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2021

Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 – How to Describe Line Graphs

When you don’t get Band 7 for your Academic writing, even though you have good grammar knowledge and a wide range of vocabulary, it is disappointing and seems very unfair. In the 10 years Adam worked as an IELTS examiner, he saw it happen too many times – all because people didn’t know how to write a correct Writing Task 1 response.

In this video Adam shows you step by step how it is done. He gives you a way to analyse the line graph before you start writing, some tips how to reword the task prompt easily, and he also demonstrates how to write a great overview and how to compare and contrast.

Watch the lesson on YouTube, or below:

 

In the video

1. What are you comparing?
In this particular double line graph it is the length of stay of public and private hospital patients.

2. How are you comparing?
Here you need to look at the units used in the line graph. You want to note that the length of stay is measured in days, and that there are many age groups, each with its own length of stay.

3. When are you comparing?
For this graph it is last year, which means you will be using past tense to describe the graph. The period of time always affects your grammar, and you should be aware of that.

4. Is there an overall trend?
If both line graphs follow the same trend, even for some of the time, it will help you describe them.

5. What are the similarities?
Look at the two graphs to see where they declined or rose at the same time.

And there is a lot more to learn, so do watch the entire video, because Adam explains everything in a very easy to understand way. It won’t take you long to start writing Band 7+ reports!

Adam doesn’t give you a model response in this lesson, because he would like you to have a go and write your own. But if you’d like to see a Band 9 sample, check out our High Scorer’s Choice IELTS practice tests. This particular topic can be found in Package 2 and we also provide a model response for it, as well as all the other writing tasks.

Enjoy the lesson!

IELTS test in the USA – February 2021 (General Training)

Thanks to our lovely friend K.M. we are sharing the questions from a recent IELTS test in the USA:

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

You recently bought a children’s toy online and you noticed that it was not working properly. Write a letter to the manager of the toy company to complain about it. Include the following in your letter:

– What was the problem?
– What did you do about it?
– How did you feel?

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Many cultures around the world are becoming more similar. What do you think are the reasons for it? Do you think it is a positive or a negative development?

Speaking test

Part 1 (Interview)

– What is your full name?
– Can I see your ID?
– Where do you live?
– What does your apartment look like?
– What do you like about it?
– What can you see from your windows?

– Let’s talk about remembering names.
– Do you remember people’s names easily?
– What do you do to remember their names?
– How do you feel when you forget someone’s name?
– How do you feel when somebody forgets your name?

– Let’s talk about the New Year’s celebrations.
– How do you usually celebrate the New Year?
– What was your best New Year’s party so far?
– What kind of food do you eat on New Year’s Eve?
– Why do you think people start something new on this day or make New Year’s resolutions?

Part 2 (Cue Card)

Talk about a person who wears unusual clothes. Please say

– who the person is
– how you know this person
– what kind of clothes he/she wears
– and explain why you think his/her clothes are unusual.

Part 3 (Discussion)

– What do people wear to the office in your country?
– Do people shop online in your country?
– Do young people and old people wear different clothes or similar? If different, what is the reason?
– Why do some people prefer to shop online and and others like to shop in-store?
– Do you think it is possible that there won’t be any stores in the future and people will only shop online?