IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 | Article

Did you know there are over six different IELTS Academic Task 1 tasks types?

Don’t worry though! You will only have to do one, however, you don’t get a choice and you must complete the one that is set in the paper. Let’s explore the different task types and examine some of their differences and similarities.

First, let’s look at Task 1 and what you generally need to do:

Task 1 is a report or summary and requires you to report the main features of either data, maps or a process. In some cases, you also have to make comparisons.
You should spend no more than 20 minutes on Task 1.
You need to write 150 words or more – A good way to measure this number of words is to count how many words you usually write per line and then multiply by how many lines you write. I write about 12 words per line so my Task 1 report will be around 14 lines long.
You should write an introduction, describing what the report or summary is about, and then report the main (interesting) features of the data and make comparisons where necessary. You should end with a short conclusion or summary.

Describing Facts and Figures

For this type of task you will be presented with a graph, chart or table (and sometimes a mixture) on a topic such as TV viewing habits or the price of milk. Your task is to report the most important and relevant data. You don’t need to report every little detail; remember, you only have 20 minutes! This task type will also require you to make comparisons between the different categories and subjects represented in the data. For example, if you were presented with a graph on TV viewing habits and it shows it categorized as ‘live viewing’ or ‘on-demand’, you would look for differences and similarities within the data.

Explaining a Process

This has become a common task type over the last few years. You may remember from school having to label an ecosystem or the life cycle of a frog. Well, now you have to describe that type of thing, in English! You are given the complete process, from start to finish and back to start in some cases. The process has a few labels on it but it is mostly just pictures. Your task is to create a written description of the process. The examiner is looking at your ability to paraphrase and sequence information.

Mapping the Changes

In this task type you are given two maps, usually the plan of the same town a number of years apart. You need to examine the maps and describe the changes that have or will occur.This task perhaps looks simpler than the others as there aren’t numbers and maps are fairly familiar to most people but BEWARE! Pay attention to the dates of the maps as this will tell you which grammar tense(s) you are able to use. You will also need to use your knowledge of synonyms to succeed at this task.