Many experts say that knowing what to do and how is a powerful tool in any exam, which is especially true for IELTS. Even though it’s possible to pass it without preparation, for an untrained eye all the variety of tasks in Writing task 1 presents an unbelievable challenge and all the data is seen as a mess of disconnected figures or objects. However, understanding different kinds of tasks and, more importantly, knowing how to describe different graphs, charts or diagrams boost candidate’s confidence and increase the chances of getting a higher score. In the webinar, we will be dealing with these aspects of preparation.

Join the free webinar on IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 preparation on October 22nd and 23d if you want to:

— learn about different kinds of visuals they might have in the IELTS exam;

— practice ‘reading’ graphs, charts and tables and understanding information in them;

— get to know how to organise their responses logically and in line with assessment criteria;

— practice planning descriptions based on exam tasks.

As well as that, actionable tips and strategies will be provided to help approach Writing task 1 effectively and make the experience of preparation clearer and more meaningful to everyone interested.

Who the webinar is for: 

— IELTS Academic test takers

— students preparing to take IELTS in the future

— teachers providing IELTS preparation classes

— anyone wishing to improve their speaking skills for international exams

Everyone attending the webinar will have a chance to study various examples of visuals in IELTS Academic Task 1, get practical tasks that will help improve writing skills and plan the response in order to create a structure of the sample answer. 

Speaker: 

Andrii Pigarev — Academic Director, teacher with more than 10 years of experience and international qualifications (CELTA, Delta), co-author of IELTS Grade course, IELTS certified tutor, CELTA trainer, International Speaking Examiner. Andrii has been involved in exam preparation and various teacher training programs, organising and running courses for teachers online and offline. 

Register for the webinar: 

October 22nd 6pm – 7 pm (UTC +2) 

 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqdOyoqD4pHNK5D_-UefPaMoAVZIqfpJYy

October 23d 4pm – 5 pm (UTC +2) 

 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rceCgrD8oHdfV50f6ziYcpwNVNx24sWyP

Spend 60 minutes practising and improving writing skills, becoming more confident in IELTS Academic. 

Besides, you will also get a special bonus offer that will help you upgrade your IELTS band score.

Many test-takers face certain difficulties when describing visuals in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, which leads to typical mistakes. This happens due to not knowing how to prepare and what to avoid during exam preparation. However, these problems can be easily solved. You can improve your IELTS score if you try out our advice.

Andrii Pigariev, one of the authors and coordinators of IELTS Academic Writing self-study course, shares the list of most typical mistakes students and candidates make in IELTS preparation and on the day of the exam, based on his own experience of teaching for IELTS. We are going to discuss the problems that arise for many test takers and students as well as those that can affect the score candidates receive for their IELTS Academic Writing Task 1.

1. Not knowing what to expect.

A lot of candidates who fail the exam or receive a lower score do not know what kind of visuals they can face in Task 1 and what to pay attention to in each of them. You will always benefit if you are familiar with all types of tasks. Know the names of the visuals and pay attention to the key features like trends, stages and steps, changes that have taken in places etc.

We have already written about how to understand IELTS visuals.

2. Including personal opinion or reason.

What kind of information should you include in your response? Firstly, you have to write about figures, i.e. numbers that illustrate changes. Secondly, write about the facts from the chart, such as changes, rise and fall etc.

You might get a penalty if you write about:

— reasons why changes happened;

— your opinion about the situation;

— predict the future of the situation.

3. Starting writing immediately.

Many candidates start writing their reports the very same moment they receive the task. This is the best thing you can do … to fail or complete the task in the wrong way.

What you have to do is:

— read the description of the visual carefully. If you don’t do so, you might misunderstand some information.

— analyse the chart. Carefully look at the axes, measurements, names of columns, dates, periods of time, trends etc. It will help you choose the vocabulary and grammar for your writing.

— plan how to organize your writing. For example, grouping trends by similarities or differences will help you organize your response more effectively, and lead to a higher score.

— spend 3 – 5 minutes on the things mentioned above. However, if you practice a lot before the exam, it might take shorter time to do these things.

4. Not summarizing main features.

Candidates who do not prepare for the exam, do not report on the main features, and, most importantly, don’t focus on the summary of main features.

Do not just describe the details from the chart because it is only the part of the score. It is not enough to complete the task successfully. Provide the summary because its absence will lead you to a penalty.

If you want to receive band 6+, follow the criteria, which say that you need ‘to present an overview with information appropriately selected’. Unlike band 5, where the candidates simply ‘recount details mechanically with no clear overview’. As you can see, knowing what to write about is an important point to consider.

5. Describing every single detail immediately.

Sometimes, students or candidates don’t know what kind of information to describe, and they describe everything they see. They also do not know how to organize it.

What you have to do is to organize your response into paragraphs. For example, if you group your trends by similarities and differences, which is a good strategy, you will:

— paraphrase the task in paragraph 1 + overview of main trends;

— write about similar trend in paragraph 2 (e.g. downward trends);

— write about different trends in paragraph 3 (e.g. downward and upward trends).

Before you start writing, you must have a kind of draft of how you are going to describe your response. Without it, the score might be lower. If we do not organize the information, it is difficult for the reader (examiner) to follow it.

6. Not using specific vocabulary.

The vocabulary for IELTS Writing should be ‘better’, i.e. more specific to the task. The more varied your language is, the higher band you can achieve.

Also, try to avoid repetition. Do not use the same words. Use synonyms instead.

For example:

A: The number of cyclists went up a bit, then went down a bit again and was the same until the end of the period.

B: The number of cyclists first increased insignificantly, then there was a slight decline in figures, followed by a period of stability until the end of the period.

Both sentences describe the same line graph, but B is the example of the better choice of the language.

READ ABOUT: 5 things to avoid in IELTS Academic Writing

7. Not having reliable models to follow.

Another way to avoid typical mistakes in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 is not only to practice but also to check some good examples of responses where you can see how to write and improve your understanding of how to approach the task.

After you have written your own response, it would be good to see how others have done it and to analyse it.

This can be done on our platform where you will find good model answers for each type of task guidance on how to understand the task, how to organize your answer, and what kind of vocabulary to use. As you proceed, you will get the Knowledge Bank filled up with useful language and strategies, and complete the tasks in test-like conditions. Your answers will be checked using AI, and you will receive your score within a few seconds.

Besides, it is a good idea to see some model answers with mistakes to spot them.

8. Not checking your response.

This is one of the biggest mistakes candidates commit in the real exam. It happens because they do not have enough time to check their writing, especially if they are not trained to do so.

At the same time, this is a very important step. While writing, we tend not to see our mistakes. That is why it is worth spending 1 or 2 minutes at the end to check your writing. Pay attention to:

• spelling;
• punctuation;
• articles;
• subject and verb agreement;
• the mistakes you know you often make.

Read your response a few times. Each time you read focus on a different aspect.

9. Not practicing enough.

Practice makes perfect. In order avoid making typical mistakes in IELTS Academic Writing 1 we recommend:

• writing in English every day;
• describing charts and diagrams in English;
• practicing writing a certain number of words in a limited time;
• trying to describe charts and diagrams in English using a certain number of words in a limited time.

You will also benefit if you try describing all types of tasks and do it a few times. Such order will help you ease the anxiety on the day of the exam.

10. Not using strategies consistently.

Using strategies is all about using things repeatedly. The approach that will help you succeed in IELTS Writing is knowing what to do, how to do it, and practicing.

What is meant here, is the more you practice using the same strategies, the less and less time you spend every time on completing the task. Strategies should become part of your routine.

For example, our platform includes every single type of IELTS Academic Writing task that is followed by a certain strategy — you learn what to do step by step (analyse the task, plan your response, write, and check).

If you would like to improve your IELTS academic writing skills, familiarize yourself with the contents of the course and sign up for a free trial before you get access to the full course.

READ ABOUT: 5 easy steps to complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 assumes that the candidate will describe one or more graphs, tables, diagrams or even maps. We recommend you to spend no more than 20 minutes and write at least 150 words in this task.

Most candidates do not have any problems with the volume and time to complete the task. However, they can experience difficulties the moment when they first see a visual to be described. The majority of those preparing for the exam think that to describe is to write at least one sentence about each number or each movement of the graph. In fact, this is the biggest mistake. So, how to approach the task, how to understand what is important and what is not — we’ll discuss it further.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORDS

It is very important not to confuse the names of the visuals in English. That is because in the first sentence you will need to write what can be seen from the visual. In your native language and English these words may be ‘false friends’. So, remember:

• a map — a drawing of the earth’s surface, or part of that surface, showing the shape and position of different countries, political borders, natural features such as rivers and mountains, and artificial features such as roads and buildings;
• line graph — a drawing that uses lines to show how different pieces of information are related to each other;
• bar chart — a mathematical picture in which different amounts are represented by thin vertical or horizontal rectangles that have the same width but different heights or lengths;
• table — an arrangement of facts and numbers in rows or blocks;
• process / flow-chart — a drawing that shows the stages of a process or activity from the beginning to the end using different shapes connected by lines;
• pie chart — a way of showing information about how a total amount is divided up, consisting of a circle that is divided from its centre into several parts.

We also call all these types of images with the English word ‘diagram’. If the task you receive has several visuals, then this type of task will be called a ‘multiple chart’. Most likely, there will be either two or three pie charts, or a graph and a bar chart. For example:

or

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM VISUALS? 

In order to complete the task successfully, it is important to read it carefully and study the diagrams. Usually, the text of the task indicates:

• what the visual shows;
• what you have to do.

For example:

In this case, ‘The graph shows the changes in the popularity of different types of dwellings among families from 2002 to 2012.’ is the indication of what the visual shows. So, we need to ‘summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant’. This is the essence of the task, i.e. to select and describe the main trends as well as compare them. So, is it necessary to write about everything that is shown in the graph? Of course, not.

HOW TO DESCRIBE GRAPHS?

Each type of visuals has its own main features, i.e. the important information we pay attention to. If we describe everything in a row, we will not be able to make any comparisons. Therefore, we will not complete the task. What is more, it is almost impossible to describe everything in 20 minutes.

If you have to describe tables, graphs or charts, pay attention to the trends reflected in numbers and percentages. There can be a rise, a fall, a stable trend or fluctuation.

If we are talking about the line graph, for example, it is very easy to determine the direction of the trend. Look at the numbers at the beginning and at the end. If they climb up, we have an upward trend, and, if on the contrary, — a downward trend. In addition, the trends can fluctuate.

Sometimes a trend can fall/rise for a while and then change its direction. It is also worth writing about. For example:

• Generally, Mali’s showed a significant decrease at the beginning, followed by a period of gradual growth, while the financial performance of Genius demonstrated considerable fluctuations over the span of fifteen years.

READ MORE ABOUT: 5 things to avoid in IELTS Academic Writing

It is also important to pay attention to what each axis — horizontal or vertical — shows us. In the graph above, the vertical axis is a percentage and the horizontal axis is a year. Graphs usually show certain changes that occur over a period of time: past, present, or future. When it comes to the future, it is usually a prediction of a situation. You need to understand this and use the appropriate grammatical structures.

HOW TO DESCRIBE OTHER VISUALS?

Bar charts can be both horizontal and vertical. Instead of lines, pay attention to the columns and their length or height. By doing so, you will be able to follow the growth, decline or fluctuations of trends. They also have axes, and can show changes that occur over a period of time, as well as various categories — then pay attention to the colour of the columns.

Unlike graphs and charts, tables have no axes. Instead, pay attention to columns and rows. Columns usually have titles. You can use them to find out what the table is about, what period of time, what categories and measurements there are. As a rule, we can follow the trends in the rows.

Talking about the map/maps, you might have to report on settlements at different stages of development/decline. What do we pay attention to here? Of course, we have to find objects that have changed their location, the area that has expanded or decreased, the emergence of new or disappearing of old objects.

And what shall we look for in the process? Of course, these are stages or steps that are performed in this process. It is the sequence that plays the most important role here.

WHAT AND HOW TO WRITE IN IELTS ACADEMIC WRITING TASK 1?

• First, in your first sentence you need to paraphrase what is said in the task itself. This is a good strategy. For example, if the task says: ‘The graph shows changes in the popularity of different types of dwellings among families from 2000 to 2012.’, you can write: ‘The graph illustrates the percentage of three types of apartments chosen by households from 2000 to 2012.’
• Next, you need to describe the main categories depicted in the visual. For example, we will describe three types of housing: duplex/triplex, railroad аnd studio.
• Do not forget about the paragraphs. Each new feature is a new paragraph. But remember, we only write about main/outstanding things.
• It is not necessary to write conclusions, as well as it will be superfluous to express your own opinion concerning the things represented in the visual. However, do not forget to compare trends.
• The language of writing is academic. Therefore, no abbreviations, phrasal verbs or colloquial phrases.

You will find even more life hacks and secrets to successfully complete IELTS Academic Task 1 on our IELTS Academic Writing self-study course platform. With our course you will learn not only to understand each of the types of visuals, but also to describe them correctly. After all, the components of the course include learning strategies, vocabulary and grammatical structures, creating your own Knowledge Bank, and most importantly — checking your writing within seconds with our AI automated system.

FURTHER READING: 5 easy steps to complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1