How To Do IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The illustration demonstrates the method by which bricks are produced for the construction industry.

Overall, the process begins with clay being extracted from the ground and finishes with the bricks being delivered to industry. It is a 7 step, linear, man-made process.

First of all, clay is dug out of the ground by an excavator and placed on a metal grid which aids in breaking down lumps of clay into smaller parts. Sand and clay are then added to the smaller lumps of clay and a mixture is created. This is then either poured into molds or cut by wire to form brick shapes.

These newly formed bricks are then stored in a drying oven for between 24 and 48 hours. Once the bricks are dried they are transferred to a kiln where they are kept at a temperature of 200C – 1300C. After this, the bricks are allowed to cool for between 48-72 hours before they are delivered by lorry to be used in the construction industry.

Word count 167

The fluency and coherence of this summary is particularly good. The writer has used a variety of linking words and phrases accurately. Furthermore, the 4 paragraph structure used is clear and provides an effective framework for the content of the summary.

Estimated band score: 9

The table provides information regarding consumer expenditure on a variety of products in five different countries.

Overall, it is clear that in each country the most amount of money spent was on the food, drinks and tobacco category. The lowest percentages recorded were for the leisure and education category in each country.

Consumer spending on food was significantly higher in Turkey, at 32.14%, with Ireland close behind at 32.14%. Outgoings on spending and leisure was also highest in Turkey, at 4,35%, whereas spending on clothing and footwear was noticeably higher in Italy, at 9%, when compared to the other countries.

The figures show that Sweden had the lowest level of consumer spending on food/drink/tobacco and for clothing/footwear with 15.77% and 5.4% respectively. Although, Spain recorded percentages slightly higher than these they did record the lowest amount of consumer spending for the leisure/education category at just 1.98%.

Word count 146

For a band 9 band score in grammar the IELTS band marking criteria state that candidates need to use a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy (band marking criteria)

The candidate achieves this by using complex sentence structures, such as:

Outgoings on spending and leisure was also highest in Turkey, at 4.35%, whereas spending on clothing and footwear was noticeably higher in Italy, at 9%, when compared to the other countries.

Notice that the sentence has 2 main clauses joined together by the linking word 'whereas' and that punctuation i.e. commas, are used appropriately.

Furthermore, the phrase 'noticeably higher' is a very natural sounding phrase that a native speaker would be likely to use, this therefore will help the lexical resource/vocabulary score, as will use of the word 'respectively', which is a less common word typically used in academic writing.

Finally, note that the length of the summary is just 146 words and it should be at least 150 words. In this case, the band score is likely to be unaffected as the summary is written successfully and all main points are covered.

The word limit exists to ensure that you are providing a large enough sample of writing for examiners to judge you on, it is normally difficult to successfully complete a thorough summary or essay in less than the given word limit. So, if you are well under the word limit then you need to consider whether you have developed your ideas/main points sufficiently.

Estimated band score: 9

The illustration reveals the extent of changes in the coastal town of Brinslow over the period of time from 1990 to 2005.

To summarise, Brinslow has seen extensive changes in terms of type and layout of housing and in general transportation and infrastructure.

When comparing 1990 with 2005, it can be seen that the road and rail networks have been developed with the addition of a new railway line built along the south coast. A ferry port has also been built just south of the railway station in addition to an airport located north west of the school. However, the original school, hospital, and car park have remained and a few extra houses have been constructed nearby on an area previously covered with trees. A factory has also been built on a previously wooded area.

In the north west area, the large mansion and its grounds have been demolished and an apartment bock has been erected. Multiple small houses have also been built along the main road to the railway station. The south west area has been completely transformed with two large apartment blocks, a supermarket and an extra access road being built on what was previously an area offering limited housing.

Word count 180

For a band 9 band score in grammar the IELTS band marking criteria state that candidates need to use a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features (band marking criteria).

The candidate achieves this by using a range of word related specifically to the building industry, this means that instead of words like 'change, made, or it's different', the writer uses expressions such as: remained, built, demolished, erected, constructed, and transformed. These words alongside other natural phrases such as 'type and layout of housing, wooded area, infrastructure and access road' indicate to the examiner that they are fulfilling the band 9 criteria.

So, you can see that is the choice of words that related specifically to the situation that make the words higher level. Always try to be specific in your answers and try to come up with the words and phrases directly related to that topic.

Estimated band score: 9

Combined, the pie chart and table reveal the reasons for land degradation collectively around the world and by region.

Overall, the percentage of degraded territory by all causes in Europe was significantly higher than North America and Oceania. Furthermore, both over-grazing and deforestation were relatively similar and continued being the main causes for agricultural land becoming less productive, a great deal of the land was degraded by over-grazing.

According to the pie chart, 30% of international causes of land degradation came down to deforestation, 35% for overgrazing, and 28% being due to over-cultivation. The other category amounted to just 7%.

Referring to the table, the highest percentage of land degraded by all causes was was in Europe at 23% which was significantly higher than Oceania at 13% and North America at 5%. Europe registered the highest percentages across all categories apart from the overgrazing category which Oceania recorded the highest percentage at 11.3%.

Word count 153

For a band 9 band score in grammar the IELTS band marking criteria state that candidates need to clearly present a fully developed response (band marking criteria).

The candidate achieves this to a certain extent, however, the second details paragraph could have developed comparison between the countries more and therefore, whilst, overall the response probably scores a band 9, in the Task Achievement band it would probably only reach a band 8.

Estimated band score: 9

The line graph represents the amount of fast food consumed by adolescents in Australia over recent decades.

Overall, it is clear that the amount of fish and chips has significantly reduced by about half, whereas, intake of both pizza and hamburgers has grown a great deal.

Firstly, the amount of fish and chips eaten by Australian teenagers declined dramatically from 95 times per year in around the year 1985 down to 38 times per year in approximately the year 1997. Prior to this, consumption had fluctuated but never dropped below the 80 times per year mark.

Pizza consumption began at around 5 times per year in the mid-70s before growing at a fast pace to approximately 85 times per year in the mid-90s. Hamburgers experienced a similar rapid increase in popularity beginning at just 10 times per year in the mid-70s and recording a value of around 85 times per year in the mid-90s before its consumption rate slowed significantly prior to leveling off at around 100 times per year from the mid-90s onwards. Similarly, pizza’s growth in sales also plateaued at around 85 times per year from the mid-90s onwards too.

Word count 191

For a band 9 band score in grammar the IELTS band marking criteria state that candidates need to clearly present a fully developed response (band marking criteria).

The candidate produces a fully developed response in a clear structured manner. The only real errors are the use of the word 'adolescent' as a synonym for 'teenagers'. This is not quite right as 'adolescents' can be any age from 10-19, according to the World Health Organisation.

The word 'consumption' is used a number of times but this is acceptable. It is better to use the same word rather than use other words that do not quite fit accurately.

Estimated band score: 9

The two pie charts provided reveal the percentage of sales made online by the four main retail sectors in Canada in both 2005 and 2010.

During this time period the food and beverage industry experienced the highest level of online growth and video games market share also modestly increased. However, sales of home furnishings online suffered greatly and produced the largest drop in market share with sales of electronic appliances also experiencing a loss in their online market share.

Online sales in the food and beverage industry dramatically increased by 10% during the 5 year time period to 32% overtaking the previous market leader, sales of electronics and appliances. Sales of video games also grew but by only half as much at just 5%. However, their market share still did not reach 25% of the overall market falling 2% short of this mark.

Furthermore, sales of home furnishings plummeted by 10% to receive the lowest market share in 2010 and previous market leader sales of electronics and appliances  experienced a substantial decrease in market share of 10% leaving it with the second largest market share overall.

Word count 184

This response flows particularly well. There is a range of linking words present and a 4 part structure to the response. There is also a good mix of simple, compound and complex sentences demonstrating good control of grammar and the candidate has made good use of adverbs to describe the trends accurately, e.g. greatly, significantly, substantially. These all add to the the accuracy of the summary.

Estimated band score: 9

The bar chart reveals the number of males and females pursuing further education in either a part-time or full-time capacity over three different years a decade apart.

Overall, it is clear that the number of women undertaking education in either a full time or part time capacity has significantly increased, whereas, the numbers for men only increase for part-time study.

The figures show that in 1970/71 one million males were in further education, this number fluctuates but remains high at 900,000 in 1990/91. The number of men in part-time education steadily increases each decade from 100,000 in 1970/71, to 175,000 in 1980/81 and then it reaches approximately 220,000 in 1990/91.

The number of women in full-time education on the other hand, grows dramatically from around 700,000 in 1970/71 to around 1.1 million in 1990/91. The number of women in part-timed education also grow from around 50,000 females in 1970/71 to around 200,000 in 90/91.

Word count 154

For a band 9 band score in grammar the IELTS band marking criteria state that candidates need to clearly present a fully developed response (band marking criteria).

The candidate produces a fully developed response in a clear structured manner. The only real errors are that the response could have included more details, for example, comparisons could easily have been made between the increases in male and female participation.

Estimated band score: 9