IELTS Writing Overview

 

IELTS Writing Overview

Component	Task 1	Task 2
Time	20 minutes	40 minutes
Word count	Minimum 150 words	Minimum 250 words
Percentage of writing score	33%	67%
Task type	Report (Academic) or Letter (General Training)	Essay
Penalty for under word count	Yes (Band score reduced)	Yes (Band score reduced)

 

Note:  Important: You must complete both tasks. Task 2 is worth more points, so do NOT spend too much time on Task 1.

PART 1: IELTS Writing Task 1

Question Type	Description	Example
Line graph	Shows changes over time	The graph below shows the number of tourists visiting Nepal between 2010 and 2020.
Bar chart	Compares different categories	The chart compares the average income in four countries.
Pie chart	Shows proportions/percentages	The pie charts illustrate the sources of energy in 2000 and 2020.
Table	Presents data in rows and columns	The table gives information about population growth in five cities.
Process diagram	Shows steps in a process	The diagram illustrates how paper is recycled.
Map	Shows changes in a location over time	The maps show the development of a village from 1990 to 2020.

 

Task 1 Structure (Academic - Report)

4-Paragraph Structure (Recommended)

Paragraph	Content	Number of Sentences
Paragraph 1: Introduction	Paraphrase the question (don't copy)	1–2 sentences
Paragraph 2: Overview	State 2–3 main trends / key features (NO data yet)	2–3 sentences
Paragraph 3: Details 1	Specific data, comparisons, changes	3–5 sentences
Paragraph 4: Details 2	More specific data (continue from Detail 1)	3–5 sentences

Sample Structure (Line Graph)

Question: The graph below shows the number of hours worked per week by doctors in three different countries between 2000 and 2020.

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Paragraph 1 (Introduction - Paraphrase):

The line graph illustrates the average weekly working hours of medical doctors in three distinct nations over a 20-year period from 2000 to 2020.

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Paragraph 2 (Overview - Main trends, NO data):

Overall, doctors in Country A worked the longest hours throughout the entire period, while those in Country C consistently had the shortest working week. Notably, all three countries experienced a gradual decline in working hours over the two decades.

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Paragraph 3 (Detail 1 - Specific data, early years):

In 2000, doctors in Country A worked an average of 55 hours per week, which was significantly higher than the 45 hours recorded in Country B and the 40 hours in Country C. Over the next ten years, working hours in Country A fell slightly to 52 hours, while Country B remained relatively stable at around 44 hours.

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Paragraph 4 (Detail 2 - Later years, comparisons):

By 2020, the number of hours worked by doctors in Country A had dropped further to 48 hours. Similarly, Country B and Country C saw modest decreases to 42 hours and 38 hours respectively. Despite these reductions, Country A continued to have the highest working hours, and Country C remained the lowest.

 

PART 2: IELTS Writing Task 2 (Essay)

Types of Questions (5 types)

Question Type	Question Words	Task	Example Prompt
Opinion (Agree/Disagree)	Do you agree or disagree? To what extent do you agree?	Give your opinion	Some people believe that social media has a negative impact on society. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Discussion (Discuss both views)	Discuss both views and give your opinion	Present both sides + your view	Some people think that governments should invest in public transportation. Others believe that building more roads is better. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Problem/Solution	What are the causes? What solutions can you suggest?	Explain problems + solutions	Traffic congestion is becoming a serious problem in many cities. What are the causes of this, and what solutions can you suggest?
Advantages/Disadvantages	Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?	List pros and cons	More and more people are working from home. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?
Two-part (Direct question)	What...? Why...? How...?	Answer two specific questions	In many countries, people are living longer. What are the benefits of an aging population? What problems does it cause?

 

Useful Vocabulary for Task 1 (Academic)

Type	Words/Phrases
Increase	rose, increased, grew, climbed, went up, surged, peaked at
Decrease	fell, decreased, dropped, declined, went down, plummeted, reached a low of
No change	remained stable, stayed constant, leveled off, plateaued
Fluctuation	fluctuated, varied, experienced ups and downs
Comparison	higher than, lower than, similar to, in contrast, whereas, while
Proportions	accounted for, comprised, made up, represented, constituted

 

Table of Contents

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1. Verbs for Describing Change

Upward Movement (Increase)

Word	Example Sentence	Band Level
rose (to)	The number of tourists rose to 5 million.	Band 6+
increased (to/by)	Sales increased by 20%.	Band 6+
grew (to)	The population grew to 10 million.	Band 6+
climbed (to)	Unemployment climbed to 8%.	Band 7+
went up (to)	Temperatures went up to 30°C.	Band 5+ (informal)
surged (to)	Oil prices surged to record highs.	Band 7+
soared (to)	Demand soared after the pandemic.	Band 7+
peaked at	The rate peaked at 45% in 2010.	Band 7+
reached a high of	It reached a high of $100.	Band 6+

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Downward Movement (Decrease)

Word	Example Sentence	Band Level
fell (to)	Exports fell to $2 billion.	Band 6+
decreased (to/by)	Crime rates decreased by 15%.	Band 6+
dropped (to)	The price dropped to $50.	Band 6+
declined (to)	Membership declined steadily.	Band 7+
went down (to)	Attendance went down by half.	Band 5+ (informal)
plummeted (to)	Profits plummeted after the recession.	Band 8+
plunged (to)	Stock prices plunged overnight.	Band 8+
slumped (to)	Sales slumped in the final quarter.	Band 7+
hit a low of	Temperatures hit a low of -5°C.	Band 6+
bottomed out at	The rate bottomed out at 10%.	Band 8+

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No Change / Stability

Word	Example Sentence	Band Level
remained stable	The figures remained stable.	Band 6+
stayed constant	Unemployment stayed constant.	Band 6+
leveled off (at)	Growth leveled off at 3%.	Band 7+
plateaued (at)	Sales plateaued after rising.	Band 8+
remained unchanged	The percentage remained unchanged.	Band 6+
stabilized	The market stabilized after the crash.	Band 7+

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Fluctuation (Ups and Downs)

Word	Example Sentence	Band Level
fluctuated	The exchange rate fluctuated wildly.	Band 7+
varied	Prices varied between 10 and 50.	Band 6+
experienced ups and downs	The economy experienced ups and downs.	Band 6+
oscillated	Temperatures oscillated throughout the year.	Band 8+

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2. Nouns for Describing Change

Noun	Example Sentence	Band Level
a rise	There was a rise in sales.	Band 6+
an increase	A sharp increase was observed.	Band 6+
a growth	The growth in population was rapid.	Band 6+
a surge	A surge in demand occurred.	Band 7+
a fall	A fall in prices was recorded.	Band 6+
a decrease	A slight decrease was noted.	Band 6+
a drop	There was a sudden drop.	Band 6+
a decline	A gradual decline followed.	Band 7+
a fluctuation	Minor fluctuations were seen.	Band 7+
a peak	The peak occurred in 2015.	Band 6+
a trough / low	The figure reached a low of 5%.	Band 7+

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3. Adverbs & Adjectives for Degree of Change

Small / Gradual Changes

Adjective	Adverb	Example
slight	slightly	It rose slightly.
gradual	gradually	It fell gradually.
modest	modestly	It grew modestly.
steady	steadily	It climbed steadily.
marginal	marginally	It increased marginally.
slow	slowly	It recovered slowly.

Large / Dramatic Changes

Adjective	Adverb	Example
sharp	sharply	It fell sharply.
dramatic	dramatically	It increased dramatically.
significant	significantly	It rose significantly.
substantial	substantially	It decreased substantially.
rapid	rapidly	It climbed rapidly.
steep	steeply	It fell steeply.
enormous	enormously	It grew enormously.
sudden	suddenly	It suddenly plummeted.

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4. Words for Describing Speed of Change

Word	Meaning	Example
rapid / rapidly	very fast	The population grew rapidly.
dramatic / dramatically	extreme change	Prices fell dramatically.
gradual / gradually	slow change	There was gradual improvement.
steady / steadily	consistent	It rose steadily over time.
sudden / suddenly	quick & unexpected	A sudden surge occurred.
slow / slowly	not fast	Recovery was slow.

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5. Comparison & Contrast Language

Comparing

Phrase	Example
higher than	The rate was higher than before.
lower than	Sales were lower than last year.
similar to	The trend was similar to 2015.
the same as	It was the same as the average.
in contrast to	In contrast to A, B declined.
whereas / while	A increased, whereas B fell.
compared to	Compared to 2010, it doubled.
differed from	Results differed from expectations.

Ranking

Phrase	Example
the highest	Country A had the highest rate.
the lowest	Country B had the lowest figure.
second highest	Sales were second highest in 2018.
ranked first	Nepal ranked first in tourism.
followed by	UK had 50%, followed by France.

Similarities

Phrase	Example
similarly	Similarly, unemployment decreased.
likewise	The trend was likewise upward.
both	Both countries declined.
as did	Sales rose, as did profits.

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6. Words for Describing Proportions (Pie Charts)

Word	Example
accounted for	Renewable energy accounted for 25%.
comprised	Youth comprised 40% of population.
made up	Women made up the majority.
represented	Healthcare represented 15%.
constituted	Men constituted 30%.
largest proportion	Transport had the largest proportion.
smallest share	Agriculture had the smallest share.
fraction of	Only a fraction of budget was used.
majority	The majority preferred tea.
minority	Only a minority chose coffee.
roughly	Roughly 75% was used.
exactly	It was exactly 50%.

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7. Words for Describing Processes (Diagrams)

Stage Words	Example
firstly	Firstly, materials are collected.
next	Next, it is heated.
then	Then it is mixed.
subsequently	It is subsequently cooled.
following this	Following this, it is filtered.
finally	Finally, it is packaged.

Passive Verbs

Verb	Example
is heated	It is heated to 100°C.
is cooled	It is cooled slowly.
is transported	Goods are transported.
is processed	Data is processed.
is converted into	Waste is converted into energy.
is transformed into	Grapes are transformed into wine.
is extracted	Oil is extracted.
is delivered	Products are delivered.

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8. Words for Describing Maps

Location

Phrase	Example
to the north of	The school is north of the river.
south of	The road is south of the station.
adjacent to	The park is adjacent to library.
next to	The café is next to bus stop.
opposite	Hospital is opposite post office.
in the center of	Fountain is in center.
outskirts	Factory is on outskirts.
surrounded by	Castle is surrounded by moat.

Changes

Phrase	Example
was demolished	Old building was demolished.
was replaced by	Cinema was replaced by mall.
was constructed	A bridge was constructed.
was extended	Road was extended.
was removed	Playground was removed.
was converted into	Barn was converted into café.
remained unchanged	Church remained unchanged.
was added	Path was added.

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9. Useful Sentence Starters

Introduction

Starter	Example
The chart shows	The chart shows tourism trends.
The diagram illustrates	The diagram illustrates the process.
The data presents	The data presents population changes.
According to the chart	According to the chart, sales rose.
As can be seen	As can be seen, there was growth.

Overview

Starter	Example
Overall	Overall, demand increased.
In general	In general, prices fell.
It is evident that	It is evident that growth peaked.
A striking feature is	A striking feature is the decline.
What stands out is	What stands out is rapid growth.

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10. Synonyms for Common Words

Overused Word	Synonyms
shows	illustrates, displays, depicts
number	figure, data, statistic
percent	proportion, share, fraction
change	fluctuation, variation, trend
increase	rise, growth, surge
decrease	fall, drop, decline
big	significant, substantial
small	slight, marginal
fast	rapid, sharp, steep
slow	gradual, steady