IELTS - its a compilation of the basic lessons in IELTS

LESSON 1
OVERVIEW
I
E
L
T
S
nternation
al
nglish
anguage
esting
ystem

Recording 1
Questions 1-10
real-life
conversation
Recording 2
Questions 11-
20
real-life
monologue
Recording 3
Questions 21-
30
academic
conversation
Recording 4
Questions 31-
40
academic
monologue

READING TEST FORMAT
Section 1
topics about
everyday life
Section 3
topics about
general issues
Section 2
topics about
work/jobs
EASY
MEDIUM
DIFFICULT

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 1
- interpreting
graphs
TASK 2
- writing an
essay

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 1
- interpreting graphs
Line Graph

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 1
Bar Graph

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 1
Pie Chart

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 1
Combination

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 1
Process

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 1
Maps

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 1
Table

WRITING TEST FORMAT
TASK 2
- writing an essay

SCORING WEIGHT
TASK 1
33%
TASK 2
67%

SPEAKING TEST FORMAT
PART 1
topics about
yourself
Part 3
questions
related to
PART 2
PART 2
description of
something or
someone

LESSON 2
WRITING TASK 1 – The 4 Parts
Introduction
Overview
Body 1
Body 2

How to write the INTRODUCTION
- introduction is simply the paraphrase of the question
The graph below shows the differences in wheat exports over
three different areas. Summarize and select the main features and
make comparisons when relevant.
The graph below shows the differences in
wheat exports over three different areas.
The line graph illustrates the amount of
wheat exported in Australia, Canada and
European Community from 1985 to 1990.

NOTE:
Do not repeat the words that are
already used in the questions unless
there is no other word to replace it.

SUBJECT: Line Graph
VERB: demonstrates
The graph demonstrates the unemployment rates in three countries
between 1990 and 2004.
TIMESCALE:
between 1990 and 2004
ASK yourself: “What is the graph all about?”
“Was the data presented in NUMBERS or PERCENTAGE?”
“What are the words to replace and words to retain?”

SUBJECT: Line Graph
VERB: demonstrates
The graph demonstrates the unemployment rates in three countries
TIMESCALE:
between 1990 and 2004
INTRODUCTION:
The line graphs gives information about the percentage of citizens in UK, USA
and Japan who had no job from 1990 to 2004.

SUBJECT: bar graph
VERB: shows
TIMESCALE: 2021
The graph shows the favorite leisure activities of teenagers in Canada
in 2021.
2021

SUBJECT: bar graph
VERB: shows
TIMESCALE: 2021
The graph shows the favorite leisure activities of teenagers in Canada
in 2021.
2021
INTRODUCTION:
The bar graph illustrates how young people in Canada spent their free time in
2021.

SUBJECT: PIE Graph
VERB: shows
TIMESCALE:
2020
The pie chart shows the types of books borrowed from the Philippine
Library in 2020.
2020

SUBJECT: PIE Graph
VERB: shows
TIMESCALE:
2020
The pie chart shows the types of books borrowed from the Philippine
Library in 2020.
INTRODUCTION:
The pie graph illustrates the percentage of book types borrowed from a
library in the Philippines in the year 2020.
2020

SUBJECT: Line Graph
VERB: compares
TIMESCALE:
from 1990 and 2004
The graph compares the international tourist arrivals in five countries
from 1995 to 2010.
millions

SUBJECT: Line Graph
VERB: compares
TIMESCALE:
from 1990 and 2004
The graph shows the international tourist arrivals in five countries
from 1995 to 2010.
INTRODUCTION:
The line graph compares the number of foreign travelers who visited five
different countries between 1995 and 2010.
millions

SUBJECT:
VERB:
TIMESCALE:
The graph shows the amount of oil used in US, China, Western
Europe and Japan and Middle East from 2005 to 2020.
INTRODUCTION:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2020
2015
2005 2010
INTRODUCTION:
The line graph compares how much oil was consumed in four different areas

SUBJECT:
VERB:
TIMESCALE:
The graph shows the divorce rates in Finland and Sweden from 2011
to 2015.
INTRODUCTION:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION:
The bar graph compares the percentages of legally separated couples in
Finland and Sweden between 2011 and 2015.

SUBJECT:
VERB:
TIMESCALE:
The table shows the postgraduate course fees in Jamestown
University in 2018.
INTRODUCTION:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION:
The table compares the prices of five different master’s programs in
Jamestown University in the year 2018.
2018

SUBJECT:
VERB:
TIMESCALE:
The picture shows the life cycle of a frog.
INTRODUCTION:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION:
The image illustrates the process of how a frog develops.

The graph shows the consumption of Fast Food by Australian Teenagers
between 1975 – 2000.

The chart shows the tourist arrivals in Japan from four countries in the
year 1990, 2000 and 2010.

The graph shows the percentage of tourists to Thailand who visited four
different attractions in Bangkok.

The chart below shows the transport preferences among young people
from four different countries.
2011

How to write the OVERVIEW
-overview is simply the summary of the main features in a graph,
process, diagram, chart or map. It is normally 2-3 sentences long and
usually the 2nd
part of your task

To make it easier to understand,
in a dynamic chart, you describe
how things go up or down, change
or stay the same over the time
period.
In a static chart, you describe how
things are similar or different;
bigger or smaller in a single period
of time.

Increased
Jumped
Rose
Flew
Grew
Went up
Climbed
Rocketed
(big
increase)

Decreased
Fell
Dropped
Went down
Sank
Plummeted
(big decrease)

Fluctuated (v)
a fluctuation (n)

Overall, it is clear that the UK and Japan experienced a downward trend
with some fluctuations over the time period, whereas in the USA it was
upwards, although with minimal volatility..

Overall, it is clear that both France and the UK spent the highest amount of
money on cars. Moreover, perfume was the least preferred goods by
British consumers, whereas the French allocated the least amount on
cameras.

1. Overall, Sweden reached its peak in 2012 with almost 50% while
Finland reached its highest percentage in 2015 with over 40%.
2. Overall, Sweden experienced a downward trend while Finland showed an
upward trend over the given period. Both figures had some fluctuations.
Although Finland initially had a lower rate, it outraced Sweden at the end of the
period.

1. Overall, the two lines showed an upward trend while the other one
showed a downward trend over the period.
2. As seen on the graph, pizza and hamburgers has become popular
throughout the period while the figure for fish and chips gradually decreased.

1. Overall, Sea World and Bangkok Zoo were both downwards whereas
the other two figures had an upward trend over the given period.
2. Overall, China town was the most popular attraction in 2015
and 2016, but not in 2014 and 2017.

INTRODUCTION
The line graph compares the three regions in
terms of exports of wheat between 1985 to
1990.
OVERVIEW
Overall, it is clear that the three regions
experienced different trends in the time period.
While the wheat export in Canada and European
countries rose with some fluctuations, the
export in Australia fell overtime.

The graph shows the divorce rates in Finland and
Sweden from 2011 to 2015.
INTRODUCTION
The bar graph compares the percentages of
legally separated couples in Finland and
Sweden between 2011 and 2015.
OVERVIEW
Overall, it is clear that Sweden experienced a
downward trend, while Finland showed an
upward trend throughout the period. Both
countries’ divorce rates had some fluctuations.
Although Finland initially had a lower rate, it
outraced Sweden at the end of the period.

The graph shows the transport preferences among
young people from different countries.
INTRODUCTION
The bar graph provides information about
the three modes of transportation preferred
by teenagers in Great Britain, USA, Germany
and France.
OVERVIEW
Overall, it is clear that car was the most common
type of transportation in all countries except in
Germany while motorbike was the least
common except in USA.

INTRODUCTION
The line graph compares the number of
foreign travelers who visited five selected
countries between 1995 and 2010.
OVERVIEW
Overall, it is clear that tourist arrival in these
countries increased over time, and the USA and
France received the highest number of foreign
travelers during this period.

The graph below shows the global sales of different
kinds of digital games from 2000-2006.
INTRODUCTION
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
OVERVIEW
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

The graph below shows the global sales of different
kinds of digital games from 2000-2006.
INTRODUCTION
The bar graph illustrates the world wide sales of
four various kinds of computerized games from
the year 2000 to 2006.
OVERVIEW
Overall, it is clear that handheld games showed
an upward trend while console games continued
to decrease throughout the period.

INTRODUCTION
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
OVERVIEW
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION
The line graph illustrates the amount of three
kinds of spreads that were consumed between
1981 and 2007.
OVERVIEW
Overall, it is clear that the consumption of
margarine and butter decreased over time,
while that of low-fat and reduced spreads
increased.

How to write the BODY
-There are 2 bodies in Task1. The BODY 1 and BODY 2.
This part is simply the detailed description of the data you
included in your overview.
EXAMPLE

Increased
Jumped
Rose
Flew
Grew
Went up
Climbed
Rocketed (big
increase)

Increased
Jumped
Rose
Flew
Grew
Went up
Climbed
Rocketed
(big increase)

up down
decreased, increased, jumped, fell, rose, dropped,
flew, sank, grew, went up, went down

Trends/lines can be described using the adverbs below:
sharply
significantly
steadily
slightly

The 2 Patterns
Adjective + Noun
a quick rise
a steady fall
a slow increase
a significant
decrease
Verb + adverb
rose quickly
fell steadily
increased slowly
decreased
significantly

adjective + noun
There was a slight increase in the number of Filipinos who went to Qatar for work in
2020.
verb + adverb
The number of Filipinos who went to Qatar for work increased slightly in 2020.
adjective + noun
a slight increase
verb + adverb
Increased slightly

adjective + noun
There was a significant decrease in the amount of oil consumed in China in 2021.
verb + adverb
The amount of oil consumed in China decreased significantly in 2021.
adjective + noun
a significant decrease
verb + adverb
decreased significantly

LESSON 2
PART II
How to describe the trends in a graph

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Describe the trend
increased

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Describe the trend
decreased

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Describe the trend
levelled off/stabilized

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Describe the trend
fluctuated

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
The percentage of Filipinos who went to
Qatar increased to 70% in 2021
The line graph shows the percentage of Filipinos
who went to Qatar from 2019 to 2023.

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
The percentage of Filipinos who went to
Qatar increased by 50% in 2021

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
From 80%, the percentage of Filipinos
who went to Qatar decreased to 60% in
2022

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
who went to Qatar decreased by 20% in
2022

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
who went to Qatar decreased to 30% and
levelled off until 2023.

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
who went to Qatar decreased to 30% and
levelled off until the end of the period.

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
who went to Qatar decreased by 30%
and levelled off until 2023.

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
The line graph shows the percentage of Canadian teenagers who
dropped out of school from 2019 to 2023.
The percentage of Canadian teenagers who
dropped out of school _________ to 50% in 2021.
increased

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
From _____, the percentage of Canadian
teenagers who dropped out of school _________
to 10% in 2022.
60%
decreased

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
From 60%, the percentage of Canadian
to ___% in 2020 and levelled off until ______.
decreased 40

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
The line graph shows the percentage of Canadian teenagers who
dropped out of school from 2019 to 2023.
dropped out of school _________ to ___% in 2021.

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
by 50% in 2022.
60%
decreased

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
dropped out of school ________ to ______ in ______.
increased 50%
2022

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
to 50% in 2021.
90%
decreased

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
by ___% in 2021.
90%
decreased
40

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
to 50% in 2021 and ________ until the end of the
period.
90%
decreased
levelled off

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
10%
100%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% From only 10% in 2020, the percentage of
British male teachers increased ______ 50% in
at the end of the period.

Academic Writing TASK 1
Part 3
- In this lesson, you will gain knowledge on how to identify the
main trends and important points in a graph.

The __________ compares three __________ in terms
of their waste output between _____ and _____.
________, it is clear that company A and B
experienced a ________ trend while company C
showed an _______ pattern.
In 2000, __________ produced ___ tons of waste,
while company B and C produced around __ tons
and __ tons of waste material respectively. Over
the following 5 years, the waste output of
company B and C rose by around __ tons, but the
figure for company A fell by approximately __ ton.
From 2005 to 2015, company A cut waste
production by roughly 3 tons, and company B
reduced its waste by around 7 tons. By contrast,
__________ saw an increase in waste production of
approximately 4 tons over the same 10-year
period. By 2015, company C’s waste output
________ to 10 tons, while the respective amounts
of waste from companies A and B dropped to 8
tons and only 3 tons.
line graph companies
2000
2015
Overall
downward
upward
Company A 12
8
4
2
1
Company C
jumped

The line graph ____________ the percentage of ____________
citizens in UK, USA and Japan between 1990 and 2004.
Overall, it is clear that all ________ fluctuated throughout
the ______. However, only the _____showed an upward
pattern whereas in the UK and Japan, it was downwards.
Although USA hit its __________ at around ___ % in 1994, it
sharply increased to almost ___% in 2000. However, it
slightly decreased to about _____% in 2002 and levelled
off until the end of the period.
At the beginning UK had the highest percentage of more
than ___% but it started to fluctuate from 1992 to 2000
and reached to roughly 3.5% in 2004.
For the first two years, the unemployment rate in Japan
stabilized at only ___% but gradually, it reached its peak
at ___% in 1996. It started to ________ the following years
and hit a low point in ______ at about 1.4%.
illustrates
unemployed
trends
period USA
low point 2.5
6
5.2
4
2
5 plummet
2004

ANALYZING MULTIPLE CHARTS
IELTS WRITING TASK 1

COMMON PROBLEMS
1. Writing too much- Because there is more than one data
source, students tend to write about everything and this causes
two problems. The first problem is you only have 20 minutes to
answer task 1 questions and you therefore don’t have time to
write about everything. The second problem is that the question
asks you to ‘summarise‘ and ‘report the main features‘,
therefore you have to pick only a few features and report them.
In other words, if you write about everything, you have not
answered the question properly.

COMMON PROBLEMS
2. Can’t find the main features– This is related to the first point. As stated
above you will be looking for just 2 features in each graph. It is often very
difficult for students to decide which features are the most significant.
Solution– The first important points should be very visual. By that I mean,
you should be able to identify them without looking at the data; just by
looking at the graphs. Also, look for extremes (highs and lows), major
trends, major changes (from beginning to end) and any obvious
comparisons that can be made between either the two graphs or within
the same graph.

COMMON PROBLEMS
Remember that the most obvious things are the ‘main features’. The
examiners are not trying to trick you and want you to tell them the very
obvious things about the graph, so don’t get too clever and try to find
something less obvious.

COMMON PROBLEMS
3. Not grouping information into paragraphs– It is very important that
you organise your ideas into paragraphs. Paragraphs should be logical and
have one main idea. Lots of students fail to do this because they get
confused between the multiple pieces of data in the question and group
data from different graphs into one paragraph. This is very difficult to read
and understand and you will lose marks if you do this.
Solution– Don’t write about both graphs in one paragraph. Follow the
structure I suggest below. Group ideas for each paragraph separately i.e. 1
paragraph for 1 graph.

COMMON PROBLEMS
4. Making comparisons– The question states ‘make
comparisons where relevant‘. The keyword here is
‘relevant’ and this is what tricks many students.
Sometimes there will be a relevant comparison to make,
but in some questions there will not. Some students see
two different graphs and they assume that there must
be a comparison. They then spend too long looking for
a comparison and then write about one even if they
don’t find one.
Solution– If you don’t notice a very obvious comparison
between the two sources of data, then stop looking for
one and don’t write about one. It should also be noted
that there may also be comparisons to be made
between the data in the same graph.

FORMAT
Paragraph 1
S1- Paraphrase question sentences.
There will normally be two question
sentences and you should combine them
into one sentence by using ‘and’ or ‘while’.
This will allow you to produce a complex
sentence and gain points for grammatical
range and accuracy.

FORMAT
Paragraph 2
S 2- Overview of two of the main features from
graph number 1.
S3- Overview of two of the main features from
graph number 2.
S4- Overview of any comparisons if necessary
(optional).

Paragraph 3
S5- Details of first main feature of graph
number 1,
S6- Details of second main feature of graph
number 1.
Paragraph 4
S7- Details of first main feature of graph
number 2.
S8- Details of second main feature of graph
number 2.
S9- Details of any comparisons (if any).

Answer
The pie graph displays the
principal causes why farming
land deteriorates while the
table illustrates how three
regions of the planet were
affected by these factors in
the 1990s.

We can clearly see from the pie
chart that there are three
primary causes of farmland
degradation, and over-grazing is
the major one. The table shows
that Europe had a far higher
percentage of unproductive land
compared to the other two
regions in this time period.

The pie chart represents four
causes, with over-grazing
representing the biggest
proportion at just over a third.
Widespread clearing of
trees and the over-use of
crops constitute nearly one
third and just over a quarter
respectively.

The table shows that nearly
one quarter of Europe’s entire
surface had fallen victim to
degeneration. Only a small
proportion of North America’s
total land became less
productive at 5% and Oceania
was marginally higher with a
value of 13%.

The charts below show reasons for travel and the main issues
for the travelling public in the US in 2009.

The charts below give information on UK spending habits for
books bought over the internet.

The bar graph shows the number of people who are
virtuoso at 3 particular areas while the pie chart gives
details about their age brackets.

The pie charts compare the percentage of 5 different
social media channels preferred by Filipino teenagers.

The charts summarize the weight measurements of
people living in Charlestown in 1955 and 2015.

IELTS - its a compilation of the basic lessons in IELTS

IELTS - its a compilation of the basic lessons in IELTS

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IELTS - its a compilation of the basic lessons in IELTS