IELTS Writing Task 1

• Line graph — change over time, so the language is trends: rose, fell, levelled off, fluctuated.
• Bar chart — comparison between categories, sometimes also over time.
• Table — raw numbers, often across several categories at once.
• Pie chart — proportions of a whole, so the language is share and percentage.
• Map — how a place changed, or two proposed layouts, described with position and passive verbs.
• Process diagram — stages in a natural or manufacturing process, described in sequence with the passive.
• Mixed charts — two visuals together, which must be linked rather than described separately.

Whatever the visual, the task is the same: select the main features, report them accurately, and make comparisons where they are relevant. You are not asked for reasons or opinions, and offering them costs marks.

1. Introduction — one sentence paraphrasing what the visual shows, including what, where and when.
2. Overview — two or three sentences giving the biggest patterns: the highest and lowest, the overall direction, the clearest contrast. This paragraph carries a large share of the marks and must not contain individual data points only.
3. Body paragraph 1 — the first group of details, with figures.
4. Body paragraph 2 — the remaining details, with comparisons.

General Training candidates write a letter of at least 150 words in one of three registers: formal (to someone you do not know), semi-formal (to someone you know in a professional relationship) or informal (to a friend). The prompt lists three bullet points, and all three must be covered.

• Open with the reason for writing in the first sentence.
• Give each bullet point its own paragraph so nothing gets dropped.
• Keep the register consistent — mixing Dear Sir with contractions is a visible error.
• Close with the expected sign-off: Yours faithfully to an unknown recipient, Yours sincerely to a named one, Best wishes to a friend.

• Listing every number in the chart instead of selecting the significant ones.
• Explaining why the trend happened — that is Task 2 thinking.
• Copying the prompt wording instead of paraphrasing it.
• Missing units, dates or the measurement scale, so figures become meaningless.
• Spending thirty minutes here and leaving Task 2 unfinished.

On TestPilot, Task 1 questions include the chart or image itself, and the AI evaluation comments on whether your overview and data selection actually met the task — the part most self-study misses.