People often ask me why I put the overview (summary) after the introduction instead of at the end of my task 1 reports.
I tell my students that they can choose where to put the overview. It's fine to put it after the introduction, and it's fine to put it at the end - your score will be the same either way.
However, there are 2 reasons why I personally prefer to put the overview after the introduction, rather than at the end:
- I find it easier and more logical to begin with the general information and main features before I describe specific details.
- The overview is very important, so I think we should prioritise it. If you want a high score, your overview / summary needs to be good, not something that you write in a hurry when your time is running out.
What is a good overview, Teacher Simon? Thank you<3 <3
Posted by: Nam Anh | March 30, 2017 at 10:26
I mean, what do I need to include in overview so that I won't lose mark for this part in terms of its content?
Posted by: Nam Anh | March 30, 2017 at 10:32
Dear Sir,I have a question about the intro statement. can i use present perfect tense in intro like this... (The comparison of 'x' and 'y'in terms of 'car use' has been given by a table chart.) plzzz send me a nine band solution of task one so as to get better score
Posted by: rajeev | March 30, 2017 at 11:10
Sorry for every one, today i have appeared in IELTS exam i want to post the questions, where can i do it?
Posted by: sunder | March 30, 2017 at 14:10
hi simon
here in my city my teacher got a email by Cambridge univer. and they written that if you want to get bands you have to follow this pattern
intro
bp1
bp2
overview
Posted by: Gaurav | March 30, 2017 at 15:46
Anh,
I'll do another lesson about overviews next week.
...
Rajeev,
No, I don't recommend writing the introduction like that.
...
Gaurav,
Cambridge IELTS staff don't write to teachers with tips like that. And they don't train examiners to favour a particular essay structure. Please believe me on this - I was an examiner myself, and I speak to current examiners all the time.
Posted by: Simon | March 30, 2017 at 16:37
Sunder,
Please click on "recent exam questions 2" in the "information" menu on the left of this webpage.
Posted by: Simon | March 30, 2017 at 16:38
Firstly, they allow learners to study in a flexible way, meaning that they can work whenever and wherever (is/ are) convenient, and they can cover the material at their own pace.
In this sentence, I am a bit confused the selection between is or are. Could you please explain to me? Thanks.
Posted by: Dean Kim | March 31, 2017 at 03:29
Thank you very much, Teacher Simon! I look forward to next week's lesson!
Posted by: Nam Anh | March 31, 2017 at 08:20
the overview reflects the core of your article. So I thought it is very important to make some attractions.
Posted by: Mohammed Hadi | April 03, 2017 at 14:58
Hi Simon,
It is ok if we task 1 gives the information in separate years like 2000, 2005. And we state that from 2000 to 2005.
Thank a lot,
Posted by: Long | April 05, 2017 at 10:20