Writing

__Introduction__
IELTS tests your ability to produce two quite different pieces of writing in a fairly short period of time. The test is divided into two parts and you are allowed one hour to complete both parts.

**IELTS Writing Task 1** In the first part, you are given a task based on some graphic or pictorial information. You are expected to write a descriptive report of at least 150 words on the information provided.

**IELTS Writing Task 2** The second task is more demanding. You are expected to produce a written argument on a given topic and to organise your answer clearly, given some examples to support your points. You will have to write at least 250 words and, as Task 2 is longer than Task 1, you are advised to spend approximately 40 minutes on this task and 20 minutes on the first task.

__ IELTS Academic Writing - Task 1 __
What's task 1 about and how to meet the requirements?

No matter what graph, diagram or table you are describing, you shouldn’t break these rules: > When your Academic Writing 1 Task is graded by IELTS examiners, they look for this structure: Introduction Body Conclusion
 * Report must be of at least 150 words written in 20 minutes
 * You shouldn’t write your opinion or copy words from graph – rephrase and use synonyms instead.
 * Never use bullets, write as if you were writing essay or letter.

Introduction should describe the purpose of report and say what overall trends you see. For example, if the graph is climbing up or dropping down, you should mention that.You need to remember that you are describing a graph to someone who doesn’t see it. Write what the graph is about, its dates and location.

Body should describe the most important trends, while all information is summarized to avoid unnecessary details. For example, if there is a graph that has 2 peaks, you should mention them; tell when those peaks appeared and what the peak values are.Notice how many distinctive features diagram has and divide information into paragraphs, one paragraph for one feature. You should link the paragraphs by sentences that logically connect them to one another.

Important! You need to write about all the periods of time and all the subjects of graph.If it shows several years (1992, 1993, 1994) – write about all of them, if it is about men and women – write about both. Remember, summarizing doesn’t mean throwing away information. The secret here is to select what’s important, organize it, compare and contrast.

Conclusion should sum up the global trends shown on the figure and compare them if possible.

(c) @http://yasmeenshakoor.edublogs.org/

__ Grammar and Vocabulary Points: __
Compared to Vs Compared with Although Vs Though Vs Even Though[|professionals-exams-ielts-academic_lesson_download_1.pdf] Line Graph Vocabulary Practice

__ Writing Step by Step (Self-study Guide to IELTS Writing Task 1) __
Here's a very useful step by step guide to task 1 Click Here Click @ [|professionals-exams-ielts-academic_lesson_download_1.pdf] to download this file. For useful video tutorials on IELTS Writing Task 1, click @ http://www.ukgate.com/Lessons.aspx?ID=115 (this many not work in IAT due to the proxy)

**__IELTS Task 1 Samples__** Here are some very good samples of responses to different IELTS Task 1 questions. Try writing on your own before looking at the samples and make a list of general introductory and linking expressions that you have learned from these samples. Add the newly-learned words to your vocabulary log.

UK Gate Samples @ @http://www.ukgate.com/study/index.aspx?t=IELTS-Sample-Questions&e=Writing1

(c) http://www.ielts-exam.net