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Writing IELTS Task 1 Essays

Feb 5, 2018

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a great weekend.

In my lesson today, I want to explain about IELTS Task 1 writing. The IELTS exam has an academic module and a general module. Most students take the academic module, as they want to study at a university in the UK, New Zealand or Australia. The general module is for students who want to apply for a visa to live somewhere like the UK.

Depending on whether you are taking the academic or general module, the type of essay you have to write for Task 1 is different. In Task 1 essays for the academic module, you have to describe:

  • a graph or chart.
  • a process or diagram.

The most common types of questions are describing graphs and charts, but depending on the question you are asked, the type of vocabulary and grammar that you should use is different. For example:

  • describing a graph or chart

- this could involve making comparisons, such as 'smartphones were more popular with younger people'.

- it could also require you to describe trends, such as 'sales increased dramatically from 1000 to 2000 cars between January and October'.

  • describing a process or diagram

- passive tenses are usually required to answer this type of question, such as 'first of all a basket is dropped into the water by two men'. 

The general module is a little easier than the academic module, and in Task 1, you usually have to write a letter. For example:

You recently bought something online, but when the product was delivered, there was a problem with it.

Write an email to the shop. In your email:

- explain which product you bought.

- say what the problem is.

- explain to the shop how you would like them to solve the problem. 


To prepare for the exam, it is important to learn vocabulary and grammar to help you write about these kind of situations. In addition it is important to practice.

If you need help preparing for the IELTS exam, please let me know. I will be very happy to help you.

Good Luck!!

Mark


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