IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Tips, Strategies and Criteria

The IELTS writing section assesses your ability to create an appropriate response, organise your thoughts, and use language and vocabulary correctly.

Those who are still stuck at figuring out IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, know that everything in it is quite simple, once you are trained adequately. Under this task, you will be asked to write a comprehensive summary of up to 150 words and you will be given the time of 20 minutes.

The summary could be for a IELTS bar chart, line graph, or table chart. You may be asked to compare the data as well. In simple words, you would have to create a succinct report of the given data.

Apart from this, some of the other pointers that you will have to keep in mind include writing up to 3-4 paragraphs and a report that has 150 words, paraphrasing of sentences in the first paragraph, and writing an overview in the second paragraph.

Tips to Ace IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

To help you ace this section of the IELTS exam, here are some tips to be kept in mind:

• Reading Instructions Carefully

It may seem like an obvious tip, however, it is most commonly overlooked by most of the students. Regardless of how excited or nervous you are about the exam, you must take a minute to read through the instructions and familiarize yourself with the questions.

• Adequate Language

The first thing to be kept in mind is that you must use adequate language when it comes to describing the information or comparing graphs. There could be times when you may have to write the same thing in a different way. Here, make sure you are being innovative and not repeating anything.

• Paraphrasing Is a Must

In case you were thinking about merely copying the answer, know that the examiner will have an eagle’s eye and such a strategy can lead to losing marks. Paraphrasing is extremely important. To do so, you must use synonyms and related words.

• Keep The Tenses In Mind

A lot of IELTS candidates get stuck in the web of tenses. They either end up using the wrong tenses or mixing up two of them. To avoid such a blunder, you must ensure that you are certain about the tense to use. For instance, if the data given is in the past tense, you must write your answer in the past tense and vice versa.

• Never Stop Practicing

Out there, you can find plenty of books where you can attempt IELTS Writing practice tests. You can refer to such books and information to practise better. There are also samples of topics, especially for this task.

• Make Use of Adequate Vocabulary

In terms of vocabulary, you must make a complete list that will help you paraphrase while describing. Your examiner will primarily check for adequate use of words and not your knowledge. Also, make sure you are using adequate connectors & linking words.

Strategies to Prepare for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Let’s move on to the IELTS writing task 1 strategy to bag a higher score and avoid losing marks.

• Comprehend the Question Type

To begin any task, you must ensure that you fully understand the question type. This way, you can seamlessly get rid of confusion, if any. The easiest way to comprehend the question type is by looking at the given information, be it a table, a chart or a diagram. On the basis of the understanding, you can effortlessly create answers.

• Copying or Memorising Won’t Help

No matter how much you practise beforehand when you are in the examination hall, know that you cannot write a memorised answer. You must look into the question, understand it well and then write the answer in your own words, which should be different from other tests.

• Clear and On-Point Overview

Keep in mind that the overview that you will be writing should be based on how you are going to describe the given information. The key features should be mentioned. Also, make sure your overview is giving an exact idea about your answer.

• Concentration on Grammar

If your aim is to gain a band score that is more than 6, it is essential that you make use of complex grammar and structured sentences when describing. Thus, practising daily with adequate grammar can help you to a great extent.

Criteria for Marking IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Below-mentioned marking criterion will help you comprehend what should be your sole focus: