IELTS Writing task 1 tips and tricks | IELTS writing task 1 tips academic | IELTS writing task 1 tips and strategies | Do’s and Don’ts for task 1 IELTS
Here are some IELTS writing Task 1 tips that have been approved by examiners.
An IELTS academic writing course is offered at the school where I work. I enjoy teaching this course since the students are dedicated and I have the opportunity to assist them with their IELTS writing tasks 1 and 2. Every course, the number of simple mistakes students make when they first start the course astounds me. The good news is that all of their errors are easily correctable.
With this in mind, I requested the students to prepare a list of IELTS writing task 1 tips assignments 1 Dos and Don’ts. This allowed students to concentrate on their errors and consolidate what they had learnt.
Do’s : IELTS Writing task 1 tips
#1. Do find out what are your most common mistakes
Although it is critical to double-check your work at the end, many students claim that they do not have enough time. You can speed up the process by checking your work as you practise and putting down your four or five most common errors. After a while, you’ll recognise your more common errors and be able to rapidly correct them. IELTS Writing task 1 tips most important point.
To help you discover problems, you could utilize grammar checking software like Grammarly.
#2. Do read the instructions carefully
Although it appears to be a no-brainer, it is one of the most common errors students make in IELTS writing assignment 1. without reading the instructions carefully, you can’t get the benefits of IELTS writing task 1 tips.
Take a minute to read the question several times and make sure you understand what you’re supposed to do. Practice can also help you get more comfortable with the various sorts of task 1 questions, which will save you time during the exam.
#3. Do paraphrase the question: IELTS Writing task 1 tips
Whether you copy the words in the answer, you will lose points, and the examiner will be trying to see if you can paraphrase the question. To paraphrase, simply swap the keywords with synonyms.
Example:
Question: The graph below depicts movie attendance in the United Kingdom from 1998 to the present, with projections through 2018.
The graph depicts data on moviegoers in the United Kingdom from 1998 to the present, with projections through 2018.
As you can see, the meaning has remained the same but the words have altered. The first paragraph of your essay should be this.
#4. Do use signposting language: IELTS Writing task 1 tips
These are terms and phrases that inform the examiner about the topic of your paper. They’re sometimes referred to as ‘discourse markers.’
‘The graph/table/chart demonstrates…’, ‘The most major change is….’, ‘Another noticeable change/trend is….’, and ‘Overall…’ are examples.
Keep in mind that these should only be used when necessary.
#5. Do practice on IELTS answer sheets.
Many students are concerned that they would not be able to write at least 150 words in IELTS writing part 1. Practicing on official exam answer papers is a clever approach to always know how many words you have, and you’ll be able to estimate how much space you generally use for 150 words.
These can be found with a fast Google search.
#6. Do you know how to describe change?
If you know how to accurately express change, you will get easy grades. Here are some instances, ranging in size from extremely small to very large:
Minimal-slight-gradual-moderate-considerable-significant-substantial-enormous-dramatic.
In your task 1 essay, you’ll usually have to depict change, and these more complex words will help you get some valuable points for ‘lexical resource.’
#7. Do spend time organizing and planning your answer.
One of the most significant differences between students who do well on the IELTS writing test and those who do not is this. It is never a waste of time to organise your response because doing so will help you score higher by allowing you to give a clear and coherent response.
Familiarize yourself with the many question types before learning the various structures for each. A bar chart, for example, should look like this:
- Paragraph 1- paraphrase question.
- Paragraph 2- overview.
- Paragraph 3- describe the main feature in detail.
- Paragraph 4- describe another main feature in detail.
When you have this structure in your head, you will be able to plan an effective answer quickly and easily.
#8. Practice writing overviews: IELTS Writing task 1 tips
The most significant paragraph in your essay is most likely your overview. If you write a nice one, you’ll be well on your way to an excellent band score.
An overview is a condensed version of the diagram’s essential features.
Identifying the main trends in the diagram is a part of this. When looking at bar and line charts, consider what is increasing, decreasing, and fluctuating. When it comes to processes, consider how many primary stages there are and what the main changes and outputs are.
Remember that your overview should not contain any numbers because you are only summarizing the most important things in broad terms; the details will be provided in the following paragraphs.
Question: Which tense are you going to use?
By solely writing in the present tense, many IELTS applicants lose valuable marks. Consider whether any of the information is from the past or the future, and adjust your tenses accordingly.
#9. Support your descriptions with accurate data.
As previously indicated, numbers will not be used in the overview part, but data will be used to describe the important characteristics in the following paragraphs. Make sure you’re using the right data and that it’s correct.
Don’ts: IELTS writing task 1 tips
#1. Don’t use the same words for percentages and numbers.
- For percentages use words like large/small/higher/lower percentage of…
- For numbers use words like many/more/most/few and fewer.
#2. Don’t give your opinion or speculate.
IELTS task 1 is not a discursive essay; discursive essays are for task 2. Only write exactly what you see and don’t try to give reasons for the data unless explicitly stated in the diagram. You will lose a lot of marks if you do this.
You should also not add any new information or draw any conclusions from the data presented.
For example, I had one student who was an engineer and was presented with a diagram of how a car engine works. He wrote a very detailed description of the process from his own knowledge. All of his information was correct but it was not shown in the diagram. He didn’t achieve the score he should have because he made this error.
Remember, give the IELTS examiners what they want and nothing else.
#3. Don’t use bullet points, notes or abbreviations.
Again, this might be fine in university essays but not in IELTS essays.
#4. Don’t write every number or process you see: IELTS Writing task 1 tips
Many students do this and end up spending far too much time on task 1. Remember you will only be asked to write about the most significant features. For example, in a line graph or bar chart question you will only be expected to write about 2 or 3 things. Any more is a waste of time and you won’t get any extra marks for writing about anything else.
#5. Don’t copy words from the question or information from the diagram.
IELTS Writing task 1 tips:- If you do this examiners will not mark these words and it is therefore like writing nothing at all.
To overcome this, familiarize yourself with the common vocabulary used in IELTS writing part 1 and learn synonyms for this information. Also, use synonyms when practicing writing.
See above for an example of how I used synonyms to paraphrase the question.
#6. Don’t overuse linking words or signposting language.
Above I advised you to use these words but one problem students have is learning lots of linking words and then overusing them to show the examiner how good they are. Unfortunately, for those students, you lose marks for overusing them.
If you use around 6 of these words and phrases you will do fine. More than 8 and it looks like you are trying to insert them in without thinking if you are using them appropriately or not.
#7. Don’t have messy handwriting.
IELTS examiners will try their best to understand what you have written but sometimes the writing is so untidy that it is impossible to read. If your writing is like this the examiner will not be able to give you a mark for the words they can’t read.
Many of us rely on computers these days and some students don’t realize how bad your handwriting is. Show some of your practice tests to a teacher or friend and ask their opinion. If they can’t read it then an examiner won’t be able to either.
#8. Don’t use informal language: IELTS Writing task 1 tips
Remember this is an academic essay and you are expected to write in that style. Avoid phrasal verbs, slang and colloquial language.
#9. Don’t just focus on line and bar graphs.
These may have been popular in the past but it doesn’t mean IELTS will continue to use them that often. We are seeing many more maps, pie charts and process diagrams these days.
Many students overlook these kinds of questions and if you are well prepared for every type of question you will really stand out from the crowd.
#10. Don’t panic! IELTS Writing task 1 tips
IELTS Writing task 1 tips:- Many students open up the exam paper, see something they know nothing about and then panic.
For example, I was teaching a class and the process diagram was about the production of chocolate. ‘But, all I know about chocolate is how to eat it.’ cried most of my students. This is understandable but the IELTS writing tests are not knowledge tests, they are English tests. You are not expected to have knowledge of the diagram, just calmly write about what you see.
