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Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 – How to Describe Bar Charts

If you didn’t get Band 7 for Academic Writing Task 1, and you blame it on your vocabulary or grammar, think again!

In the 10 years Adam worked as an examiner at the British Council, he saw times and times again that test takers weren’t getting Band 7+ because they were writing their answers the wrong way (and NOT because they lacked vocabulary or didn’t know grammar).

So he made this video to show you the right way to answer the Academic Writing Task 1.

By watching this video, you will

– learn how to describe bar charts in your Academic Writing Task 1
– know how to organise the information in your answer
– save time on Writing Task 1 and use it for Writing Task 2, which carries more weight

Watch the lesson on YouTube, or below:

 

In the video

1. What are you comparing?
In this particular diagram it is the percentage of New Zealand Smokers, tobacco products, years 2014 to 2018.

2. How are you comparing?
The values are percentages, which means you can use some synonyms of ‘per cent’ (e.g. proportion).

3. When are you comparing?
In the past, so your choice of grammar should be from the past tenses.

4. Which group was the largest? Any overall trends? Drastic changes?
Make sure you mention them.

And this is just the beginning, so do watch the entire video, because insider tips from an IELTS examiner are priceless if you want a higher score.

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 Letter, topic: writing to apply for a part-time job

This is a model response to a Writing Task 1 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.

Set 1 General Training book, Practice Test 1

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You recently noticed a local restaurant that was offering a part-time job.

Write a letter to the restaurant’s manager. In your letter,

– explain that you would like to apply for the job
– give some details of any relevant experience that you have
– specify the days and times that would suit you

You should write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir / Madam,

Sample Band 9 Letter

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing to you to express my interest in your job advertisement for a chef that I saw posted on the local village board. As I have currently moved to Brenton as a qualified chef, I would therefore like to apply for this position.

I noticed from the job description that you require someone who can both cook in a creative and healthy way, and who can communicate with and manage staff in an effective manner. My previous job was as an assistant chef at Brew’s restaurant in London, where I was responsible for preparing all the dishes on the restaurant’s menu and coming up with inventive recipes to present to the head chef. I am also personally very interested in healthy living and this is always reflected in how I cook. I was also responsible at Brew’s for managing the cleaning and serving staff at the restaurant, in which capacity I found I was able to build good working relationships with all the staff in my responsibility.

I noticed that this is a part-time job. My preferred days for working would be Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons and evenings. I would be available until late at night on those days and I would also be able to work two Saturdays of each month.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please let me know if you require any further information.

Yours sincerely,

Marisa Thompson

Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Letters