IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Your 5-step strategy

Jenn Author

Summary: Kicking off the Academic Writing Task 1 series!

We have been looking at IELTS writing task 1 for the past couple of posts.

This week I am kicking off a series dedicated to the academic exam. Hear me again, this post is all about IELTS Writing Task 1 for the academic exam. If you are taking the general training exam, STOP -please read this post instead.

As you know, when you take the IELTS exam you must complete Writing Task 1. This task requires you to write a summary or report of at least 150 words about visual information, like a graph, chart, or diagram. You must select the main features, describe them, and compare the data. It is worth a 1/3 of your overall writing score.

Unfortunately, many students ignore or "blow this off" and focus on Writing Task 2. This is a BIG mistake. If you do not score well on Writing Task 1, you can pull your overall score down from a 7 to a 6! Don’t make this mistake. Learn to do well on Writing Task 1.

Good news!
To do well in this section, you just need to follow the 5-step strategy for Academic IELTS Writing Task 1:

1. Understand the marking criteria. Knowing how the test is marked will help you give the examiner exactly what they are looking for.
2. Paraphrase the question. In the first paragraph, it is best to paraphrase the question using synonyms.
3. Write the overview. To write the overview, select 3 or 4 main features and describe them generally without referencing any data.
4. Support the main features. In a new paragraph, support the key features with the data provided.
5. Check your work. Check your report for spelling and grammar errors and ensure the data you mentioned is accurate.

#1 Marking Criteria

So, what are the marking criteria and why should you care? Understanding the marking criteria will go miles in helping you get the score you need. Each one is worth 25% of your score.

Task Achievement: this is your ability to answer the question properly. To do this you must follow all the instructions in the question and provide a clear, well-developed answer.

For a high score, you must:
• Identify the main features of the graph, chart, map, or process.
• Write a clear overview that includes the main features (main trends, differences, stages, etc.) of the graph, chart, map, or process.
• Support your answer with accurate detail.
• Write at least 150 words. You can write more but do not waste time writing too much!

Coherence and Cohesion: let’s break these two down.

Coherence is your ability to connect your main ideas so that they make sense and are easy to understand. This is mostly done at the paragraph level.

Are your paragraphs in a logical order?
• Is there one clear main idea in every paragraph?
• Is it easy to understand the main idea of each paragraph?

To score high for coherence, do the following:
• Introduce your essay by paraphrasing the question in the first paragraph.
• Separate your ideas into paragraphs.
• Make it clear which paragraph is your overview.
• Ensure that each paragraph has only one clear main idea.
• Supporting the main points in your overview in separate paragraphs.
• Make it clear what each paragraph is about.

Cohesion is the connection of ideas at the sentence and paragraph level.

Are you able to link your sentences and ideas together?

To get higher marks for cohesion you should:
• Use a range of linking words when appropriate.
• Use linking words accurately.
• Do not overuse linking words.

Lexical Resource is your ability to use vocabulary accurately and appropriately is referred to as your lexical resource.

To achieve a higher score, you need to:
• Paraphrase the question correctly.
• Vary your vocabulary by using synonyms.
• Avoid vocabulary mistakes.
• Spell words correctly.
• Use appropriate vocabulary to describe trends, comparisons, stages, changes, etc.

Grammatical range and accuracy are your ability to write sentences with no mistakes or error-free and use a range of grammatical structures.

For a higher score, you must:
• Avoid making errors.
• Use a range of appropriate tenses.
• Use a range of appropriate structures.
• Use both simple and complex sentences.
• Use correct punctuation.

To score a 7+ ask yourself these questions to act as a guide each time you practice and on exam day.

Task Achievement
• Is my overview clear and have I identified the most important information?
• Did I cover the main features?
• Did I use the data correctly?
• Did I stick to the information given?

DO NOT add your opinion in Writing Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion
• Is my report organized clearly and easy to read?
• Did I skip 1-2 lines in writing or hit the enter key on the computer to show my separate paragraphs?
• Did I use the correct cohesive devices inappropriately and accurately?
• Did I refer to the data previously mentioned in my report?

Lexical Resource
• Did I use a range of vocabulary to complete the task and follow the 100% rule?
(the 100% rule = using words you are absolutely 100% in your understanding of meaning and use)
• Is my spelling correct?
• Is my meaning correct?
• Are my collocations correct?

Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Range = using the appropriate range of tenses and structures for your report's context. Do not throw all the tenses you know at this. More is not better, it’s just more. You MUST be accurate in how you use tenses and structures related to the context given.
• Did I use a wide range of tenses and structures to clearly report the data?

Accuracy = using grammar accurately – focus on making your sentences, error-free.
• Did I use correct grammar?
• Is my punctuation correct?

Marking criteria? Check. Guide? Check.

Now, what about that all-important skill of Paraphrasing?

#2 The art of paraphrasing

(see my post on the Art of IELTS Paraphrasing)

Yes, paraphrasing is a must-have skill when taking the IELTS exam. When you paraphrase you are simply rewriting or stating what has been written keeping the meaning but using different words or phrases. Your very first sentence in your academic writing task 1 should be a paraphrase of the question.

There are several ways to do this, but the easiest way is to use synonyms. Be careful to ensure you are 100% sure of the synonym you use.

Example of a paraphrased question:

Question: This graph shows the proportion of four different materials that were recycled from 1982 to 2010 in a particular country.

Paraphrased: The line chart shows the percentages of paper and cardboard, glass containers, aluminum cans, and plastics that were recycled in one country between 1982 and 2010.


Simple but important changes show the examiner you are an effective paraphraser, and that you have a good range of vocabulary.

Remember, this is your first paragraph and now you need to skip a line to show the examiner you are beginning your second paragraph -which is the overview.

#3 The Overview

The most important paragraph in your report is the overview without a strong overview you cannot get a high score for writing task 1.

The question will always look like the following:
‘Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, making comparisons where relevant.’

You need to write a summary of the main features. Do this by selecting the 3 most important things you see and writing about them generally. Do NOT use any data at this point!

Students often get overwhelmed here. They see all the information and they think it is all relevant. Keep it simple. You are telling a friend about the chart, and you are going to tell them the 3 most important things about it. That’s it.

(IELTS.org)

As with our example above, in line graphs, you should look for what happens generally between start and end dates.

1. Paper and cardboard was the highest category of recycled materials.
2. The only category to experience a decline.
3. There was an upward trend in the recycling of all other categories.

Let’s take the 3 main features and create an overview. State the main features generally and stick to 2 sentences. Please do not use data here, that will come in our detail paragraphs, however, you can use dates.

The proportion of paper and cardboard that was recycled was the highest of the four classes of material. However, this category experienced a decline after 1994, whereas there was a continuing upward trend in the recycling of the other materials.

#4 Details, details, details.

You must support your overview with details. You will take the 3 main features and now describe them in detail.

1. Paper and cardboard, along with glass recycling began in 1982 with paper and cardboard after fluctuations reached a peak of 80% in 1994 but declined steadily to 70% in 2010.
2. While glass recycling also began in 1982 it dipped to a low of 40% in 1990 with a gradual increase to 60% by 2010.
3. Both aluminum and plastics were introduced later but both saw increases, with aluminum having a rapid increase while plastics remained constant albeit a slower increase.

Now take these and create your detail paragraphs, which could look like this:

In 1982, about 65% of paper and cardboard was recycled. This figure fluctuated before rising steeply to reach a peak of 80% in 1994. From then on, however, it decreased steadily to a level of 70% in 2010. In 1982, half of all glass containers were recycled; after dipping to a low of 40% in 1990, the glass recycling rate gradually increased to 60% by 2010.

Aluminum cans were first recycled in 1986, starting at about 5%, but this figure climbed rapidly over 25 years, and by 2010 it had reached 45%. Recycling of plastics, on the other hand, was not introduced until 1990 and, although the growth in this category was also constant, it was very slow, rising from about 2% to around 8% over the period.

Stop there. Do not try to add an opinion -you will NEVER give your opinion in an academic writing task 1. Also, no need for a conclusion.

What should you do now? Check your work!

#5 Review your writing or check your work.

You need to practice your timing so that you can allow yourself 3-4 minutes at the end to review your writing. This is a VERY important step, do not skip it. You need to review to make sure you have not made any mistakes and see where you can improve your writing.

At this stage, your report might look a bit like this:

The line chart shows the percentages of paper and cardboard, glass containers, aluminum cans, and plastics that were recycled in one country between 1982 and 2010.

The proportion of paper and cardboard that was recycled was the highest of the four classes of material. However, this category experienced a decline after 1994, whereas there was a continuing upward trend in the recycling of the other materials.

In 1982, about 65% of paper and cardboard was recycled. This figure fluctuated before rising steeply to reach a peak of 80% in 1994. From then on, however, it decreased steadily to a level of 70% in 2010. In 1982, half of all glass containers were recycled; after dipping to a low of 40% in 1990, the glass recycling rate gradually increased to 60% by 2010.

Aluminum cans were first recycled in 1986, starting at about 5%, but this figure climbed rapidly over 25 years, and by 2010 it had reached 45%. Recycling of plastics, on the other hand, was not introduced until 1990 and, although the growth in this category was also constant, it was very slow, rising from about 2% to around 8% over the period.

Your review checklist
• Did you use correct spelling and punctuation?
• Are your verb tenses correct?
• Did you use the data accurately?
• Did you repeat words? Could you avoid repetition by using synonyms?
• Review your paraphrasing.
• Did you write over 150 words?

Don’t waste time counting words. Do this instead: write a bit over the word limit.
To fully answer the question correctly you must write at least 150 words. The examiner will count every word. Therefore, don’t think you can write around 150 words, it must be more or you will lose points.

You do not have time to count the words you have, so the best thing to do is practice what writing about 165 words looks like. If you are taking it on the computer learn what it looks like typed but remember you will not have the word count resources like you do on a computer software. If you are taking it on paper use an official IELTS exam paper and count how many words you write on that. Then you can see what 165 words or so looks like in your handwriting.

Top tip: Why do I say 165 words? Because that is about 10% over 150 words, so you will be sure to write over 150 without wasting precious time.

Top tip: use a pencil if you are taking a paper exam it is much easier to edit your work.

Check out samples here to practice at home.

Wishing you much success on your Academic IELTS Writing Task 1!

Categories: : IELTS, Writing, Academic