In IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, you get one or more visuals (a line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table, process diagram or map) and write a summary of at least 150 words. The task rewards selection and comparison, not description of every detail. A consistent structure makes it much easier.
What examiners assess
| Criterion | What it means for Task 1 |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement | A clear overview, accurate data, key features selected and compared |
| Coherence and Cohesion | Logical grouping of information, clear paragraphs, accurate linking |
| Lexical Resource | Precise vocabulary for trends, comparisons and processes |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | A mix of structures, used accurately |
The four-paragraph structure
1. Introduction (one sentence)
Paraphrase the task: what the visual shows, where and when.
Task: The chart below shows the percentage of households with internet access in four countries between 2005 and 2020.
Introduction: The bar chart compares the proportion of homes with an internet connection in four countries over a fifteen-year period from 2005.
Change the words, not the meaning. Do not copy the prompt.
2. Overview (two sentences)
State the most important trends or features without detailed numbers. Ask yourself: if someone only read this paragraph, what would they need to know?
Overall, internet access rose considerably in all four countries. Country A had the highest rate throughout the period, while Country D, which started lowest, saw the most dramatic increase.
The public IELTS band descriptors make the stakes clear: a response with no clear overview is described at band 5 for Task Achievement, while a clear overview of the main trends, differences or stages is a band 7 feature.
3 and 4. Detail paragraphs
Group related information and support it with figures. Common ways to group:
- By trend: categories that rose vs categories that fell
- By category: the two highest vs the two lowest
- By time: the first half of the period vs the second
- By stage: early vs late stages of a process
Adapting to each visual type
| Visual | What to focus on | Useful language |
|---|---|---|
| Line graph | Trends over time, peaks, turning points | rose steadily, peaked at, fluctuated, levelled off |
| Bar chart | Comparisons between categories, sometimes over time | twice as high as, the second largest, slightly lower |
| Pie charts | Proportions, largest and smallest shares | accounted for, made up, a quarter, the majority |
| Table | The most striking highs, lows and differences | the highest figure was, by contrast, respectively |
| Process diagram | Sequence of stages, start to finish | first, subsequently, once..., is then + past participle |
| Maps | Changes between two times, or two layouts | was replaced by, was extended, to the north of |
Process diagrams
Use the passive voice for man-made processes ("The raw materials are crushed and then heated"). Count the stages in the overview ("The process consists of six stages, beginning with... and ending with...").
Maps
Describe what changed and what stayed the same. The overview should summarise the overall transformation ("The area became far more residential, with most farmland replaced by housing").
A complete model answer
Task (illustrative): The table below shows the percentage of adults who cycled to work in four cities in 2010 and 2020.
| City | 2010 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| City A | 12% | 21% |
| City B | 8% | 9% |
| City C | 15% | 11% |
| City D | 3% | 10% |
Response (about 170 words):
The table compares the proportion of adults who commuted to work by bicycle in four cities in 2010 and 2020.
Overall, cycling to work became more common in three of the four cities, with the fastest relative growth in City D. City C was the only city where the figure fell, and by 2020 City A had the highest rate of cycling commuters.
In 2010, City C had the largest share of cyclists, at 15%, followed by City A at 12%. However, over the following decade the figure for City C dropped to 11%, while City A's rate rose sharply to 21%, almost double its earlier level.
City D started from the lowest base, with only 3% of adults cycling to work in 2010. This rose more than threefold to 10% by 2020, bringing it close to City C. By contrast, the proportion in City B remained almost unchanged, rising by just one percentage point to 9%.
Notice what this response does: a paraphrased introduction, an overview with no numbers, two detail paragraphs that group cities logically, and comparison language in almost every sentence. It never explains why cycling rose.
Percentages vs percentage points
A frequent accuracy error in Task 1 is confusing these:
- If a figure rises from 10% to 15%, it has risen by five percentage points.
- In relative terms, that is a 50% increase.
Use "percentage points" for the absolute difference between two percentages. If in doubt, describe the change with the figures themselves ("rose from 10% to 15%"), which is always accurate.
Two visuals in one task
Some Task 1 prompts combine two visuals, such as a pie chart and a table. Treat them as one task:
- Mention both visuals in your introduction.
- Write an overview that covers the main point of each, and a link between them if there is one.
- Give each visual its own detail paragraph, unless the data clearly connects.
Language for accurate data
Approximations: just over, just under, roughly, approximately, nearly
Comparisons: considerably higher than, a similar proportion, in contrast, whereas
Change: a sharp rise, a gradual decline, a slight dip, remained stable
Vary your structures. For example:
- Sales rose sharply to 40,000 units.
- There was a sharp rise in sales, to 40,000 units.
- Sales, which had been stable, climbed sharply to 40,000 units.
Common mistakes
- No overview, or an overview hidden in the detail paragraphs.
- Listing numbers without comparing them. Every paragraph should contain comparison language.
- Explaining causes ("because people became richer"). Not part of the task.
- Wrong tense for the time period.
- Misreading units: percentages vs numbers, thousands vs millions.
- Going far over length, leaving too little time for Task 2.
- Copying the prompt word for word in the introduction.
A 20-minute routine
| Minutes | Step |
|---|---|
| 0–3 | Study the visual; note units, time period and the two or three main features |
| 3–5 | Decide your overview and how to group the detail paragraphs |
| 5–17 | Write |
| 17–20 | Check data accuracy, tenses, articles and word count |
Practise with feedback on the criteria
Task 1 improves quickly once you practise a variety of visual types and get feedback on your overview and data selection. Aim to cover each visual type at least twice.
EnglishHub's IELTS Academic simulator includes Writing Task 1 prompts in the real format across its 50 full mock tests and 200 practice sets, with AI feedback on your responses. The first mock is free: start an IELTS Academic mock, or explore the IELTS Academic hub. For how the whole test fits together, see our IELTS Academic format guide.
EnglishHub is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
Frequently asked questions
How many words should I write for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1?
At least 150 words. Most effective responses are between about 160 and 190 words. Writing much more takes time away from Task 2, which carries twice the weight.
Do I need a conclusion in Writing Task 1?
You need an overview: a summary of the main features or trends. It can go after the introduction or at the end. A conclusion that gives your opinion is not needed and should be avoided.
Should I include every number from the chart?
No. Select the key features and support them with relevant figures. Listing every data point without comparisons makes the response harder to follow and can lower your Task Achievement score.
Can I give reasons for the trends in Task 1?
No. Task 1 asks you to report and compare what the visual shows. Speculating about causes is outside the task and adds nothing to your score.
Which tense should I use?
Use the tense that matches the time period shown. Past data uses past tenses, current data uses the present, and projections use future forms such as 'is expected to' or 'is predicted to'.
