bar graph (Single, Double or Triple bar graph)
Pie chart
Table
Process
No matter what graph, diagram or table you are describing, you shouldn’t break these rules:
Report must be of at least 150 words written in 20 minutes
You shouldn’t write your opinion or copy words from graph – rephrase and use synonyms instead.
Never use bullets, write as if you were writing essay or letter.
When your Academic Writing 1 Task is graded by IELTS examiners, they look for this structure:
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Introduction should describe the purpose of report and say what overall trends you see. For example, if the graph is climbing up or dropping down, you should mention that.You need to remember that you are describing a graph to someone who doesn’t see it. Write what the graph is about, its dates and location.
Body should describe the most important trends, while all information is summarized to avoid unnecessary details. For example, if there is a graph that has 2 peaks, you should mention them; tell when those peaks appeared and what the peak values are. Notice how many distinctive features diagram has and divide information into paragraphs, one paragraph for one feature. You should link the paragraphs by sentences that logically connect them to one another.
Important! You need to write about all the periods of time and all the subjects of graph. If it shows several years (1992, 1993, 1994) – write about all of them, if it is about men and women – write about both. Remember, summarizing doesn’t mean throwing away information. The secret here is to select what’s important, organize it, compare and contrast.
Conclusion should sum up the global trends shown on the figure and compare them if possible.
