Writing Task 1
Time Limit: 20 minutes
Word Limit: 150 – 200 words
Weightage: 30%
No. of Paragraphs: 3-4
Question Types
Line graph
Bar/column graph
Pie chart
Table
Life cycle
Process/flowchart
Map/diagram
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In task 1, you need to summarise the main information,
compare data, show contrasts and trends, identify
significant trends and describe the process.
GRADING CRITERIA
Task Achievement (TA)
Coherence and Cohesion (CC)
Lexical Resource (LR)
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA)
NOTES
Avoid personal opinions/views.
If the unit in the Y-axis is not accurate, use the following phrases:
o Under
Below
Less than
Just under
Slightly under
Well under
o About
Approximately
Around
Nearly
Tentatively
Close to
almost
o Over
Above
More than
Just over
Slightly over
Marginally above
well over
If the timeline in the x-axis is futuristic, use the following phrases:
o Is projected
o Is expected
o Is predicted
o Is assumed
o Is calculated
o Is estimated
If the graph is in the past, use the past tense.
Vary your sentence structure.
Avoid repeating the features.
It is not necessary to write what the X-axis and Y-axis represent.
Avoid contraction form.
o & and √
o Can’t cannot √
o Won’t would not √
o I’d I would √
o Etc.
o and so on.
Do NOT include ‘below’ or ‘above’ in your answer.
Change noun and adjectives phrases into verbs and adverbs to
create a range of expressions.
Example: A slight increase-------Increased slightly
When describing a process, use the present passive voice. For
example, coffee beans are pulped to remove their outer layer.
They are then soaked in water, rinsed thoroughly, and dried. After
that, the beans are sorted in a kiln and blended. Next, they are
packed and dispatched to shops and supermarkets.
GRAPH TRENDS (Go through pages 23-26) (25 – 28)
1. Upward/Increasing/Increased
1a. Exponential rise/Exponential increase/Increased exponentially
2. Downward/Decreasing/Decreased
2a. Plunge/Plummet
2b. Exponential Decrease/Decreased exponentially
3. Fluctuation/Oscillation
4. More or less constant/ Almost constant
5. Constant/Level off/Static/Steady/Consistent
6. Peak/Peaked/Reach a peak
PARAPHRASING TIMELINE
From 1985 to 1995
Over a decade until 1995
Over a decade starting from 1985.
Over ten years until 1995
From January to June
Half yearly until June
For six months until June
OTHER USEFUL TIME PHRASES
Over the next three days…
Three days later…
In the following three days
The next three days show…
The first year…
At the beginning of the period…
Over the period
From…to…
Between…and…
The last/final year
At the end of the period…
# For the introduction, paraphrase the question.
Example: The graph below shows the proportion of males and females
working in an IT company from 1985 to 1995.
#Tell what the graph is
Paraphrase 1: The diagram displays the proportion of men and women
employed in an IT firm over ten years until 1995.
Paraphrase 2: The column graph illustrates, in an IT company, the
proportion of men’s and women’s employment from 1985 to 1995.
# Analysis
# Analysis
# Conclusion - Overview
Example 1: As a whole, the majority of women held higher posts while
men stood at the lower positions.
Example 2: Overall, there were huge modifications in the later plan of
the EDF-Admissions building.
GRAPH LANGUAGE
Intensity Connectives
High Low Similar Different
Increa Decreas
Dramatic Slight Next, In contrast,
se e
Rise Fall Drastic Gradual Besides, By contrast,
Growt Exponenti On the
Drop Marginal Moreover,
h al contrary,
Substanti Negligibl On contrary
Incline Decline Further,
al e to
Escalat Climb Spectacul Moderat
Similarly, In spite of
e down ar e
Elevat
On the other
e Plunge Notable Steady Likewise,
hand,
Soar
Plumme Considera Furthermo
Leap However,
t ble re,
Climb Remarkab Additionall
Although
up le y,
BODY CONSTRUCTION
Analyse the trend/date
Compare Intra/inter
Include only major features
CONCLUSION
o Overview + You can include any significant comments/facts
that you find worth writing.
FOR TABLE/PIE CHART
PERCENTAGE FRACTION
80% Four-fifths
75% Three quarters
70% Seven in ten
65% Just below Two-thirds
60% Three-fifths
55% More than a half
50% A Half
45% More than two-fifths/Less than a half
40% Two-fifths
35% More than a third
30% Less than a third
25% A quarter
20% A fifth
15% Less than a fifth
10% One in ten
5% One in twenty
PERCENTAG PROPORTION/NUMBER/
E AMOUNT/ MAJORITY/MINORITY
75% - 95% A very large majority
55% - 75% A significant proportion
35% - 55% A large number
15% - 25% A minority
5% A very small number
<2% An insignificant amount
COMPARISON TEMPLATE
‘X’ is greater than ‘Y’ by…
‘X’ is as common/popular as ‘Y’.
‘X’ is two folds to ‘Y’.
‘X’ is twice/ thrice higher/lower than ‘Y’.
‘X’ is less common than ‘Y’.
Writing Task 1 Structure
Introduction
Tell what the graph is [paraphrase the question]
Body Paragraph 1
Analysis
Body Paragraph 2
Analysis
Conclusion
Overview
Overall,
As can be seen,
As a whole,
At a glance,
WRITING TASK 1 – Model Answer (Downloaded from the British Council’s website.)
The chart shows the percentages of paper and cardboard, glass containers,
aluminium cans and plastics that were recycled in one country between 1982 and
2010.
In 1982, about 65% of paper and cardboard was recycled. This figure fluctuated
before rising steeply to reach a peak of 80% in 1994. From then on, however, it
decreased steadily to a level of 70% in 2010. In 1982, half of all glass containers
were recycled; after dipping to a low of 40% in 1990, the glass recycling rate
gradually increased to 60% by 2010.
Aluminium cans were first recycled in 1986, starting at about 5%, but this figure
climbed rapidly over 25 years and by 2010 it had reached 45%. Recycling of
plastics, on the other hand, was not introduced until 1990 and, although the growth
in this category was also constant, it was very slow, rising from about 2% to
around 8% over the period.
Overall, the proportion of paper and cardboard that was recycled was the highest of
the four classes of material, but this category experienced a decline after 1994,
whereas there was a continuing upward trend in the recycling of the other
materials.
WRITING TASK 1 NOTES
1. Write enough words, do not write too many words.
2. Think and plan before writing.
3. Do not copy whole sections of the question.
4. Think about the range of vocabulary.
5. Use paragraphs well.
6. Check your writing.
7. Notes or bullet points are not acceptable as answers.
8. Do not analyze or explain everything in the graph. Pick the main ideas.
