Academic Writing Task 1 - Questions with Sample Answers

Do you know how the examiner marks your writing paper? The key to success in IELTS Writing Task 1 is to give the examiner exactly what they want and nothing else.

Below are some of the resources you will need to read on to do well in IELTS Writing Task 1. In this article you’ll find 4 types of questions asked in Academic Writing Task 1 with its model answers. 

#1 Bar Chart

IELTS Tip

• Introduce the topic of the graph. Try to paraphrase the original sentence.
• Write about the main features. Mention some of the most significant figures shown in the chart.
• Linking words and phrases like in contrast help to show the connection between the sentences or paragraphs.
• What is the difference between the two bars in each pair?
• Pay attention to the labels so that you know what you need to write about.
• Look at how the relationship between the two bars changes.
• Include an overview, describing the main trend.
• Use a variety of verbs like grow, fall, increase and decrease to describe trends.

QUESTION: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart below gives information about the number of social networking sites people used in Canada in 2014 and 2015.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

The bar chart shows the number of social networking sites visited by internet users in Canada in 2014 and in 2015. We can see from the data that, in general, there was a growing tendency to use more than one site.

Although just over one fifth of internet users did not use any social networking sites in either of the years, the proportion in this category decreased from 22 percent in 2014 to 21 percent in 2015. In both years the highest proportion of users in any group fell into the ‘One site’ category. However, this group declined sharply from 36 percent in 2014 to 28 percent in 2015.

In contrast, the numbers who reported using two sites, three sites, four sites and five sites all grew over the period analysed. In both years the proportion of internet users fell as the number of social networking sites increased, with only 2 percent using five sites in 2014 compared to 4 percent in 2015.

(163 words)

#2 Table

IELTS Tip

• Read the task carefully as it summarises what the table shows.
• Remember: you have to write about the main points, not every detail.
• Spend time planning your answer before you start writing.
• Avoid repeating words where possible; say type, kind or sort of film Instead of always genre as in the table.
• Linking words and phrases like for example and however help the reader understand your line of thinking.
• Write about the information in the table that you find the most interesting.
• Make sure you use correct punctuation.

QUESTION: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The table below gives information about UK independent films.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

The table provides information about different types of independent films released in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in 2012. It indicates how many films of different genres were made and also shows what proportion of total ticket sales was made by each kind of film.

The table makes it very clear that there is no correlation between the number of films made in any category and the proportion of ticket sales earned by that sort of film. For example, the largest numbers of films were made in the Drama and Documentary categories - 35 of each of these were released. However, they earned only 8.3 and 2.9 percent of total ticket sales respectively.

Comedy films were the most financially successful: 26 films, out of a total of 148, earned 45.4 percent of all the income from ticket sales. Another very successful type of film in 2012 was the biopic. Although only one of these was released, it accounted for 9.1 percent of ticket sales.

(166 words)

#3 Pie Chart

IELTS Tip

• Comparing data involves recognising similarities and differences.
• Focus on the data that shows the main similarities/differences.
• Use words and phrases such as In the some way and Similarly to introduce the similarities.
• Use words and phrases such as Whereas and In contrast to introduce the differences.
• Use adverbs such as considerably plus a comparative adjective (e.g. higher or lower) to emphasise difference.
• Always mention the actual data (numbers, percentages, dates, etc.) in your comparison but make sure it is relevant to the point you are making.

QUESTION: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The charts below show the reasons why people travel to work by bicycle or by car.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

The first chart shows the reasons why some people in the UK prefer to cycle to work. Conversely, the second chart gives reasons for those who choose to go to work by car.

The highest percentage of those who favour cycling say that this is because riding a bicycle to work is healthier than driving. 30% of them gave this as a reason. The same amount of people, 30% say that they cycle to work because it causes less pollution. 13% of people cycle to work because it is cheaper than driving. Surprisingly, a similar amount of people said that they cycled to work because it is faster than travelling by car.

In contrast to this, the percentage who prefer to travel by car because it is more comfortable is 40%. The two least important reasons for going to work by car, with 14% and 11% respectively, is that people need to carry things to work and that it is safer than cycling to work. Finally, 16% say they prefer driving because it is faster than cycling. This contrasts with the cyclists who ride to work because it is faster than driving.

In general, it seems that the majority of people who cycle to work do this for health and environmental reasons. By contrast, those who travel by car want to have a more comfortable journey over longer distances.

(229 words)

#4 Line Graph

IELTS Tip

In written reports we don't normally describe statistics using exact numbers as this can be very boring and distracting for the reader. Instead we use approximation to round numbers up or down.

Elicit different ways of describing the following numbers:

134,575: just over 135,000, approximately/roughly/around/about 135,000;
134,575 compared to 396,530: over triple, around 200% more, about three times as many, roughly 260,000 more, about a third as many, approximately one in three, far more, for less

QUESTION: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below shows population figures for India and China since the year 2000 and predicted population growth up until 2050.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

The graph shows how the populations of India and China have changed since 2000 and how they will change in the future.

In 2000, there were more people living in China than in India. The number of Chinese was 1.25 bill ion, while India's population was about 1 billion. Between 2000 and the present, there has been a 0.2 billion rise in the number of Indian citizens. Over the same period, China's population has increased by 0.1 billion to reach over 1.35 billion.

According to the graph, the population in India will increase more quickly than in China, and experts say that by 2030, both countries will have the same population of 1.45 billion. After this, China's population is likely to fall slightly to 1.4 billion in 2050, while India's population will probably increase and reach 1.6 billion.

Thus, over the 50-year period, India is going to experience steady growth in its population and it will overtake China. On the other hand, China's population will peak in 2030 and then begin to fall.

(173 words)