IELTS WRITING
TASK 1
EXAMPLES
MBO SCHOOL COMPLEX.
WHAT IS WRITING TASK 1?
A writing task based on data. This can show statistical data presented in a
graph, table or chart, or it can show visual data in plans / maps or a
process diagram. Sometimes more than one set of data will be included.
• The clear organisation of your ideas
• The ability to write an overview of what the data shows
• The ability to express the information concisely and accurately
• The use of an appropriate academic style (formal or neutral) and a range of
appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structure
• Accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation
EXAM TIP
In IELTS Writing Task 1, you will be tested on your ability to use numbers,
fractions and percentages accurately. It is important to use the correct
fractions and percentages when completing Task 1.
For example:
• just over 30% = about one-third
• approximately 50% = about half
• under 25% = less than one-quarter
• 1 in 20 people = 5% of people
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
Introduction: Say what the diagram shows in your own words (you will lose marks
if you copy the question). Follow this with several sentences describing the main
features supported by reference to the diagram leg include dates and figures.
Body: Give further details - describe other features, significant differences and
make comparisons where relevant. Support with figures from the diagram.
Summarising sentence: End with one or two sentences that give an overall
summary of the main features. No explanation, reasons or conclusion should be
given.
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graphs below show the post-school qualifications held by Canadians in
the age groups 25 to 35 and 45 to 55.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features,
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
These two pie charts show the differences between two
groups of Canadians (25 to 35 and 45 to 55 year olds) in
terms of their post-school qualifications.
The first point to note is the huge increase in the number of
people with qualifications. The younger group is more than
two times bigger than the older group (515,600 compared to
213,400).
Comparing the two groups, Humanities and Nursing have
experienced an increase in popularity with older graduates;
Nursing rose by 4%. However, the biggest gain was made by
engineering, which increased from 9% to 19% of the whole.
Some subjects were more popular with the younger age
group. The biggest loss in graduate numbers were to
Science, Maths and Computers which, as a group, have
decreased by 8%. Administration has declined by 4%.
To sum up, the graphs show a more than twofold increase in
the number of graduates. The most noticeable change in
subject percentages is the increase in the number of
engineering graduates.
(164 words)
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph shows data on the manufacture of passenger cars in 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features,
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The pie chart gives the percentage of passenger cars
manufactured by different regions of the world. For the
purposes of this data set, the world is divided into seven
regions.
What stands out is that the regions of Greater China and
Europe lead the way in terms of the manufacture of
passenger cars, with 26% and 25% respectively. By contrast,
very few cars are produced in the Middle East and Africa: just
2% originate from that area.
Turning next to the Americas, a sharp contrast can be seen
between the Northern and Southern parts of the continent.
Whereas North America can boast 19% of the world's
passenger car production, South America manufactures just
4% of this type of vehicle.
Finally, moving on to Japan and Korea, despite the fact that
they are just two countries rather than a whole region, they
account for a sizeable proportion of the total, at 16%.
(151 words)
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The pie charts below show the devices people in the 18 to 25 age group use
to watch television in Canada in two different years.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features,
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The two charts illustrate the appliances that young adults in Canada use to watch
television programmes and how this has changed over the ten-year period from 2009 to
2019. One of the key changes over this decade is the transition from conventional
televisions to flat-screens, with the former falling from 34% to 4% and the latter rising
from 8% to 27% for the period, making it the number one television device. The latter
has replaced the former as the most popular TV viewing device.
Another general trend is that younger people are now watching television on smaller,
more portable devices than in 2009. In particular, the use of mobile phones and tablets
for viewing purposes has increased by almost three quarters to 26% and tablet use
seeing an almost four-fold increase to 19%. This trend is reinforced by the number of 18
to 25-year-olds using computers for the TV viewing. Both desktop and laptop computers
saw substantial falls in usage (around a third for both).
Overall then, it can be said that the two pie charts suggest the TV viewing habits in
Canada over the period saw a move away from older devices and towards more modern
equivalents.
(198 words)
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph shows the number of visitors to four international museums
between 1980 and 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features,
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The line graph shows how many people visited four
museums in different countries in the world between
1980 and 2015.
All in all, the Louvre Museum was the most popular,
with between approximately 8 and 9 million visitors
each year. The least popular were the Shenzhen and
the London Science Museum, with no more than 4
million visitors each year.
The number of visitors to the London Science
Museum decreased slowly from just over 4 million in
1980 to around 2 million in 2015. By contrast, the
visitors to the Vatican Museum increased from just
under 5 million in 1980 to around 9 million in 2015.
In addition, the number of visitors to the Shenzhen Museum stayed about the same over the thirty-
five-year period. They fell from just under 4 million in 1980 to just over 3 million in 2000 and then
rose to just under 4 million again in 2015.
(151 words)
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The bar charts below show the percentages of men and women in
employment in three countries in 2005 and 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features,
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The two charts show the percentages of men and women
in employment in three countries in the years 2005 and
2015. In general, we can see that the percentages of
working people increased, with the proportion of women
showing the most significant rise.
In all of the countries covered, and in both years, the
number of men in employment was greater than the
number of women. South Korea has the highest rate of
male employment – approximately 75% in 2005, rising
slightly to about 78% in 2015 – and Canada has the
lowest – just over 60% in 2005 and 70% in 2015.
The proportion of women in employment was lower than
men in all of the countries covered over the two years. It
was below 50% everywhere in 2005, but the figures had
risen by 2015. In Canada, over half of the women were
working, and in Sweden the figure was exactly 50%. In
contrast, the number of South Korean women who were
working was only about 35% compared with a
percentage which was more than double for men at over
70%.
(180 words)
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram illustrates how bees produce honey.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features,
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The diagram shows the seven most important
stages in the making of honey by bees. The
process begins with the honey bees building a
hive, and then finishes when the honey is ready to
be collected and used.
Firstly, the bees have to build a container. This is
called a hive and it consists of many individually
built cells. Next, the bees leave the hive in order to
search for flowers. When they find a suitable
flower, they collect the nectar from it, which is used
to make honey.
The nectar is then taken back to the hive where
the production process can begin. First, it is put
into cells. Then, following this, the nectar must be
cooled down. In order to do this, the bees fan the
nectar-filled cells with their wings. As a result, the
nectar loses its water content and then finally, the
honey is produced.
(150 words)
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below shows the estimated literacy rates by region and gender for
2000-2004.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features,
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The table shows estimated literacy rates for
men and women in 2000-2004 in five regions:
Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and
Oceania. It also shows average world literacy
rates for both genders for the same years.
According to the table, Europe has the
highest literacy rates, reaching almost 99%.
There is virtually no difference in literacy rates
for European men and women.
In Oceania and the Americas, the figures for both men and women are almost the same. In both
regions over 93% of the population` is literate.
In both Asia and Africa, there are considerable differences in literacy rates between men and women.
In Asia, only 72.5% of women are literate, whereas the figure for Asian men is 13% higher. In Africa,
the gap is nearly double, with 53.9% of all African women being literate and 71.6% of the African men
being able to read and write.
Overall, around 82% of the world population is literate. In Europe, Oceania and the Americas the
literacy rates are the highest, with over 90% of the population able to read and write. Asia and Africa
have lower literacy rates than the other regions in the graph.
(194 words)
IELTS WRITING TASK 1 PARAGRAPH PLAN
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The maps show improvements that have been made to a university campus
between 2010 and the present day.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features,
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
The two maps show the development of a university
campus from 2010 to the present day. It can be seen from
the maps that the campus has been improved and
extended, with much more student accommodation and
facilities than previously.
Firstly, the number of student accommodation buildings has
been increased in number and size. A previous
accommodation block south of the lake has been destroyed
and replaced by a new building for students, which includes
shops and offices. In addition, the teaching facilities have
been extended. The previous single teaching block has
been changed into a block only for arts subjects and there
is a new building for the sciences to the north of the
campus. This has replaced the old university offices. The
lawn and outside seating area which were next to the lake
have been removed. The lake, however, has remained and
is still the central point of the campus.
(152 words)
THANK YOU
