IELTS Writing Task 1 Guide: How to Describe Charts, Graphs and Diagrams

The four-paragraph structure

• Paragraph 1 — Introduction: paraphrase the question in one sentence. Never copy it word for word.
• Paragraph 2 — Overview: the two or three biggest trends or features, with no numbers. This paragraph decides your Task Achievement score.
• Paragraph 3 — Detail group 1: the first logical group of data with specific figures.
• Paragraph 4 — Detail group 2: the second group, with comparisons to group 1.

Example question (line graph)

The graph below shows the number of journeys made by bus and by rail in a European city between 2000 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Band 7 sample introduction and overview

Introduction: The line graph illustrates how many trips were taken on buses and trains in a European city over a twenty-year period.

Overview: Overall, rail travel became dramatically more popular, more than doubling over the period, while bus usage declined steadily. By 2020, trains had overtaken buses as the most used form of public transport.

What examiners look for

• A clear overview — without one, Task Achievement is capped at Band 5.
• Data selection — report the main features, not every data point.
• Comparisons — 'twice as high as', 'in contrast', 'whereas' earn more than isolated figures.
• Accurate data — misreported numbers cost marks, so read the axes and units carefully.

Essential Task 1 vocabulary

• Trends: rose sharply, declined steadily, fluctuated, levelled off, peaked at, bottomed out.
• Proportions: accounted for, made up, represented a third of, the majority of.
• Comparisons: respectively, by contrast, marginally higher, significantly lower.
• Processes: the mixture is heated, the product is packaged, following this, subsequently.

Common mistakes

• Giving opinions — Task 1 is a factual report; never explain why the data changed.
• Writing under 150 words — you lose Task Achievement marks.
• Spending more than 20 minutes — Task 2 is worth twice as much.
• Describing every number — select and group instead.
• Forgetting units — 'rose to 60' means nothing without 'million journeys' or '%'.