What you Need to Know about Academic Writing Task 1 (British Council Academic IELTS: Writing): Study Material

Overview of Academic Writing Task 1

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 is one of the two tasks in the IELTS Writing test.

What do you have to do in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1?

• In this task, you are given visual information that you have to describe or compare or both

• There may be more than one visual 

• They may be:

  • Line graphs

  • Bar charts

  • Pie charts

  • Tables 

  • Process diagrams

  • Maps and plans

• You may need to do one or more of the following: 

  • Select and summarise the most important information

  • Report the key features

  • Group information logically

  • Compare and contrast data

  • Identify trends or changes

  • Describe how a place has changed

  • Explain the stages in a process

  • Describe an object, event or sequence of events

• You must use your own words 

• You do not need to include every small detail you see

• Write your answer as connected sentences and paragraphs, not bullet points

• Use a neutral or academic style

• You must write at least 150 words

• Do not add your opinion

• Writing Task 1 is worth 1/3 of your total mark on the Writing test, so you should spend no more than 20 minutes on this task 

• A clear answer usually includes an introduction and two detail paragraphs

  • The introduction states what the visuals show and gives an overview of the main information

  • The detail paragraphs should include the most important supporting information

How is IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 assessed?

• Writing Task 1 answer is marked using four assessment criteria:

  • Task Achievement

  • Coherence and Cohesion

  • Lexical Resource

  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy

• Each criterion contributes 25% of your total score for this task

Task Achievement

• This looks at how well you: 

  • select the key features from the visual information

  • present the main points clearly

  • include relevant details to support your summary

  • avoid irrelevant information

  • meet the requirements of the task

Coherence and Cohesion

• Coherence and Cohesion refer to how clearly you:

  • present information

  • connect ideas in a logical order

  • group ideas into clear paragraphs

  • use linking words (e.g. “however,” “in addition,” “in contrast,” etc.) appropriately

  • make your writing easy to follow

Lexical Resource

• Lexical Resource assesses how well you use a range of words and expressions accurately

• In particular, the examiner looks at how well you:

  • choose words that are accurate, precise  and appropriate

  • use a range of expressions and words to describe data, trends and comparisons

  • avoid repeating the same words too often

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

• This criterion refers to how well you use a range of grammatical structures accurately and appropriately

• In particular, you will be assessed on how well you:

  • write sentences that are clear and error-free

  • use grammar and punctuation effectively

  • make your meaning easy to understand