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Are you studying for IELTS
(International English Language Testing System), one
of the more internationally recognised English tests?
IELTS is jointly managed by The University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), The British Council
and IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia. IELTS
tests reading, writing, listening and speaking. It is
recognised worldwide. There are two modules of the IELTS
Test - Academic module and the General Training module.
IELTS
- Academic writing tips and Information
The IELTS Academic writing
module of the IELTS test consists of two activities:
Task 1 and Task 2.
IELTS candidates are given
60 minutes to complete both tasks. The writing tasks
are on a variety of subjects and are chosen for their
suitability for candidates entering university, as are
all our Reuters
news article topics.
In Writing Task 1, IELTS candidates are asked to describe
information that is usually presented in the form of
a graph, table or diagram. They must write at least
150 words and the writing task should be done in 20
minutes. We have many model
IELTS task 1 graph reports that can help your IELTS
preparation.
Task 1 test students'
ability to interpret graphic data - diagrams and graphs
- and describe and explain. Students are given graphic
or pictorial information and have to write a description
of this information. Usually bar charts, line graphs,
pie charts and tables are given for this task. However,
an object, or series of pictures or diagrams, or a flow
chart which needs to be described may also be presented.
Students may also need to describe a process or explain
how something works.
IELTS examiners are looking for the following things:
Being able to follow the instructions properly.
Being able to write a clear, accurate and relevant description
of the information.
Being able to focus on the important trends presented
or show comparisons and differences.
Being able to organize writing using a suitable structure.
Using connective words to link sentences and paragraphs
logically.
Vocabulary and Sentence Structure
Using a range of appropriate vocabulary.
Using a variety of sentence structures.
- Spend about 5 minutes reading the graph(s) or chart(s)
and preparing your answer.
- Do not copy the question or from the instructions
as they will not be marked. Use your imagination and
write in your own words what the data is about.
- When writing about bar and line graphs, pie charts
and tables, make sure you understand what the axis
on the graph(s) or the percentages in the pie chart(s)
represent. Again spend time preparing yourself before
you being writing.
- When describing a chart or diagram, make sure you
understand what the important stages of the flowchart
or diagram are, and that you know what order they
all come in.
- There will usually be too much information for
you to describe every detail, so you will need to
focus on the key information or important trends.
- Look for ways to compare data.
- Avoid repeating the same words in your writing
by using synonyms.
- When describing a process or flow chart you need
to show a logical order; therefore guide the reader
with sequence expressions such as ‘first of all’,
‘after that’, ‘at the same time’,
‘next’, 'finally' etc.
- Think about tenses and time, particularly when
comparing data. If you are describing a process, you
will probably need the present simple passive and
present simple.
- Organize your information clearly. You will need
an introduction, body and conclusion or summary of
some sort. When describing a process, the final paragraph
may be the a brief summary of the overall function
of what you have just described. When describing an
object however, you do not need a conclusion as you
are not being asked your opinion on why the thing
was invented, or whether it is useful, or whether
your auntie has one. An opinion would be considered
irrelevant for this task and could lose you marks.
- Do not include information that is not on the graph,
diagram or chart.
- You are not being asked for your opinion, just
to describe and report information. Giving opinions
may even cause you to get a lower mark.
- Do not spend longer than 20 minutes on this task.
- Leave a couple of minutes to read through what
you have written.
How
can Selfaccess.com help your IELTS exam preparation?
 We
can help you to:
- become familiar with the graph types by providing
lots of practice exercises describing graphs
- practise identifying key information in graphs and
charts
- practise rephrasing sentences so you can think of
another way of describing an object if you don’t
know the precise word
- express percentages, numbers and statistical data
though our many online exercises.
- become skilled at understanding what graph axes
represent
- become proficient at using language to describe
trends and make comparisons between data
- become proficient at expressing the key points in
a graph
- think about and become familiar with the vocabulary
in the topics that could be used for this task.
For example, information on births, crime, deaths,
education, environment, heath, leisure, old age,
populations, science & technology, transport,
tourism, employment, retirement.
Our online English lessons will help you pass IELTS!
We offer a large selection of interactive ESL lessons
for students preparing for IELTS.
Try
our IELTS exam preparation course.
Remember, reading not only helps your vocabulary increase,
but will also help with your writing. Practise as
much as you can! Selfaccess.com makes IELTS preparation
easy and convenient. You can do it in your own time
- all you need is a computer, the Internet and headphones
or speakers so you can hear the online listening exercises.
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