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WRITING TASK 1 IELTS

Module Overview

Academic Task 1

You will describe, in your own words, information contained in a graph, diagram, table or chart. Information may be data in word or number form, stages in a process, how something works or you may need to describe an object or event.

General Task 1

You will write a letter in response to an everyday situation or problem. For example, you may be asked to request information or explain a situation.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

Academic Writing Task 1

Bar Graph

The graph shows the top priorities by business companies in the USA in 2016.
Summarize the information by reporting and selecting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Sample Answer

The bar graph outlines the comparative analysis of the American company’s top five priorities in 2016 according to the size of the company.
Overall, The striking feature to note is that irrespective of the size of the companies, primary importance was given to raising the number of contacts and converting them to customers.
Looking deep at the details, every company’s two top priorities were to keep on increasing leads and to turn those leads into customers. Small businesses, with 0-25 employees, gave equal emphasis to these two aspects. But a company with 26-200 employees gave the lead generation and customer conversion the highest priority.
Since small and medium companies spent more on lead generation, they focused less on cost minimisation to gain customers. Contrary to this, 30% priority was set by large organizations (more than 201 employees) to reduce this cost and they set the target to eam profit from existing customers. Medium-sized industry indicated 47% to both increasing revenues derived from existing customers and providing ROI of marketing activities, whereas, 55% and 58% precedence from a large company and 43% and 33% from the small company was assigned respectively to the same objectives.

Pie Chart

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The pie graphs below show the result of a survey of children’s activities. The first graph shows the cultural and leisure activities that boys participate in, whereas the second graph shows the activities in which the girls participate.
Write a report describing the information shown in the two pie graphs.
Write at least 150 words.

Sample Answer

The two pie charts depict the results of a survey of boys’ and girls’ cultural and recreational activities.
Overall, equal numbers of both sexes enjoyed listening to music, while much more girls enjoyed reading. There were also significant disparities in the children’s chosen sports.
Looking at the first chart, we can see that boys prefer computer gaming (34% participation rate) to other hobbies. Basketball is the second most popular leisure activity, with over one-third of male children participating. Basketball is followed by soccer, which is practiced by 17% of the population. Skateboarding and listening to music are less preferred pastimes, with 11% and 10% of boys choosing them, respectively. Reading, the least popular cultural activity among boys, accounts for barely two percent of the total.
Looking more closely at the second chart, we can see that dancing is the most popular activity among girls, accounting for 27% of the total. Reading is preferred by more than a fifth of all girls, in contrast to the preferences of boys. Although the percentage of female youngsters who play computer games is approximately twice that of males (16%), this activity ranks third on the girls’ list. The difference between computer games and netball is that the latter is practiced at a 15% rate. Gymnastics is popular among 11% of girls, similar to skateboarding among boys. Music listening is the least popular leisure activity, accounting for 10% of the total, matching that of the previous chart.

Line graph

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph shows average annual expenditures on cell phone and residential phone services between 2001 and 2010.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Sample answer

The line graph depicts the annual average cost that American customers paid for mobile and landline phone services over a 10-year period.
Overall, spending on residential phone services has decreased substantially, while the use of mobile services has surged dramatically over the last decade. In addition, both services met at the same record in 2006.
In 2001, spending on mobile phone services began at $200, while annual spending on residential phone services was around $700. Over the next five years, spending on landline phone services steadily fell below $600, while spending on cell phone services increased to slightly over $500.
Cell phones surpassed landline phones in popularity in 2006, with subscribers spending an average of $550 a year. Then, in 2010, cell phone costs soared to almost $750, a nearly fourfold increase from the initial amount in 2001. Meanwhile, spending on residential phone services fell precipitously in 2007 and continued to fall gradually for the rest of the time.

Process Diagram

Sample Answer

The following process depicts the steel rod manufacturing process in the furniture industry. Before the final product is made, the manufacturing process is divided into 11 stages.
The process begins with the collection of various raw resources such as iron ore, yellow ore, and carbon. The materials are then melted in the melting slit at high temperatures ranging from 1300 to 1500 degrees Celsius. Following that, the elements are moved to the smelting cabin for refinement, and the candescent metals are discharged and poured into ingots using a pouring machine.
The ingots are connected to a cooling reservoir with a temperature range of 60 to 100 degrees Celsius, and the metal is passed through nozzles that form strands of cooled metal that are subsequently placed onto rollers for heat treatment in the heat machine.
Additionally, the surface examination is performed with the assistance of measuring automation. Following that, the metal is chopped to a specific dimension using a cutter. As a result, the metal is stamped in the following phase. Finally, the product is quality checked.

Map

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagrams below show the changes that have taken place at West park Secondary School since its construction in 1950.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Sample Answer

The photographs depict the changes that occurred at West Park Secondary School between 1950 and 2010.
Firstly, major changes were made to the farmland, which was converted into a sports field in 1980 and subsequently into a parking lot in 2010. The parking park was expanded in 2010, and the sport pitch was added between the vehicle park and the playground.
Furthermore, significant changes occurred to the dwellings. They were removed from the map, with the science block and car park taking their place.
In addition, in 1980, a science block was constructed to the school building, and the playground was reduced in size. However, the playground and school placements remained unchanged.
The major road, on the other hand, remained intact throughout the time period.
Overall, farmland and houses were removed from the plan, the playground was reduced in size, and a science block, parking lot and sports field were constructed.

Table

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The Table below shows the results of a survey that asked 6800 Scottish adults (aged 16 years and over) whether they had taken part in different cultural activities in the past 12 months.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Sample Answer

The table represents the findings of a 12-month study conducted in Scotland with people aged 16 to 74 to measure their participation in a variety of cultural activities. Overall, involvement in any performance and crafts was definitely the most popular across all age categories.
The 16-24 age group had the most engagement in any activity, with 35% and 30% doing performance and visual arts, respectively. Other activities, notably those using computers, were significantly lower, accounting for only 10% of the total.
Moving on to higher age groups, the highest participation percentage recorded for 25-44 year olds was in performance, but this was much lower, at only 22%. The most popular activity for the 45-74 age group, crafts, had a comparable rate of 22%. Again, computer popularity was low among individuals aged 25 and up, as was interest in writing.
When all age groups are included, it is clear that performance and crafts were the most popular, accounting for more than 19%, while cultural purchases and visual arts were somewhat less popular, accounting for 16% and 15%, respectively. Finally, there was little interest in writing and computing.

General Writing Task 1

Tips for Writing Task 1 (GT): Letter Writing

  • Spend 20 mins on this letter. Spend 3-5 mins planning and then the rest writing. Always leave 2 mins to check your letter for spelling or grammar mistakes. You will need a full 40 mins for task 2, so don’t go over 20 mins for task 1. It is your responsibility to control the time in your writing test.
  • You must write over 150 words.
  • You do not need to write an address on the letter.
  • Pay close attention to who you are writing to and the relationship you have with that person. This will decide your style of writing and your tone.
  • Pay attention to the aim and purpose of the letter.
  • It is essential that you use the 3 points to structure your letter and provide the foundation for the information.
  • All points must be included clearly in your letter. If you fail to include all the points, your band score will be lower.
  • You must use your imagination to fill in the details and decide the names of the people in your letter.
  • You must use your imagination to fill in the details and decide the names of the people in your letter.
  • Always sign off appropriately.

Structure of letter writing

Salutation: Dear Sir (formal) /Dear Friend/ Hi/ Hello Steve (informal)/Dear Mr. Steve (Semi-formal)
Paragraph 1: Reason for writing letter + elaborate the first bullet point given in the questions. (Please note that some questions may ask you to introduce yourself first, in that case, you should write the reason for writing a letter at the end of first paragraph or in the beginning of the second paragraph.)
Paragraph 2: Elaborate the second bullet point given in the question.
Closing Line: If you want the recipient / addressee of the letter to take some actions after reading the letter, you should use the following closing lines:-
I look forward to hearing from you. I look forward to receiving your response. (Formal)
Hope to see you soon. Hope to hear from you soon. Can’t wait to receive your reply, (informal)
Complimentary close: If your letter begins with ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Madam’, the salutation at the end must be ‘Yours faithfully’ and if your letter begins with Dear Mr. Smith (name of the recipient / addressee of the letter) the salutation at the end must be ‘Yours sincerely-’. If your letter begins with Dear Soil, the salutation must be ‘Yours lovingly’ or ‘Best regards’
Tip: Writing xyz is a bit artificial according-to me, you should write your name at the end.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS FOR LETTER-WRITING

Apologizing
Please accept my sincere apologies for…
I am very sorry about…
Sorry for…
Asking for help
I’d be grateful if you could…
I would appreciate it if you could…
Could you please…
Asking for information
I am writing to enquire about…
I am writing to find out about…
I would like to know about…
Closing
I look forward to hearing from you,
I look forward to seeing you,
I look forward to meeting you,
Complaining
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with…
I am writing to express my annoyance with…
I’m not happy with…
Expressing satisfaction
I was delighted to learn that…
I was thrilled to hear that…
I was very glad to hear that…
Expressing concern
I am writing to express my concern about…
I was very sorry to learn that…
I was really sorry to hear that…
Giving bad news
I regret to advise you that…
I regret to inform you that…
I am sorry to tell you that…
Giving good news
I am pleased to advise you that…
I am delighted to inform you that…
I am happy to tell you that…
Giving reasons
This is due to…
This is a result of
… This is because…
Making suggestions
Perhaps it would be useful to…
Perhaps it would be possible to…
It might be helpful to…
Thanking
I am extremely grateful for…
I really appreciate it…
Thank you for…

Formal Letter example

You are applying for a job. As well as attaching a CV, you need to write a cover letter explaining your reasons for choosing this particular job at this particular company, and why you would be a good hire.
Things to include are:
1. Possible qualifications or reasons for you to be hired
2. Your energy and enthusiasm for the job
3. Your past experience in a similar position.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/ Ma’am
I am writing to express my keen interest for the position of Lead Software Engineer, which was advertised in The Times on September 24, 2017.
My education includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science with first-class honors from the University of Manchester, as well as a Master’s Degree in Applied Software Engineering from the University of Barcelona, where I assisted in the development of an artificial intelligence capable of accurately recognising individual personality traits in humans.
In addition, I have worked as a Senior Engineer with Intel Corporation for nearly eight years. My primary responsibilities revolved around the supervision of a team of fifteen engineers tasked with providing machine code solutions to processing difficulties. This well-developed problem-solving talent, I believe, qualifies me for a leadership role at your prestigious organization.
Finally, I have been compelled to work in the technology sector since I was a youngster, so my passion for the field is considerable.
Please find my CV attached for your review, I look forward to discussing this opportunity more during the interview.
Yours faithfully
Ritu Sinha

Semi-Formal letter

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You are a current student of Loren Brusque University, studying Business Administration. You want to apply for the post of Quality Assurance Manager you have recently seen on the university’s notice board.
Write a letter to Mr. Walker, and
  • Give your reason for writing
  • Tell about your education
  • Describe your work experience and explain why you would be suitable for the job.
Write at least 150 words.

Sample Answer

Dear Mr. Sharma,
I am writing to apply for the position of Quality Assurance Manager, which was placed on the notice board of the Student Affairs Office on September 2, 2016. I think that my qualifications, personal character, and professional experience qualify me for this position.
I am currently enrolled in the M.B.A. programme at Loren Brusque University and will graduate in 2017. I’m studying subjects related to the available position. Furthermore, I am always honing my management skills by enrolling in numerous supplementary courses.
During my studies, I worked as a Junior Executive at ABC Corporation, where I honed my leadership abilities, communication skills, and teamwork. I obtained great experience for the position of Quality Assurance Manager while directing and overseeing subordinates.
I am available for interviews at any time of day or night. You can reach out to me at the mentioned contact details.
Thank you for taking the time to examine my application. I am looking forward to meeting you in the near future.
Yours sincerely,
Riya Khatri

Informal letter

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A friend has agreed to look after your house and pet while you are on holiday.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
  • Give contact details for when you are away
  • Give instructions on how to care for your pet
  • Describe other household duties
Write at least 150 words.

Sample Answer

Dear Cheena,
Thank you for agreeing to house sit for me. If you need to reach me while I’m away, I’ll be staying at The Merrion Hotel in Dublin’s Merrion Square. If it’s an emergency, please call me on my cell phone, which I’ll carry with me at all times. I wrote the numbers on a sticky note and stuck it to the fridge.
My cat needs to be fed twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. Put a handful of cat food in his dish each morning and evening, and fresh water in his water pot. The food is kept in a jar in the kitchen cupboard. Please keep an eye on him throughout the day to ensure he is drinking lots of fresh water. You can give him a tiny bowl of milk every other day in the evening.
I’d like you to water my plants as well. The plants in the room only require watering twice a week, but the plants on the balcony require watering everyday, save on rainy days. Finally, please lock the door and close the windows before going to bed. In addition, I empty my mailbox every day and leave the exterior lights on at night.
I hope to catch up with you on my return.
Warm Wishes
Reema

SAMPLES