The graph shows average annual expenditures on cell phone and residential phone services between 2001 and 2010. Overall, expenditures increased substantially for cell phone services but declined slightly for residential phone services. Specifically, spending on cell phone services rose from $500 in 2001 to over $1000 in 2010, while residential phone service costs decreased from nearly $500 to slightly below $500 during the same period. The largest increase occurred between 2001 and 2005 for cell phone services, when expenditures more than doubled. In contrast, residential phone costs changed little and remained around $500 for most of the decade.

1. IELTS Writing Task 01
Raihnul Islam

2. Task 01
Requires to write a fairly precise account of some
information presented in graphic form such as a
graph (line/bar/pie), table or diagram

3. Important Features
• Ideal Time to Spend: 20 minutes
• Total Marking: 1/3 of the whole
• Expected Items in the Question: graph (line/bar/pie), table or diagram
(pictorial representation of data)
• Word Limit: minimum 150 (Ideal Limitation: 150 – 200)

5. Format of Writing
• Introduction
• Overview / Overall Statement (Mandatory)
• Body Paragraph
• Closing Paragraph

6. Introduction

7. The chart below gives information on the percentage of the British people giving money to charity by age range for the years 1990 and
2000.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
18 - 25 26 - 35 36 - 50 51 - 65 65 +
Series 01: 1990 Series 02: 2000 Series 1 Series 2

8. What to Focus?
• Topic of the study/survey/research
• Time of the study/survey/research
• Place of the study/survey/research
• Participants of the study/survey/research

9. How to Write…
• One/two sentences.
• Paraphrase the question (Aim is to make it shorter than in
the question)
• No data will be given in introduction
• Only time will be mentioned

10. Example Structure…
❑ The given graph illustrates + “essential part of the question”
❑ The (bar/pie) chart here is depicting + “essential part of the
question”
❑ The given line graph is describing + “essential part of the
question”
❑ The above given diagram is demonstrating + “essential part of
the question”

11. Example …
The diagram shows the levels of charitable donations of people
living in Britain, separated by age, between 1990 and 2010.

12. Overall Statement

13. Important Features
• It is mandatory to give Overall Statement in Task 01. Without Overall
Statement score will be remain below Band 6.0
• Quite literally it means a piece of information that can be seen (sometimes
quite obviously upon first glance) and is generally true for the given
graph/diagram/map.
• It covers the whole data span
• Also it must show the main difference of the chart.

14. Example
“Overall, what stands out from the graph is there was a gradual upward trend in the number of visitors of the National
Gallery, which became the most popular museum from being at last place, while the Victoria and Albert Museum
followed the opposite trend. ”

15. Body Paragraph

16. Important Features…
• By reading the body paragraph a reader could visualize the whole
graph.
• It projects all the data description.
• Link between main idea and supporting details.
• Do not miss important items from the graph.
• Show the comparisons where it is necessary.

17. Language Study (Line/Bar)
• Simplification of the Graph (Main Points)
• Decision on Verbs
• Decision on Adverbs
• Sentence Format

18. Sentence Format (Line/Bar)
•Subject Verb Format
•“There” Format

19. Subject Verb Format
Time Subject Verb Adverb
Time Period of the
Targeted Point
**Time can be written at
last also.
Topic of the Graph Movement or
Measurement of the
Graph
Nature of the
Movement
Example:
From January to
February
Sales of the Computers Increased Dramatically

20. Increase / Decrease (Verbs)
Increase Increase
Rise
Grow
Shot Up
Decrease Decrease
Decline
Fall
Drop

21. Adverbs
Simple Moderate Dramatic
Slowly
Slightly
Marginally
A Little
Moderately
Gradually
Steadily
Progressively
Dramatic
Sharp
Rapidly
Suddenly
Drastically
Significantly

22. Time
• From … To…
• Over + Period
• During + Period
• For + Period
• Between … And…
•In + Period

23. “There” Format
Time There Be A Noun Phrase
Article+ adj +
noun
In Actual Subject
Time Period “There” Is/was Determination of
Measurement
In Topic
Example:
Between January and
February
there was a dramatic rise in sales of
computers

24. How to Describe… (Special Trend)
• Upward, downward & fluctuation
• Peak
• Plateau
• Exponential (Increase/decrease)
• Constant

25. Upward, downward & fluctuation
Upward Downward Fluctuation
Ex: It increased…. Ex: It decreased… Ex: It fluctuated…

26. Peak
Example: It peaked at …/It reached at a peak at…

27. Plateau
Example: It plateaued at …/It reached at a plateau at…

28. Exponential
Example: It grew exponentially …/There was an exponential growth…

29. Constant
Example: It remained constant at …/It levelled of at…

30. Sentence Pattern
• Subject Verb Format / “There” Format + Replace “it” with “which” + Special Trend
• Example: In 2010 there was a moderate decrease in money to charity which reached at 35%
from 42 %.

31. Language of Comparison (Pie)
• Comparison with total • Sector to Sector Comparison
 Equal Comparison
 Unequal Comparison
Sales
white Red Blue Other
Males
Arrested Not Arrested
Females
Not Arrested Arrested

32. Comparison with Total
• The most popular/common/preferred …
• The second most popular/common/preferred …
• Percentage
• The lowest/smallest proportion …
Sales
white Red Blue Other

33. Sector to Sector Comparison
Males
Arrested Not Arrested
Females
Not Arrested Arrested

34. Comparisons
Equal Comparison
• White is nearly twice/two times as
common/preferred/popular as red.
• Noun + be + adverb +
measurement + as + comparison +
as + Noun
Unequal Comparison
• White is substantially more
common than red.
• Noun + be + adverb +
comparative + comparisons + than
+ Noun

35. List of Adverbs
• Substantially
• Considerably
• A lot
• Far
• Much
• Somewhat
• Significantly
• Slightly
• Fractionally

36. Data Presentation
• Brackets
• Adjective Clauses / Phrases

37. Data Presentation
• Brackets
• Adjective Clauses / Phrases
• Sector – (…)
• Adjective Clauses / Phrases
 Which is …
 Which constitutes …
 Which accounts for …
 Which makes up …
 Which presents for …

38. Chronology of Writing
Highest Sector to Sector Lowest

39. Process Diagram or Picture
• Introduction
• Overall Statement
• Body Paragraph 01 (Description of Parts)
• Body Paragraph 02 (Description of Functions)
• Closing Paragraph

40. Closing Paragraph

41. Important Features…
• Not mandatory.
• Only three steps are there: 1) Write the similarities
2) Write the differences 3) Summarize the
similarities/differences/both

42. Sample Answer

43. The diagram shows the levels of charitable donations of people living in Britain, separated by age,
between 1990 and 2010.
Overall, there was a general decrease in the percentage of people who donated money to charity over
the two time periods. However, the pattern differs between the three age groups before 50 and the two
age groups after the age of 50.
The highest decrease is in the 18-25 category, which saw a decrease of 10%, from 17% in 1990 to 7% in
2010. 42% of people in the 36-50 age group gave to charity in 1990, the highest on the chart, and this
fell to 35% in 2010. There was also a significant decline in donations among 26-35 year olds, from 31%
to 24%.
The exception to this general trend downwards was among the 51-65 and over 65s. In 2010, the 51-65
year olds gave the highest percentage with nearly 40 per cent and this rose from 35% in 1990. Finally,
those over 65 displayed a slight percentage increase of 3 per cent.

44. Planning…

45.  Read the question very carefully at least twice.
 Look at the data. What data is represented on the axis? What groups are represented? What time periods are
shown? What are units of measurements?
 What are the main features?
 Any comparisons?
 Make a quick plan using above structure.
 Write introduction by paraphrasing question.
 Write second paragraph, which is the overview of main features.
 Support the second paragraph with more detail in third and fourth paragraph.
 Make sure you have not repeated any words and used a range of vocabulary.
 Check for any grammar mistakes and make sure you have got at least 150 words.

46. Things to Focus on: Graphs

47. Vertical/horizontal
axis
Highest/lowest points, periods of stability
Similarities/differences
Trend vocabulary
Significant vs slight changes

48. Fractions
Paraphrasing:
The language of
numbers
Trends
Time References

49. Similarities/differences
Paraphrasing:
The language of
numbers
Trends
Titles

50. Trends
Time
references
Similarities/differences
Titles
Vertical/horizontal axis

51. Titles, given words/phrases
Similarities/
differences
Paragraphing
Things to add, expanding
given words/terms
Passive voice

52. Titles, given words/phrases
Paragraphing
Things to add, expanding
given words/terms
Order words
Passive

53. Practice Questions

54. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph shows average annual expenditures on cell phone and residential phone services between 2001 and 2010.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

57. Thank You