Contents

For Introduction keywords: ...........................................................................................................2

Line Diagram.............................................................................................................................. 10
Example 1 .............................................................................................................................. 10
Example 2 .............................................................................................................................. 11
Example3 ............................................................................................................................... 13
Example 4 .............................................................................................................................. 14
Example 5 .............................................................................................................................. 15
BAR GRAPH ............................................................................................................................... 17
Important Points..................................................................................................................... 17
Example ................................................................................................................................. 18
Example 2 .............................................................................................................................. 19
Example 3: ............................................................................................................................. 20
Example 4 .............................................................................................................................. 21
Pie Chart ................................................................................................................................... 22
Important notes...................................................................................................................... 22
Example 1 .............................................................................................................................. 23
Answer ............................................................................................................................... 23
Example 2 .............................................................................................................................. 24
Answer ............................................................................................................................... 24
Example 3 .............................................................................................................................. 25
Answer: .............................................................................................................................. 25
Map ........................................................................................................................................... 26
Example 1 .............................................................................................................................. 26
Example2 ............................................................................................................................... 28
Diagram..................................................................................................................................... 32
Example 1 .............................................................................................................................. 32
Example 3 .............................................................................................................................. 33
Example 4 .............................................................................................................................. 34
Example 5 .............................................................................................................................. 35
Table ......................................................................................................................................... 36

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For Introduction keywords:

You should start your task 1 answer by introducing the graph from your question. Just write 1-2
sentences to say what your graph shows and for what period of time (if there is one).
To do this, you need to paraphrase text from your task 1 question.
Example of good introduction:
Question:
The graphs below give information about computer ownership as a percentage of the population
between 2002 and 2010, and by level of education for the years 2002 and 2010.
Introduction:
The bar charts show data about computer ownership, with a further classification by level of
education, from 2002 to 2010.
To write a good introduction, follow these techniques:
1. Change introductory expressions
the graph/chart/table/diagram
o gives information about/on
o provides information about/on
o shows
o illustrates
o represents
o depicts

draws the conclusion of (a survey) ...

o gives reason why (only if graph provides reasons for smth)

o explains why (only if graph provides explanation for smth)
o compares (only if several items are compared)
Attention with word compare! You can say:
o compares smth in terms of smth
the charts compare two cities in terms of the number of employed people.

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 o compares smth in year1 and year2
the graph compares the population in 2000 and 2013.
Examples:
o “The pie charts provide information on the proportion of males and females
working in agricultural sector.” OR “The pie charts show the proportion of males
and females working in agricultural sector.”
o “The table compares five companies in terms of the number of employees.” OR
“The table illustrates the number of employees in five companies.”

2. Paraphrasing
You can rewrite a phrase by using the word how:
o shows the number of people ... = shows how many people ...
o depicts changes in spending on ... = depicts how much changed spending on ...
You can rewrite a phrase by using synonyms:
o number of = quantity of (not interchangeable with amount of)
o spending = expenditure
o rate = percentage
o ratio = proportion
o information = data
o change can be sometimes replaced by increase, decrease or variation
o share = portion
o place = site

3. Time periods
o from 1985 to 1995 = between 1985 and 1995
o in 1985 = in the year 1985
o in 1985 and 1995 = in 1985 and 1995 respectively = in the years 1985 and 1995
Examples:
o The table shows consumption rates from 2001 to 2004.
o The graph shows consumption rates in 2012 and 2015 respectively.

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Paraphrasing in use:
See how the topic was paraphrased to make a very good task 1 introduction (picture on the right).
What was changed:
• Show is changed to compare
• Percentages added
• Different added
• In 2007 and 2009 → In the years 2007 and 2009
As you see, you don't have to make up a completely new introduction. Just take the given topic as
a base, and change/add some details.

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 Useful phrases
a small fraction, a small number, a small minority
a large portion, a significant majority
nearly a fifth, around two thirds, exactly one in ten, approximately a third , almost 10%, in region
of 40%, more than a half, over a quarter, more or less three quarters,

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Line Diagram
Example 1
1) The line graph below shows the household recycling rates in three
different countries between 2005 and 2015. Summarize the information
by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant.

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Answer:
The line graph illustrates the regional household recycling rates in the UK, France
and Germany from 2005 to 2015.
Overall, the recycling rates of the UK and Germany showed a steady but significant
rise over the period, while the percentage of recycled waste in France experienced a
downward trend.
In 2005 the recycling rates of the UK and Germany were nearly 35% and 20%
respectively. Germany's rate increased sharply throughout the period, exceeding
France's rate in 2009 and reaching almost 60% in the end of the period. In the
meantime, the percentage of recy1cled waste in the UK grew to 40% in 2007, and
then remained steady until 2009. During 2009-2011 it experienced a rapid surge to
more than 50% and continued with a gradual increase to 60% in 2015.
In early 2005 the recycling rate of France (50%) was the highest among these three
countries. However, it dramatically declined to 30% in 2013. Then, there was a
growth of 10% in 2015, but France's recycling rate was the lowest in the end of the
period.
Example 2
The graph shows average annual expenditures on cell phone and residential phone services
between 2001 and 2010.

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

Write at least 150 words.

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The line graph illustrates the average cost that American customers spent on mobile and landline
phone services annually over a 10-year period.
Overall, spending on residential phone services dramatically declined, while popularity of mobile
services increased sharply throughout a decade. Also, both of services met at the same record in
2006.
In 2001, spending on mobile phone services began by merely $200, while the amount of annual
expenditure on the residential phone services was around $700. Over the following five years,
expenditure on landline phone services gradually dropped below $600, whereas expenditure on
cell phone services rose to just over $500.
In 2006 cell phones overtook landline phones, and the services became equal in popularity with
customers' annual expenditure of about $550. Then, cell phone expenses rose to approximately
$750 in 2010, making nearly a fourfold jump relatively to its initial figure in 2001. Meanwhile,
spending on residential phone services experienced a steep fall in 2007 and went on to steadily
decrease for the rest of the period.

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Example3

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Example 4

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Example 5

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BAR GRAPH
Important Points
1st para:

2nd Para: experienced a downward trend, throughout the period, fluctuations, outrace

3rd Para: rose to, experienced a gradual decrease to and continued to decline steadily to the end of
the period , reaching around , hitting a low -point of about

4th Para: remained steady , (as opposed to almost a half in Sweden), increased by around

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Example

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Example 2
The bar chart shows the number of visitors to three London Museums between 2007 and 2012.

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

The bar chart compares the yearly number of visitors in 3 different museums from 2007 to 2012.

Overall, the peak of visitors' number was in 2012, while the lowest point was in 2009 and 2010.

Victoria and Albert Museum was the most popular from 2007 to 2009. During 2007-2008 its annual
number of visitors remained constant at about 14 million people per year. However, the figure started
to decline rapidly in 2009, and reached its lowest point of about 8 millions in 2010, becoming the
least popular museum for the rest of the period. After that, the number of Victoria and Albert
Museum's visitors gradually rose up to 10 million visitors within 2 years.

British Museum was the second most popular in 2007, being outraced by Victoria and Albert
Museum. Nevertheless, its number of visitors experienced a sharp fall in 2008 and remained
unchanged the following year. Then, the figure started to increase. It reached its peak of
approximately 14 million visitors in 2012, regaining its position of 2007.

National Gallery Museum showed the most notable development with a steady growth throughout
the period. Being the least popular museum in the beginning, it experienced a growth of more than
10 million visitors over 6-year period, and became the most visited museum in 2012.

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Example 3:

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Example 4

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Pie Chart
Important notes
Intro: draw the conclusion of a survey of

Overall: equal quantities of both sexes enjoye

Body1: Turning to the first chart

Body2 Taking a closer look at the second chart , being 27% of the total

seful vocabulary to write a percentage of a certain sector::

• sector X was 3%

• sector X made up 3%

• sector X accounted for 3%

• sector X comprised 3% of [the whole chart]

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Example 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The pie graphs below show the result of a survey of children's activities. The first graph shows
the cultural and leisure activities that boys participate in, whereas the second graph shows
the activities in which the girls participate.

Write a report describing the information shown in the two pie graphs.

Write at least 150 words.

Answer
The two pie charts draw the conclusion of a survey of boys' and girls' cultural and leisure activities.

Overall, equal quantities of both sexes enjoyed listening to music, but a dramatically larger number
of girls liked reading. There were also many differences in terms of the children's preferred sports.

Turning to the first chart, we can observe that boys prefer playing computer games (34%
participation rate) than taking other activities. Playing basketball comes as the second most
popular leisure, practiced by almost a third of male children. Basketball is followed by soccer,
which is exercised by 17%. Skateboarding and listening to music are less preferable activities,
chosen by 11% and 10% of boys respectively. Reading, the least popular cultural activity among
boys, represents only two percent.

Taking a closer look at the second chart, we can see that girls' most preferred activity is dancing,
being 27% of the total. In contrast to the boys' preferences, reading is chosen by more than a fifth of
all girls. Although percentage of female children who play computer games is roughly twice less
than that of boys (16%), this activity is third most popular on the girls' chart. With a slight difference
between computer games and netball, the latter is practiced at 15% rate. Similarly to skateboarding
popularity among boys, 11% of girls go in for gymnastics. Listening to music comes as the least
popular leisure, with a proportion of 10%, equal to those on the first chart.

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Example 2
The two pie charts below show the percentages of industry sectors' contribution to the economy of
Turkey in 2000 and 2016.

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

Answer
The two pie chart illustrate how different industry sectors contributed to the economy of Turkey
percentagewise in the years 2000 and 2016.

Overall, at the beginning of the period construction contributed the least to the economy of Turkey
and agriculture was the most significant economic sector. In comparison, at the end of the period
healthcare and education became the largest economic segment and the lowest contribution was
made by financial, business and other services.

Construction sector accounted for 3% of Turkey's economy in 2000 and experienced a more than
threefold increase to one-tenth in 2016. Economic income from trade, utilities and transportation
was 14% in 2000 and experienced a slight growth of 2% in 2016. At the beginning of the period,
manufacturing and finance, business and other services made up 8% and 5% of Turkey's economy,
respectively, and these figures rose to 12% and 8% in 2016.

Agriculture, which comprised almost a quarter of Turkey's economy in 2000, fell to 14% in 2016. In
2000 economic outputs from government and leisure and hospitality sectors were at 12% and 17%,
respectively, and both decreased by 3% after 16-year period. In contrast, contribution from
healthcare and education sector remained constant in both years at 17%.

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Example 3

The pie chart above show the different kind of energy production of France in two years(LIZ)

Answer:

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Map
Example 1
ou should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagrams below show the changes that have taken place at West park Secondary School
since its construction in 1950.

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

Write at least 150 words.

How to answer this task?

1. Introduce the maps.

Write what do they illustrate.

2. Note the changes that occurred.

Look attentively at the maps and note what was modified and what remained unchanged.

3. Describe each element of the map in a separate paragraph.

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Tell about each element (farmland, car park, school etc) and its alteration. Use vocabulary for graph
description and linking structures. Also see words from academic wordlist.

4. Give a general overview.

Write in brief about the changes.

Model answer

The pictures illustrate the changes, which have taken place at West Park secondary school from
1950 to 2010.

Firstly, significant alterations occurred to the farmland, it was redesigned to a sports field in 1980
and then to a car park in 2010. There was an expansion of the car park in 2010 and the sport field
was placed between the car park and the playground.

Moreover, substantial changes happened to the houses. They were removed from the map, car park
and science block taking their place.

Furthermore, a science block was added to the school building in 1980 and playground was
reduced in size. However, the locations of the playground and school were not modified.

In contrast, the main road remained unchanged throughout the period.

Overall, farmland and houses disappeared from the map, playground was abridged, and there were
built science block, car park and sports field.

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Example2

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Vocabulary

Buildings– demolished, knocked down, flattened, replaced, renovated, built, constructed,

reconstructed, developed, extended, expanded, relocated, converted and modernized.

Examples:

The government demolished the industrial estate and developed a sports ground.

They removed the shops and replaced them with a skyscraper.

A port was constructed at the edge of the river.

The factory in the city centre was demolished and relocated to the city’s north.

The old warehouses were replaced with new hotels.

The factory was converted into apartments.

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Trees and Forests- cleared, cut down, chopped down, removed, planted.

Examples:

The forest was cut down and replaced with a shopping centre.

The trees were cleared to make way for houses.

Roads, bridges and railways lines- constructed, built, extended, expanded and removed.

The main road was extended, and a new bridge was built over the river.

Leisure facilities- opened, set up, developed.

Examples:

A skate park was set up next to the swimming pool.

A park was developed beside the forest.

can use ‘to the left’ and ‘to the right’, but a better way is to use ‘north’, ‘south’, ‘east’ and ‘west’. I
normally advise my students to draw the symbols on the question paper if they are not already
there.

Examples:

The forest to the south of the river was cut down.

A golf course was constructed to the north of the airport.

The houses in the southwest of the town were demolished.

The green fields to the city’s northwest were redeveloped as a park.

The airport in the city’s centre was relocated to the northeast of the river.

The school to the southeast was knocked down and a new one was built to the east of the forest.

Finally, you will also be expected to use prepositions of place, e.g. at/in/on/by/beside/to/off/from,
to describe where things are.

Examples:

Dramatic changes took place in the city centre.

To the town’s south is a golf course surrounded by trees.

A new school was built next to the swimming pool.

The old road running from north to south was replaced by a new motorway.

A marina was built on the banks of the river.

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Example 3:

Both maps display an island before and after it was developed for tourism.

The island is approximately 250 metres long, has palm trees dotted around it, is surrounded by
ocean and has a beach to the west. Over the period, the island was completely transformed with
the addition of a hotel and a pier; however, the eastern part of the island appears to have been left
undeveloped.

The most noticeable additions are the hotel rooms. 6 buildings, surrounding some trees, have been
built in the west of the island, and 9 buildings have been constructed in the centre of the island. A
reception building and a restaurant have been developed between the two accommodation areas.

A pier has also been built on the island’s south coast, allowing yachts access to the resort. Apart
from the trees, the beach remains the only natural feature to remain relatively untouched; however,
it appears to be used for swimming

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Diagram
Example 1

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Example 3

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Example 4

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Example 5

The diagram explains the way in which steel rods are produced for the furniture industry.

Overall, the process consists of eleven stages, beginning with the raw material and ending up with
the product’s inspection.

First of all, iron ore, yellow ore and carbon are collected to serve as a raw material for steel rods
manufacturing. After that, the raw material is melted in a melting slit, where it is heated to a
temperature in range of 1300-1500 °C. The melted mass is then transferred to a smelting cabin to
undergo refinement. Next, the candescent metal is put in a pouring machine and poured into ingots.

In the next stage, the ingots are connected to a cooling reservoir, where the temperature falls to 60-
100 °C. Metal goes through special nozzles and cools down, forming strands. Following this, the
metal strands proceed to rollers that change their shape. Next, the products are put into a heating
machine, where they undergo heat treatment. Subsequently, a measuring automaton completes a
surface check of the products.

After that, the metal rods are sized by special cutters and get ID stamping. Finally, the products
undergo inspection and are ready for use.

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Table

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Table

The tables show results of 2 surveys done in 1980 and 2010 on various aspects
of city living in a particular city. Units are measured in percentage.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.

The above table is a reproduction from various students who reported this table in their IELTS test in
October 2017. Data may vary from the original.

This is a more complex table than usual. Most IELTS tables are not quite so challenging.

A model answer can be found for this writing task 1 @ www.ieltsliz.com

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