IELTS Writing Task 1 - Continued

 If you have your introduction done and a sentence or two which more or less highlights the most important trend of the diagram, what comes next is an analysis of the details.  Let's refer back to our population pie charts.

source:  www.ielts-exams.net


We mentioned Asia already, but we may want to give a little additional information here.

In 2000, Asia accounted for 54% of the world population.  This is a 6% decrease from the 1900 figure.

The next obvious area to cover is Europe.

 The second largest percentage of the world population was recorded in Europe, at 14% in 2000.  However, this is 11% less than the percentage recorded in 1900.  

Another useful tip in IELTS task 1 is knowing how to group information.  You can't and shouldn't write a sentence for every single piece of data so try to group similar features together.

While the population percentages of areas, like North America, remained the same in 2000 and 1900, other areas, like Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean,  more than doubled their figures.

Some data cannot be grouped anywhere,  but it may be important for other reasons.

The year 2000 found the Middle East and North Africa with 6% of the world population, whereas no data is available in the pie chart for this region in 1900.  

We've covered it all, so round out your answer with a conclusion. It's optional, really, provided you have summarized the key trend or feature in your second sentence, but it does round off the answer nicely. A summary of the most important data will do.  

Between 1900 and 2000 the world population increased by 4.4 billion.  The areas of Asia and Europe saw their percentages decrease while the remaining major areas either increased or remained constant.  

178 words

IELTS Writing Task 1 - Continued

 If you have your introduction done and a sentence or two which more or less highlights the most important trend of the diagram, what comes next is an analysis of the details.  Let's refer back to our population pie charts.

source:  www.ielts-exams.net


We mentioned Asia already, but we may want to give a little additional information here.

In 2000, Asia accounted for 54% of the world population.  This is a 6% decrease from the 1900 figure.

The next obvious area to cover is Europe.

 The second largest percentage of the world population was recorded in Europe, at 14% in 2000.  However, this is 11% less than the percentage recorded in 1900.  

Another useful tip in IELTS task 1 is knowing how to group information.  You can't and shouldn't write a sentence for every single piece of data so try to group similar features together.

While the population percentages of areas, like North America, remained the same in 2000 and 1900, other areas, like Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean,  more than doubled their figures.

Some data cannot be grouped anywhere,  but it may be important for other reasons.

The year 2000 found the Middle East and North Africa with 6% of the world population, whereas no data is available in the pie chart for this region in 1900.  

We've covered it all,so round out your answer with a conclusion. It's optional, really, provided you have summarized the key trend or feature in your second sentence, but it does round off the answer nicely. A summary of the most important data will do.  

Between 1900 and 2000 the world population increased by 4.4 billion.  The areas of Asia and Europe saw their percentages decrease while the remaining major areas either increased or remained constant.  

178 words

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - How do I start?

In my IELTS lessons, I always start with Writing Task 1.  The reason behind that is that is unlike anything any English student has ever written before.  Also, it’s short, at 150-200 words and very formulaic.  So, if you know how to tackle it from early on, when you get to practice tests it will be smooth sailing. 

Task 1 typically features one or two diagrams.  The diagrams can be tables, bar charts, pie charts, line graphs or a combination of two.  If there are two diagrams there will be some relation between them. 

Most students have no idea where to start.  Where to start is simply an issue of paraphrasing.  That is, you explain what the diagram shows in your own words. 

The pie charts below give information about world population in 1900 and 2000.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

 Source:  www.ielts-exam.net

The first sentence, or introduction is just a restatement of what the diagrams show.

Information is provided regarding the the change in the world population by region in the years 1900 and 2000.  

What I’ve done is I have mentioned 1. world population 2. by region 3. the years in question.  What you don’t want to do is copy the prompt word for word. 

 The next sentence describes the most obvious feature or the biggest trend.  For me, two things really stick out in these diagrams:  1. that the population went from 1.6 to 6 billion in 100 years and 2. the greatest percentage was found in Asia for both years.   So, how should we write this in one to two sentences?

 While the world population nearly quadrupled between 1900 and 2000, Asia consistently accounted for over 50% of the world population. 

If you can get these two sentences done, the rest of task one just becomes analyzing the details more specifically.  That is where editing comes in.  As I like to say, in task one what you DON’T write is almost as important as what you DO write.  You can’t and shouldn’t describe EVERY single detail of the diagram.  I’ll discuss more of that in my next post.  

I found this on Pinterest & thought I would share it here -

So, now what?

You’ve made your decision:  You’ll take the IELTS.  So, now what?  There are many different ways you can prepare.  The first decision you have to make is:  teacher or self-study.   Self-study may be an option for some people whose language level is such that they need limited guidance from a teacher. Still, someone will need to correct their essays and prepare them for speaking.  Most people will decide to prepare with a teacher.  The next option is:  class or one-to-one.  Some people prefer the class environment because there is a sense of camaraderie, you can learn from other’s mistakes, etc. Many people prefer one-to-one lessons because the lessons are tailor-made for them, they go as quickly or slowly as the student needs and they can be arranged to fit the student’s schedule.  Nowadays, there is an additional option available for students preparing for the IELTS:  in person or online.    If you live somewhere with access to teachers who are well-trained, who may be native speakers, who know the exam and how to prepare you for it, then you are in luck.  Even then, though, you may not find a teacher available to fit your schedule.  More and more teachers are taking their skills online and offering lessons via Skype and other platforms.  A simple Google search for "IELTS Skype" will show you just how wide the choices are.  So, before you begin preparing for IELTS, open your favorite browser and begin exploring because the possibilities are endless………….

Back to school... decisions, decisions

September means that everyone is getting back to real life.  For lots of people, that means contacting an English tutor to schedule lessons.  I meet many students who are preparing to study abroad at an English-speaking university and the first thing everyone asks is:

TOEFL or IELTS

The answer depends on a number of factors.  The first factor is:  which test does the school you are applying to accept?   When I worked in Higher Education in the US, I remember some schools accepted only TOEFL.  Perhaps that has changed now.   University websites always have a section where they write which tests of English they accept.  Look at the schools you want before you make your decision.

The second factor is:  what kind of tests do you like?  The vast majority of test centers now offer the Internet-based TOEFL (ibT).  For the computer-savvy, this is great.  However, it is a timed test so if your typing skills in English are not as fast as you need them to be, you may find yourself a little anxious.  The same is true for speaking.  You will be speaking into a computer that switches questions when your time is up and some people find this really stressful.  On the plus side, some people find speaking to a computer, not a person, less stressful.  It's a matter of personal preference.

The IELTS is a paper-based test and the day of the speaking test you will speak with a trained examiner.  The test is recorded.  Of course, the IELTS is also a timed test.  However, some people may find that sitting before a smiling examiner may ease their nerves a little.

Another factor is:  what kind of test questions do you like?  TOEFL is multiple choice, which is great for some people but stressful for others.  On the other hand, IELTS features different types of questions in Listening and Reading, so you will not be limited only to multiple choice.

Another thing to keep in mind is the material covered.  IELTS consists of a reading, listening, writing and speaking section.  It doesn't directly test grammar or vocabulary anywhere.  That is not to say, of course, that good grammar and vocabulary are not necessary.  You will need to have a solid foundation in both to do well in all parts of the test.  TOEFL, on the other hand, has questions that directly test your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary.  For some people that may mean they need to study more in order to feel confident for the test.

The conclusion is:  take the test that fits your needs better.  The IELTS is a more traditional paper-based test while the TOEFL ibt is a more modern test that may fit some people better than others.

Check out these sites for more information
www.ielts.org
www.ets.org

Welcome!

I am very excited to be starting this blog!  I hope it provides lots of helpful information to anyone studying English as a foreign language.  As I get used to the whole blogging concept, I hope these posts will get better (and longer!!!) so please stay tuned!!!!