Writing Task 1

IELTS Writing Task 1: How to Describe Data

Academic Writing Task 1 asks you to describe visual information, such as a chart, graph, table, process or map, in your own words. It tests whether you can select the important features and report them accurately, without giving your opinion.

What this question looks like

You have about 20 minutes to write at least 150 words. For Academic candidates the task is a data description; for General Training it is a letter, which has its own lessons. Whatever the visual, the same four-paragraph shape works: an introduction that paraphrases the question, an overview of the main trends, and two body paragraphs with the supporting detail. Task 1 is worth one third of your Writing band, so keep it to 20 minutes and save the rest for Task 2.

Step-by-step approach

1Introduction (1 sentence): paraphrase the question, changing the wording but keeping the meaning. Do not copy the prompt.
2Overview (1-2 sentences): state the biggest, most general patterns, such as the highest and lowest values or the overall direction of change. Give no specific numbers here. This paragraph is what separates a band 6 from a band 7.
3Body paragraph 1: describe one logical group of the data in detail, using specific figures.
4Body paragraph 2: describe the rest, again with figures and comparisons.
5Never give an opinion or explain causes. Task 1 is a report of what the data shows, nothing more. Leave two minutes to check your figures and grammar.

Worked example

Question

'The chart shows the number of visitors (in millions) to three museums in 2010 and 2020.' What should the overview say if visitors rose at all three museums, with Museum A always the most visited?

Answer

Overview: 'Overall, all three museums attracted more visitors in 2020 than in 2010, and Museum A remained the most popular throughout the period, while Museum C consistently received the fewest.'

Why

A strong overview names the two clearest big-picture patterns, the general upward trend and the fixed rank order, without quoting a single figure. It answers 'what is the main story here?' Examiners award the overview marks for exactly this kind of figure-free summary of the main features, and its absence is the single most common reason Task 1 scores stall at band 6.

Try it yourself

Write a full report of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, then reveal the model answer and compare its structure to yours.

The table below shows the percentage of the workforce employed in three sectors (agriculture, industry and services) in two countries in 2020. Country X: agriculture 40%, industry 25%, services 35%. Country Y: agriculture 5%, industry 30%, services 65%. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

0 words

Common mistakes

!Leaving out the overview, or hiding specific numbers inside it. The overview must summarise the main features with no data.
!Describing every single number in order instead of selecting and grouping the important ones.
!Copying the wording of the question in the introduction, which scores nothing for Lexical Resource.
!Giving opinions or reasons ('this is because...'). Task 1 only reports what is shown.
!Spending too long on Task 1 and running out of time for Task 2, which is worth twice as much.

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Quick quiz

1. What should the overview paragraph contain?

2. How long should you spend on Task 1?

3. Which of these must you NOT do in Task 1?

0/3 answered

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