IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

677 IELTS Writing Task 1 samples with Band 8 answers

Every Academic Task 1 visual in our test bank, redrawn with its data so you can check each figure, with a Band 8 report, the overview it needs and the language for that chart type.

Line graphs

Overview first: the overall direction of each line and which was highest.
Group lines that move together instead of describing each one in turn.
Give the start and end figures plus the peak or low point, not every value.

Bar charts

Compare the biggest and smallest bars before anything else.
If the bars show years, describe change; if they show places, describe rank.
Round sensibly and say 'just over' or 'nearly' rather than guessing decimals.

Pie charts

Name the largest and smallest shares in the overview.
Use proportion language: a quarter, just under half, the majority.
With two pies, compare the same slice across both.

Tables

Tables hide the trend: find the highest, lowest and biggest change yourself.
Select; do not list every cell.
Organise paragraphs by row or by column, whichever gives the clearer comparison.

Mixed charts

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals.
Give each visual its own detail paragraph.
Point out where one chart explains the other.

Process diagrams

Say how many stages there are and where the process starts and ends.
Use the passive and sequencers: first, after this, once, finally.
Keep every stage; a missing step costs task achievement.

Maps

Overview: how much the area changed and what stayed the same.
Use location language: to the north of, adjacent to, replaced by.
Group changes by area or by type, such as housing, roads and green space.

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