IELTS Writing Task 1: always the same method

Students worry about how to describe diagrams, but the basic method is always the same: introduction, summary of main points, specific details.

Look at the following question for example:

The diagrams below show some principles of house design for cool and for warm climates.

Although this question is different from the normal graph/chart questions, you should structure your answer in the same way. Try to write 4 paragraphs:

1. Introduction: paraphrase the question.
2. Summary: describe the main differences - the design of the roof and windows, and the use of insulation.
3. Details: compare the roof design and use of insulation.
4. Details: compare the window design and how windows are used during the day and at night.

I'll write the full essay for next week's lesson.

Comments

[somia]

The diagrams show a comparison between 2 designs of houses in terms of different climate. Overall, the main differences between both designs related mainly to the roofs, windows and insulation.

The house roof in cool climate is high angled, however, in cold weather, the house roof is made of reflective material.

In addition, the entire wall of the house in cold climate is constructed from thermal building material surrounded by insulation , that keep house warm .On the other hand the insulation in worm weather is external insulation restricted to the roof of the house and extended in both direction to make roof overhangs for shade.

The other difference is the design of the windows, as there is only one window located in the higher side wall of the house in cool areas.the window face the direction of the sun to allow invasion of sun light into the house.However,the design for house in warm place has 2 windows in both sides which is closed and covered in day time and is opened at night to allow ventilation and remove the stored heat.

Please simon , I know that you do not do feedback for student`t work , but just need your comment, is it good or bad.........my exam on Saturday 28th May
thank you
Somia

[Lubia]

Hi Simon,
Would you please tell us in Task 1 when do we use - in 2007 and by 2007.

unemployment rate fell to 10% in 2007.
unemployment rate dropped to 10% by 2007.

Thank you very much.

[deepika gunasekara kankanamge]

The diagram below compares some basics of house designing in cool and warm climates.It can be clearly seen there are substantial differences in both house planning.

As evident from the diagrams,roof designs for houses are totally different.In cool climate roofs of the houses are highly angled towards the sun and no any insulation added over roofs.In contrast,roofs are designed with external reflections and shows a variation extending to the both direction in similar way overhanged for shade in warmer climates.

secondly,only one window is placed for houses in cooler time periods alongside the higher wall of the house in the face of the sun.Heat is trapped in to the house through window and stored by the thermal building material.In the warmer climates two windows are established opposite side of the wall of the house at day time being closed and being opened at night for regulation air to keep sound ventilation inside house.

houses for cool and warm climates are varies in construction in terms of roofs,windows and use of insulation

[deepika gunasekara kankanamge]

hi simon could you tell me have i achieved the task fulfilment?

[Emily]

Do I need to indicate all the details into my essay in Task 1 writing? It's hard to describe all information in a limited time! Please check my report as follows. Thank you, Simon.

Provided are three diagrams illustrating the design concepts of houses to resist different climatic challenges. While the construction materials absorb and store heat and a single window of the house is designed toward the sun in lower temperature, in hotter environment, the roof has to reflect heat and two windows have to be used for improved ventilation.

For cool climate, there are two layers of materials for constructing the house- the outer layer being made of an insulating material and the interior one consisting of thermal building material. The former is use not only for heat storage but to prevent heat loss. The roof, at the same side of the window, is high angled, which allows sunlight to pass through the window into the inner space.

As for the house in warm climate, the roof is extended for shading the house. During the daytime, it is necessary to close and cover the windows but open at night since an air flow would remove the heat from the house.

[Simon]

Somia, Deepika and Emily,

Your essays look fine. I'm afraid I can't say more than that.

Emily,

You don't need to describe every detail - you don't really have enough time, and the question usually tells you to "select the main features".

...

Hi Lubia,

"by 2007" implies that we are also thinking about the time before 2007. e.g. "by 2007 I had already been working there for 5 years."

"in 2007" doesn't give this sense of the time before. e.g. "in 2007 I found a new job."

[alice]

Hello Simon,
Are the following sentences correct?
"By 2000, there was a steady increase in the proportions of the cinema attendance for the Britons aged 24-44 and 44-55 from 32% to 45%, and from 37% to 51% respectively.At the same time period, the figures for the other two age groups are quite similar. The rates of the cinema attendance for people aged 14-24 and 24-34 increased considerably in 2005 before remaining stable in 2010."
Thank you so much..

[Simon]

Hi Alice,

Yes, your sentences are fine.

[alice]

Thank you, Simon.

[Ahmad Maarij]

The diagram depicts the thermoregulation concepts used in housing to provide convenient environment in different climates.

In general, the design of house and the material are used can regulate temperature for the household. Take a cold zone for example, where the overall concept is heat storage. This is done through building material, which have the ability to store heat, because almost all-outer side is insulted, with designing a long angle roof that allow sun entry though windows.

As for as tropical areas are concerned, the roof is specially designed. There, in addition to partial insulation that only covers roof, heat reflective materials and overhanging methods are also applied to protect sun entry and provide enough shade. A noticeable point is that during the day windows are closed to maintain the cold air inside, whereas at night times they are opened to remove the warm air through ventilation.

[Rouhafza Maarij]

Dear Ahmad Maarij,

I made some changes in your writing, which I think was necessary.

The diagram depicts the thermoregulation concepts used in housing to provide convenient environment in different climates.

In general, the design of house and the materials are used to regulate temperature for a household. Take a cold zone as an example. The heat storage is the overall goal there. This is achieved through building materials, which have the ability to store heat, because almost all-outer side is insulted, with building a long angle roof that allows sun entry through the windows.

As for as tropical areas are concerned, the roof has been specially designed. There, in addition to partial insulation that only covers the roof, heat reflective materials and overhanging methods are also applied to protect sun entry and provide enough shade. It is worth mentioning that during the day the windows are kept close to maintain the cold air inside, whereas at night times they should be opened to remove the warm air through ventilation.

[Djalma]

Hi Simon,
First of all congratulations on your work on this blog, it's truly impressive.
I was reading through all your posts regarding the speaking and writing parts and wondered if you could come up with some extra tips for someone in my situation.
I'm an English teacher from Brazil and have been asked to take the test so I can work for an Australian school.
According to their rules, non-native English speakers should have "barely band 9" (whatever they really mean by that) on each of the four papers.
I'm not worried about reading or listening since in my practice tests I got about 38 out of 40 on both of them.
Do you have any hints on specific kinds of "complex grammatical structures" that might help me go the extra "band"?

I hope you can help me (and any other candidate who's aiming for a really high band) with that one.

I look forward to hearing from you and will keep on practicing using your already very useful tips.

Djalma

[sulaiman]

The diagrams below show some principles of house design for cool and for warm climates
The diagram illustrates methods to be considered in making designing houses according to hot or cold weather conditions . It is clear that designing a house in cold environment differs from designing a house in a hot environment in terms of ventilation, insulation and isolation of the path of the sun.

One of the main differences between the two designs is the shape of the roof. The extended roof with shade is considered in warm house design whereas regarding cold house design the extended roof is not considered and there is no need for sharper roof angles. secondly, designers are not taking into account insulated walls in warm houses whereas it is essential in cold houses design , not to mention the importance of convenient moveable windows in warm houses that can be opened at night and closed during the day.

Lastly, regarding the material used in the roof of warm houses, designers utilize thermal material in cold houses whereas the roofs of warm houses make use of materials that reflect the sun.

To conclude, ventilation and external insulation are important in designing houses for a warm climate whereas insulation of walls and high-angled roofs are important for a colder climate.

[sulaiman]

corrected according to my level

The diagrams show a comparison between 2 designs of houses in terms of different climate. Overall, the main differences between both designs related mainly to the roofs, windows and insulation.

corrected-The diagrams illustrate a comparison of the methods chosen in designing houses according to hot or cold weather conditions.. Overall, it is clear that the methods used in houses design depend only in implementing specific thermal materials for cold or hot houses.

The house roof in cool climate is high angled, however, in cold weather, the house roof is made of reflective material.

Corrected-The house roofs in cool climate are angled and made of thermal material whereas reflective material used in the roofs of the houses in hot weather areas; and- roofs in houses in cold environment are not extended to establish shade areas while the extension is essential in the roofs of the houses that located in hot arrears.

In addition, the entire wall of the house in cold climate is constructed from thermal building material surrounded by insulation , that keep house warm .On the other hand the insulation in worm weather is external insulation restricted to the roof of the house and extended in both direction to make roof overhangs for shade.

Corrected-Insulation material is used on the walls of the houses that located in cold areas whereas convenient movable windows considered in houses that located in warm areas for ventilation reasons.

[Simon]

Thanks for sharing your work guys.

...

Hi Djalma,

It's not really a matter of trying to use complex structures - this can seem forced, and native speakers don't write like that.

When a native speaker writes an essay, he/she thinks about answering the question by expressing relevant ideas in a clear, organised way. This means that "vocabulary ideas" should be your priority. You might find my ebook useful for that.

In terms of grammar, it's more a case of avoiding mistakes than using complex structures. IF you want a band 9, use a mix of short and long sentences, and try not to make any grammar mistakes.

Best of luck!

[somia]

This is my task1 writing test yesterday 28/05/2011 in Aston university Birmingham

The graph show the difference in the number of magazine sold per person in 5 different countries between 1995 and 2005. and prediction of the sold magazine in 2015

I wrote the verb in the past for 1995, and 2005., however for that of 2015 I wrote it in the present tense.
eg: The number of the magazines sold per person dropped considerably from 1995 to 2005. Howerver the expected figure for 2015 is more lower than the previous 2 years

please Simon,, is this grammar fine?

[Sara]

Hi Simon,
Can you please correct these sentenses for me because I have exam on 4th of June.

The three graphs illustrate the number of girls per 100 boys over all the stages of education.As an overall ternd it can be clearly seen that,in tertiary education the number of girls is higher rhan boys in developed countries in 1990 and 2000.

Thanks in advanced

[Simon]

Hi Somia,

Yes, that's fine.

...

Hi Sara,

Just check the spelling of one or two words, and don't put a comma after "that".

[kb]

Hi simon i just wrote my introduction and overview please make comment.
moreover i dont know how to write rest of paragraphs???!!!

Thanks

The diagrams illustrate the main aim to built different designs house according to climate conditions varied by use of materials.

It is clear that design and materials used in house for cool climate has significant different than warm climate.

[TheIELTSSolution]

Hi,

This is a very informative one. As it shows how to describe diagrams easily. Since this is one of the common difficulties of student taking IELTS writing. TheIELTSSolution.com

Thank you.

[kb]

hi Simon, i just finish my full essay
task 1 took me about 2 hours to finish and i am not even sure weather am i right or wrong ??? i follow same formate as u suggest but let me know am on right track
thanks a lot..!

The diagrams illustrate the main aim to built different design houses according to climate conditions varied by use of materials.

It is clear that design and materials used in house for cool climate has significant different than warm climate.

Especially in winter designer use strong building materials to protect house from cool climate and reduction, materials includes thermal, insulation and high angle roof. In addition, design of window which can face direction of sun to make inside warmer even in winter.

However, on the other hand, design and material used for summer house quite different than winter. Designer insulate house with sun reflective roof and in day time covered windows save house from sun rays, whereas in night time those windows help to detach hot air from house. Overall, in cool season designer design house to store more heat and make inside warmer, but in summer climate house design to reflect heat from the house.

[Simon]

Hi kb,

You seem to have the right idea, but I'm afraid I can't comment more than that. If I start giving feedback, everyone will send me their essays.

I'll put my full essay on the site on Thursday so that you can see how I do it.

[kb]

thanks a lot Simon thaks good for me

[darya]

dear simon , thanks for your site , i am going to do academic ielts test , but i have a question , in task 1 writing is it possible to ask us write a letter or send an email ? for academic .. thanks alot

[Simon]

Hi Darya,

No, letter and emails are only in the general exam, not the academic one.

[darya]

Good news, thanks alot. I appreciate your answer ..

[TheIELTSSolution]

Hi,

This is a very informative blog. This is very beneficial especially for those who still doesn't know how to describe diagrams. Basic information were given above reminding the IELTS examinees on how to do it the right way. TheIELTSSolution.com

Thank you.

[sohaib]

Hi Simon,
Can i write overview in following two ways:
in cool climate,house has high-angled roof;more insulatig material;fewer windows.Whereas,in warm climate,house has overhanging roof;more reflecting material;more windows.
OR
This is clear from the diagram that principle involved in designing house for cool and warm weather differ in three aspects:construction of roof,quality of building material,and number of windows.

whic one is better?
is use of colon and semicolon correct?
thanku

[Simon]

Hi Sohaib,

The second one is much better. The first one contains too many details, and I wouldn't use semi-colons if I were you.

[sohaib]

thanku simon
in second paragraph,is it ok to use colon?

[Simon]

Yes, the colon is fine there.

[mohamed faroos]

r5t

[manoj]

hai simon you have done excellent job.i want more information on speaking .can you assist me?please

[rey]

hi simon.
i just want to thank you for helping me find the better way to understand the ielts exam.. i'm very appreciate for what have you done in this blog.

[cheeno]

HI sir, can i describe the two methods separately in two paragraphs?

The diagrams illustrates how house designs differ according to climate.overall,it is clear that the differences between the houses built during cool and warm climates are in the shape of the roof,windows,building materials used and the method of insulation

In winter , homes are constructed with high angled roof and the windows are placed along the direction of the sun.It helps to enter maximum sunlight inside the house.Also,thermal building materials are used and the whole house is covered with an insulation.This arrangements help to store heat inside the house and reduce heat loss from the house.

On the other hand,in summer,houses are made with reflective roof materials and only the roof is insulated which help to cut down the amount of heat entering the house.In addition,the roof is designed with a peak in the middle and the roof overhands to shade the windows.It reduces the intensity of sunlight entering the house.Also,two windows are placed on both sides.During day time windows remain clossed.Opening of windowsat night allows the stored heat to escape and thus the room becomes cool