IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: how to describe charts, tables, maps and processes

Task 1 is worth a third of your Writing band. It rewards a particular skill: selecting what matters in a set of data and reporting it accurately. Students who try to describe every number usually score lower than those who describe less but choose well.

The structure

1. Introduction (1 sentence). Paraphrase what the visual shows. "The line graph compares the amount of rainfall in three Australian cities over a twelve-month period."
2. Overview (2 sentences). The two or three biggest features: the main trend, the highest and lowest, the biggest change. No numbers needed here.
3. Detail paragraph 1. One group of related data, with figures.
4. Detail paragraph 2. Another group, with comparisons.

Some people put the overview at the end. That's fine, but putting it second makes sure you don't run out of time before writing it.

The overview is what examiners look for first

The band descriptors for Task Achievement say a band 7 answer "presents a clear overview of main trends, differences or stages". Without one, you are limited to band 5 on that criterion, whatever else you write.

A good overview answers: if someone looked at this chart for five seconds, what would they remember? For example: "Overall, Darwin had by far the wettest summer, while rainfall in Perth peaked in winter, the opposite pattern to the other two cities."

Grouping data

Don't go through the data item by item. Group it:

• Items that rose versus items that fell.
• The highest values versus the lowest.
• The beginning of the period versus the end.
• For maps: what was added, what was removed, what stayed the same.
• For processes: the stages in order, from first to last, perhaps split into two phases.

Useful language

Processes and maps often call for the passive voice: "The leaves are dried and then crushed." "A car park was built to the north of the station."

A sample answer

Task: The table shows the percentage of households in one country that owned four types of digital device in 2010 and 2025.

The table shows what proportion of households in one country owned a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet and a smart TV in 2010 and in 2025.

Overall, desktop computers were the only device to become less common, while ownership of the other three rose substantially. By 2025, laptops had replaced desktops as the most widely owned device.

In 2010, almost three-quarters of households (74%) had a desktop computer, but by 2025 this figure had roughly halved to 38%. Laptops, which were already found in just over half of homes in 2010, became even more widespread over the fifteen years, reaching 82%.

The most dramatic changes, however, were in the two devices that were rare at the start of the period. Smart TV ownership jumped from only 6% to 71%, more than a tenfold increase, and the share of households with a tablet rose from 12% to 57%, overtaking desktop computers.

(151 words)

The answer has a clear overview, groups the decrease and the already-common laptop together, then the two newer devices, and uses comparisons ("roughly halved", "more than a tenfold increase") rather than a list of numbers.

Mistakes that cost bands

• No overview, or an overview that is just a list of numbers.
• Giving reasons ("because petrol became more expensive"). The task is to report, not explain.
• Wrong tense. Past data needs past tenses; future projections need "is expected to" or "is predicted to".
• Copying the task wording word for word in the introduction. Paraphrase it.
• Going far over 150 words. About 170 is plenty. Extra words take time away from Task 2.

Practise with feedback

The AIL Academic practice tests include a Task 1 visual in each paper, marked against the four criteria so you can see if Task Achievement is holding you back.