IELTS Simon

IELTS Writing Task 1: about 'super cohesion'

Here are a few things to remember with regard to the 'super cohesion' technique that we looked at in last week's lesson:

1. I chose the name 'super cohesion' for two reasons: first, because I think it's a great way to structure a task 1 answer; and second, because it's a name that I hope people will remember (nobody remembers the word 'good', but maybe you'll remember 'super').
2. You'll need to practise this way of writing several / many times before you become confident enough to use it in a real exam.
3. I don't always use the 'super cohesion' structure myself. It's a nice option, but it's not something that you must do.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'super cohesion'

If you go back to this lesson, you'll see some advice about "developing the overview". The idea was that you write two sentences in your overview paragraph, and then you write each 'details' paragraph (3 and 4) by developing one of these overview sentences.

I'm calling this 'super cohesion' because it creates a very logical and connected structure. There is cohesion across the paragraphs, as well as within them.

I tried the same technique when I wrote last week's task 1 answer. Here it is again, with the 'super cohesion' highlighted:

..........

The bar chart illustrates the frequency with which Americans ate in fast food establishments from 2003 to 2013.

It is clear that the majority of Americans ate in fast food restaurants between once a week and once a month in all three years. We can also see a shift towards eating in these restaurants less frequently by the end of the 10-year period.

In each of the years shown on the chart, close to 60% of people in the US ate in fast food restaurants between once and four times a month. Roughly 15 to 20% of Americans reported eating in fast food outlets several times per week, while 3 to 4% of people ate in these outlets daily. At the other end of the scale, around 4% of people avoided fast food restaurants completely.

Between 2006 and 2013, the total proportion of Americans who ate in fast food establishments either once a week or several times a week fell by almost 10%. At the same time, there was an increase of around 8% in the ‘once or twice a month’ category. In other words, the weekly fast food habit that was common in 2003 and 2006 became a monthly or twice monthly habit in 2013.

..........

Can you see what I've done? The first sentence of the overview (green) is developed in paragraph 3, and the second sentence of the overview (blue) is described in more detail in paragraph 4.

Tip: Try reading all of the 'green' sentences together, then read the 'blue' sentences separately. This should help you to see how the overview and main paragraphs are connected.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'fast food' answer

The chart below shows how frequently people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

(Source: Cambridge IELTS 12)

Here's my full sample answer. Fill the gaps to complete it.

The bar chart illustrates the frequency with ______ Americans ate in fast food establishments from 2003 to 2013.

It is clear that the majority of Americans ate in fast food restaurants between once a week and once a month in all three years. We can also see a shift ______ eating in these restaurants less frequently by the end of the 10-year period.

In each of the years shown on the chart, ______ to 60% of people in the US ate in fast food restaurants between once and four times a month. Roughly 15 to 20% of Americans ______ eating in fast food outlets several times per week, while 3 to 4% of people ate in these outlets daily. At the other ______ of the scale, around 4% of people avoided fast food restaurants completely.

Between 2006 and 2013, the total proportion of Americans who ate in fast food establishments either once a week or several times a week ______ by almost 10%. At the same time, there was an ______ of around 8% in the ‘once or twice a month’ category. In other words, the weekly fast food habit that was ______ in 2003 and 2006 became a monthly or twice monthly habit in 2013.

Use the following words:
end, close, increase, which, reported, common, towards, fell

IELTS Writing Task 1: bar chart overview

How would you write an overview of the information in the bar chart below? My tip is to look at two things: 1) every year 2) across the years.

1. In every year: what can we say was true in all three years on the chart? One possible answer: most Americans ate in fast food restaurants between once a week and once a month (the two middle categories have the highest bars in all three years).
2. Across the years: is there a change or trend across the 10-year period? One possible answer: Americans ate in fast food restaurants less frequently in 2013 (once or twice a month instead of once a week).
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Here's an overview paragraph using the ideas above:

It is clear that the majority of Americans ate in fast food restaurants between once a week and once a month in all three years shown on the chart. We can also see that there was a shift towards eating in these restaurants less frequently by the end of the 10-year period.

IELTS Writing Task 1: introduction paraphrasing

When writing your task 1 introduction, there are two types of paraphrasing that you can use:

1. "Word by word" paraphrasing: Use the task statement (from the question paper) as your template. Change the main words but keep the same sentence structure.
2. "Loose" paraphrasing: Rewrite the task statement in a completely different way, making sure that the overall message is still correct.

Let's have a look at how we might paraphrase the task statement below using these two methods.

..........................

Task statement
The chart below shows how frequently people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

1. Word by word paraphrasing
The bar chart illustrates the frequency with which Americans ate in fast food establishments from 2003 to 2013.

2. Loose paraphrasing
The bar chart gives information about fast food eating habits in the US over a 10-year period.

..........................

The first method ensures that we include all of the information, but the resulting sentence might seem a little 'forced'.

The second method is less precise (we haven't mentioned frequency or restaurants). However, we have shown that we don't need to copy the task statement, and the sentence might seem a bit more 'natural'.

Both methods are equally acceptable. Which one would you use? Or is there a way to blend the two methods?

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'fast food' bar chart

Let's have a look at another task from Cambridge IELTS book 12:

The chart below shows how frequently people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Before you write anything, think about the overall trend that the chart shows us. For example, how often did most people in the USA eat in a fast food restaurant, and did habits change over the 10-year period?

IELTS Writing Task 1: students' questions

Here are some questions about writing task 1, with my answer below each one.

1) Can I write "A glance at the graph shows..." in my overview paragraph?

No, I don't recommend using this phrase. It's not normal to use the word "glance" when describing graphs or charts, and it seems strange to me as a native speaker. If you try too hard to use 'original' words, your writing will probably seem forced, unnatural or inappropriate to the examiner.

2) Can I write "the rate of" instead of "the figure for"?

In many cases, no you can't. I like the phrase "the figure for" because it can be used instead of "the number of" e.g. "the number of people who live in cities" could be "the figure for people who live in cities". But I wouldn't write "the rate of people who live in cities". You have to be careful with the word "rate" - look it up on Google to find common uses e.g. unemployment rate, birth rate, crime rate, rate of change. Here's my tip: if you're not sure, don't use it.

3) Can we use "the data of" instead of "the number of"?

No. I would only use "data" instead of the word "information" e.g. "the chart gives/shows information about..." could be "the chart gives/shows data about...".

IELTS Writing Task 1: collocations

Collocations are groups of words that often go together. For example, I'm sure you've use the collocation "increased significantly".

Here are some collocations from my most recent sample answer:

• proposed changes
• central area
• the principal change
• ring road
• main road
• runs through
• the planned pedestrianisation
• diverted traffic / to divert traffic
• dual carriageway
• form a ring
• town centre
• row of shops
• along either side of
• pedestrian street
• to make way for
• bus station, shopping centre, car park, housing area
• reduced in size

Tip: try using the online Oxford Collocations Dictionary.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'while' sentences

I often write 'while' sentences in my task 2 introductions and conclusions (see yesterday's lesson for example). I also like using 'while' in writing task 1 to make comparisons.

In the following example sentences, notice the position of 'while' and where I put the comma that separates the items being compared.

1) 'while' at the beginning of the sentence:

While the number of people who travelled by train increased gradually, the number of bus passengers fell steadily.

2) 'while' in the middle of the sentence:

In 1970, around 5 million UK commuters travelled by car on a daily basis, while the bus and train were used by about 4 million and 2 million people respectively.

IELTS Writing Task 1: develop the overview

A good way to write the main body (paragraphs 3 and 4) in your task 1 answer is by developing the two ideas that you wrote in the overview (paragraph 2).

To show you what I mean, I've highlighted parts of the answer below.

..........

The diagrams illustrate some proposed changes to the central area of the town of Islip.

It is clear that the principal change to the town will be the construction of a ring road around the centre. Various other developments with regard to shops and housing will accompany the building of this road.

Looking at the map of Islip as it is now, we can see that a main road runs through its centre from east to west. The second map shows the planned pedestrianisation of this road. Traffic will be diverted on to a dual carriageway that will form a ring around the town centre.

Currently there is a row of shops along either side of the main road. However, it appears that the shops along the north side of the new pedestrian street will be demolished to make way for a bus station, shopping centre, car park and new housing area. The shops along the south side of the street will remain, but it seems that the town’s park will be reduced in size so that more new houses can be built within the ring road.

..........

Can you see what I've done? The first sentence of the overview (green) is developed in paragraph 3, and the second sentence of the overview (blue) is described in more detail in paragraph 4.

Tip: Try reading all of the 'green' sentences together, then read the 'blue' sentences separately. This should help you to see how the overview and main paragraphs are connected.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'map' answer analysis

I think it's worth taking some time to analyse the 'map' answer that I wrote for last Thursday's lesson.

Look carefully at my answer and answer the following questions?

1. How many sentences did I write for each paragraph?
2. What examples of paraphrasing can you find?
3. What connection can you see between the two sentences in paragraph 2 and the information in paragraphs 3 and 4?
4. Which verb tenses did I use in the answer? Give examples.
5. How did my use of directions (north, south, east, west) help the description?
6. Can you find any examples of 'cohesive devices' (linking)?
7. Can you find any 'comparison' language?
8. Are there any examples of 'less common' vocabulary?

IELTS Writing Task 1: band 9 map answer

Today I'm sharing my full answer to the task below.

The maps below show the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.

The diagrams illustrate some proposed changes to the central area of the town of Islip.

It is clear that the principal change to the town will be the construction of a ring road around the centre. Various other developments with regard to shops and housing will accompany the building of this road.

Looking at the map of Islip as it is now, we can see that a main road runs through its centre from east to west. The second map shows the planned pedestrianisation of this road. Traffic will be diverted on to a dual carriageway that will form a ring around the town centre.

Currently there is a row of shops along either side of the main road. However, it appears that the shops along the north side of the new pedestrian street will be demolished to make way for a bus station, shopping centre, car park and new housing area. The shops along the south side of the street will remain, but it seems that the town’s park will be reduced in size so that more new houses can be built within the ring road.

(187 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 1: map introduction and overview

Here's the map task that I asked you to look at last Thursday. I've written the first two paragraphs of my answer below it.

The maps below show the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.

Introduction and overview:

The diagrams illustrate some proposed changes to the central area of the town of Islip.

It is clear that the principal change to the town will be the construction of a ring road around the centre. Various other developments with regard to shops and housing will accompany the building of this road.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'before and after' map

Here's an interesting task from Cambridge IELTS book 12. How many changes can you find on the 'planned development' diagram?

The maps below show the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.
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IELTS Vocabulary: when do we use 'soar' and 'plummet'?

In Thursday's lesson I told you not to use words like soar, rocket, shoot up, creep up, dive and plummet in IELTS writing task 1.

But what's wrong with those words?

The problem with those words is that they are too figurative for writing task 1. Think about the normal use of these verbs (e.g. the bird soared into the air, the climber plummeted to his death). If you use these words to describe figures on a graph, it seems too sensational or exaggerated. This is why I prefer to stick with increase, decrease, rise and fall.

So can we ever use these words to describe figures?

If you're writing for a newspaper, yes you can! You'll often see phrases like this in newspapers: house prices soared, share prices plummeted, the price of petrol crept up. Newspapers and magazines love idiomatic and descriptive language, but this style does not suit academic graph descriptions.

IELTS Writing Task 1: use adverbs!

The advice that I gave yesterday, about considering alternatives to adverbs, doesn't apply to IELTS writing task 1. For example, look at these verb-adverb phrases:

• increase dramatically
• rise steadily
• decrease significantly
• fall gradually

These phrases are fine, and I use them all the time.

If you avoid adverbs in task 1, you'll end up using words like this: soar, rocket, shoot up, creep up, dive, plummet. These words are not appropriate for an academic-style report, so I recommend that you avoid them.

Remember that you can also use adjective-noun phrases:

• a dramatic increase
• a steady rise
• a significant decrease
• a gradual fall

IELTS Writing Task 1: the overview is key

Look at the writing task 1 band descriptors for "task achievement", and you'll see the following points:

Band 5 = no clear overview
Band 6 = presents an overview
Band 7 = presents a clear overview

So, if you want a high score, your overview needs to be good. This is why I recommend a separate overview paragraph with two sentences.

Look at the bar chart below, and try writing a 2-sentence overview:
- One sentence that compares the two months (the blue and green bars).
- One sentence describing the overall trend by age group.
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The chart below shows figures for attendances at hospital emergency care departments in Northern Ireland by age group in December 2016 and December 2017.

Attendances at emergency care departments per 1000-population

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IELTS Writing Task 1: avoid common mistakes

Here's some advice to help you avoid common mistakes in IELTS writing task 1:

1. Don't copy the question for your introduction. You should paraphrase the question (i.e. rewrite it using some different words).
2. Don't forget to separate your paragraphs clearly.
3. Don't forget to write a good summary/overview of the information. A quick one-sentence conclusion is not good enough. I prefer to put the overview straight after the introduction, and I try to write 2 sentences describing the information in general. You won't get a high score if you don't write a good overview.
4. Don't describe items separately (e.g. 2 lines on a graph). You should always try to compare things if it is possible to do so. Instead of describing 2 lines separately, compare the 2 lines at key points.
5. Don't try to describe every number on a chart or graph (unless there are only a few numbers). A key skill in task 1 is being able to select the key information and describe or compare it well. I usually mention around 6 or 7 numbers in my main paragraphs.
6. Don't spend longer than 20 minutes on task 1. Practise spending 5 minutes on each of your 4 paragraphs. Stop yourself after 20 minutes; remember that task 2 is worth more marks.

IELTS Writing Task 1: don't describe lines separately

I've given this advice before, but I think it will be useful to look at an example of what happens when you describe lines separately.

In the first comment below last week's lesson, a student called Beyonce tried describing the three lines on this graph separately. Here are Beyonce's main paragraphs:

..........

In 1997, the top spending category (at $260) was business visitors. It rose by about a third to peak in 2002/3, and then dropped by nearly half. In the decade to 2015, it fluctuated wildly but the trend remained flat.

Spending by those visiting friends or relatives began much lower and also peaked in the early 2000s and then, after falling back to around its original figure, recovered slowly but comparatively steadily, to end the period as the highest spending category at $250 per day, significantly more than its original value, and $40 above the final business figure.

The last cohort, people visiting friends or relatives, remained in third place throughout, and, apart from doubling early on, showed much less variability in general, trailing away in from its peak to a $140 endpoint.

..........

Analysis:

In a later comment below last week's lesson, Beyonce agreed that her description seemed "mechanical": most of her sentences seem to follow an "It did this, then it did this" format. And of course, the main problem is that there aren't any true comparisons between the three categories in her paragraphs.

Looking at Beyonce's writing, I can see that her level of English is very good. But if she experiments like this in her test, she's likely to get a lower score than she deserves. There's no need to experiment; just follow my advice and try to write like this.

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'range' and 'flexibilty'

If you look at the band 7 description for 'lexical resource' (vocabulary), you'll see the words 'range' and 'flexibility'. You need to use a range of vocabulary in a flexible way.

But how can we demonstrate 'range' in such a short piece of writing? And what does 'flexibility' really mean in this context?

Let's look at two aspects of my most recent line graph answer.

1) Paraphrasing:

• average daily expenditure / daily spending / spent... per day
• types of traveller / international visitors / travellers / people visiting / those visiting
• holidaymakers / tourists / vacationers
• friends or relatives / relations or friends / loved ones

2) Repetition:

• spent the most
• spent the least
• spent an average of
• spent around
• spent less than
• spent roughly
• spending was at its highest
• spending increased dramatically
• spending suddenly fell
• spending had risen to approximately

For me, paraphrasing is probably the best way to demonstrate 'range' and 'flexibility'. You are using a range of vocabulary items and your English is 'flexible' because you are able to describe the same thing in a number of different ways.

Repetition is interesting, especially because most IELTS students see it as a bad thing. This is not always true!

If you're describing a graph that shows spending, it's almost impossible to avoid repetition of the words 'spent', 'spending' and 'expenditure'. However, if you use these key words in a variety of contexts (i.e. with different words around them), I think you are demonstrating 'flexible use'. You are showing that you are able to use the same word in a number of different ways. I would also argue that you are demonstrating 'control' or 'precision' if you can do this without making mistakes; repetition is not necessarily as easy as it looks!

IELTS Writing Task 1: simplify to avoid mistakes

Compare the sentences in last Thursday's lesson with the five sentences below. By simplifying the sentences, we can avoid mistakes and communicate a much clearer message.

1. In the year 2000, business travellers spent the most money per day.
2. Three different categories of visitors are shown on the graph.
3. The figures for all three categories fluctuated.
4. In 2005, the figures for business travellers and tourists were similar.
5. Those visiting friends or relatives spent the least.

IELTS Writing Task 1: improve the sentences

Can you correct, change or improve the following sentences?

1. Overall, at first, in the year of 2000, average daily spending of business visitors was the highest and the peak point.
2. And the spending trend divided into three different categories.
3. Overall, all three categories showed fluctuation trend.
4. Between 2000 and 2010 precisely at the middle it was just a slight different between the business and the holiday categories.
5. Visiting friend or relatives is considered to be the least amount of expenses people spend on.

IELTS Writing Task 1: easy paraphrasing

Here's the sentence that I asked you to paraphrase in last Thursday's lesson:

Projected growth in England's population is put at 5.9%, while the predicted figures for Northern Ireland and Scotland are 4.2% and 3.2%.

And here are two easy ways to paraphrase it:

1) Put all three figures together and use 'respectively':

The populations of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland are expected to grow by 5.9%, 4.2% and 3.2% respectively.

2) Divide the information between two sentences:

It is predicted that England will see a 5.9% increase in its population. By contrast, lower population growth rates are projected for Northern Ireland, at 4.2%, and Scotland, at only 3.2%.

Note: I've underlined a few other interesting features of sentence 2 above.

IELTS Writing Task 1: paraphrasing practice

A good way to practise your task 1 writing skills is to take a sentence and try to rewrite it in several different ways.

Take this sentence for example:

Projected growth in England's population is put at 5.9%, while the predicted figures for Northern Ireland and Scotland are 4.2% and 3.2%.

Can you rewrite this sentence in two or three different ways? Feel free to experiment with two sentences instead of one, as well as different sentence orders and structures.

IELTS Writing Task 1: using model sentences

Here's a nice exercise that you could try: Take a good sentence from one of my lessons, and rewrite it using the exact same structure but different information. Here are two examples:
...

1) More waste goes to landfill sites than to any other refuse management facility.

Now I'm going to use the same structure, but invent some new information:

More British people go on holiday to Spain than to any other country.
...

2) Austria and Belgium are the most environmentally friendly of the fifteen countries, recycling around 60% and 50% of their waste respectively.

Again, I'll invent my own sentence using the same structure:

Apple and Google are the most successful of the five tech companies, recording profits of $45 billion and $20 billion respectively.
...

Task:
Can you create your own invented sentences using the two models above, or by choosing a different model sentence from one of my lessons?

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'waste chart' answer

Today I'm sharing my full sample answer for the task below.

The chart below compares levels of recycling, as well as some less environmentally friendly forms of waste management, in fifteen European countries.

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The bar chart shows the percentage of waste that is recycled, put into landfill or incinerated in various EU countries.

If we look at the fifteen EU countries as a whole, it is clear that more waste goes to landfill sites than to any other refuse management facility. In fact, while around half of the countries put the majority of their waste into landfill sites, only two countries recycle at least 50% of the waste that they produce.

Austria and Belgium are the most environmentally friendly of the fifteen countries, recycling around 60% and 50% of their waste respectively. Germany, Sweden and Belgium also appear to have effective recycling programmes, resulting in roughly 40% of waste being processed in this way in each country.

Other EU countries recycle far less. Greece, Ireland and the UK, for example, only recycle around 10% of refuse, and put between 80 and 90 per cent of their waste into landfill. Finally, while most non-recycled waste in the EU area goes to landfill, four countries, namely Luxembourg, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, incinerate more waste than they bury.

(184 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 1: task 1 writing in 'real life'

I'll finish the waste chart question next Thursday, but today I want to show you a 'real' example of some writing in the style of writing task 1.

Here are some sentences from a BBC article about the UK population:

• The UK population was estimated to stand at 65.6 million in 2016.
• 2016 saw the biggest UK population rise for 70 years.
• Over the decade from mid-2016, projected growth in England's population is put at 5.9%, for Northern Ireland the figure is 4.2%, while for Scotland and Wales the percentages are 3.2% and 3.1% respectively.
• The study puts projected UK population growth between 2015 and 2040 at 16%, compared with 10% growth for France and 4% for Germany.
• The study also says that the number of people aged 85 and over will have doubled from 1.6m in 2016 to 3.2m in 2041.

The reason why I wanted to share these sentences is that they are written in a very similar style to the style that I use in my model answers here on the blog. You'll see that I've highlighted some typical task 1 vocabulary.

If you'd like to read the full article, click here. You might even notice a few mistakes in the original article - it was probably written too quickly!

IELTS Writing Task 1: describing details

Here are my answers to the task that I gave you in last week's lesson:

1) Figures for the two countries that recycle the most

Austria and Belgium are the most environmentally friendly of the fifteen countries, recycling around 60% and 50% of their waste.

2) Figures for recycling and landfill in Greece

By contrast, Greece only recycles 10% of its waste and is the country that puts the highest proportion of refuse (90%)* into landfill.

3) Figures for incineration in Denmark and Luxembourg

Only two countries, Denmark and Luxembourg, incinerate over half of the waste that they produce; more precisely, figures for incineration are almost 60% and roughly 55% in the two countries respectively.

*It's ok to put numbers in brackets, but don't do this more than once or twice in your answer.

IELTS Writing Task 1: describing numbers correctly

The key skill in writing task 1 is to be able to describe numbers correctly. If you can't write a correct sentence that describes a number, you're unlikely to get a good score in this part of the test.

Look again at the following chart, and try the exercise below it.
...

...
Can you describe the information below, using one full sentence for each point?

1. Recycling percentages for Austria and Belgium, mentioning that they are the most environmentally friendly countries.
2. Figures for landfill and recycling in Greece, mentioning that it is the country that puts the highest proportion of waste into landfill.
3. Figures for incineration of waste in Denmark and Luxembourg, mentioning that only these two countries incinerate over half of their waste.

IELTS Writing Task 1: a more general overview

Last week I showed you a "highest and lowest" overview, but I also said that a more general overview would have been better.

Let's look at the chart again:

Instead of writing about the "highest and lowest" figures, let's describe something more general. For example, landfill seems to be the most popular form of waste management overall, and only two countries (Austria and Belgium) recycle at least 50% of their waste.

So, here's an overview using the observations above:

If we look at the fifteen EU countries as a whole, it is clear that more waste goes to landfill sites than to any other refuse management facility. In fact, while around half of the countries put the majority of their waste into landfill sites, only two countries recycle at least half of the waste that they produce.

IELTS Advice: more about 'highest and lowest'

In Thursday's lesson about IELTS writing task 1, I wrote that it's ok to describe the highest and lowest figures in your 'overview' paragraph. However, thanks to a comment by Erika, I've realised that I should add some extra advice or some warnings about this:

• First, it's important to remember that the best type of overview is one that describes overall trends, rather than specific details. The highest and lowest figures on a chart are normally considered to be specific details, so they shouldn't be your first choice for the overview.
• If you can't see a clear general trend, it's ok to describe the highest and lowest, but don't mention any numbers.
• Look for the highest and lowest category overall, rather than a single highest or lowest point. For example, if you're writing an overview about a line graph, it's fine to say that one of the lines was highest for most of the period, but don't describe any specific peaks (save them for the 'details' paragraphs).

The overview that I wrote on Thursday was fine because the main aim of the chart was not to show trends. Picking out the most and least environmentally friendly country made sense in this particular case, and I didn't mention specific numbers.

However, I want to make it clear that describing the highest and lowest should not be your first choice method for writing the overview. Look for overall trends first.

Task:
Next Thursday I'll show you an alternative overview paragraph for the "waste chart" question. Can you suggest which "main or general points" about the chart I could include, instead of describing the highest and lowest?