Before writing
an IELTS task 1 bar chart or line graph answer it is important that we analyse
the question correctly. Taking a few minutes to do this will help us write a
clear answer that fully responds to the question. Just what the examiner wants
us to do.
The first
thing we need to do is decide if the bar chart is static or dynamic. Static
means that the data comes from one point in time. Dynamic means the data comes
from more than one point in time. Whether a
chart is static or dynamic will affect the information we choose to include in
our answer and the kind of language (tense, grammar etc.) we use.
If it is
dynamic we will have to compare the different times and comment on the general
trends over the time period.
If it is
static we will have to compare the different variables, in this
case countries, car price, GDP and time it takes for one person to buy a
car.
1. Main Features
Every IELTS academic task 1 question asks us to ‘select and report the main features’.
This means
that we have to not only pick the most significant information from the graph
and include it in our essay, but also decide which information is not important
and should therefore not be included in our essay. One of the biggest mistakes
you can make in task 1 is including all the information you see.
So which information should you choose? You should look for:
- highest/lowest
values
- biggest differences
- similarities
- significant
exceptions
- anything else
that really stands out
There are 3 main features in this graph
1) It takes
over 26 years for a Vietnamese person to buy a car.
2) Vietnam has
the second highest average costs but the second lowest wages.
3) Cost of a
car in Singapore is nearly 3 times the next most expensive.
2. Structure
I advise my
students to follow a basic four paragraph structure for these kinds of
questions.
Paragraph
1
Paraphrase the
question using synonyms.
Paragraph
2
Provide an
overview of the main features. No need to include any data in this paragraph,
just tell the examiner what is happening in general terms. If you had to
describe the main features in two sentences, what would you say?
Paragraph 3
This is where
we get more specific and use data. Take 2 of the main features (from your
overview) and describe them in detail using data from the chart.
Paragraph
4
Simply do the
same thing as you did in paragraph 3, but with two other main features (from
your overview).
Sample
Answer
The graph
compares the GDP per capita, cost of a Toyota Camry and approximate
length of time it takes for 1 citizen to purchase that mode of
transport in eight Asian countries.
Despite having
the second lowest average yearly income, it costs more to buy this car in
Vietnam than in all but one other Asian nation. It also takes
significantly longer for a standard person to buy an automobile in
Vietnam than in any other state in Asia. On the other end of the scale,
Singaporeans have to pay nearly three times more for their cars than the
Vietnamese and it takes them the least amount of time to afford a motor
vehicle.
It costs
$49,944 to buy a Toyota Camry in Vietnam, but this dwarfs the average yearly
income per person at just $1,910. It would therefore take a normal man or woman
26.1 years to save up for that particular car.
This is in
contrast to Singapore where it costs $126,245 for that model of motorcar,
however the average salary is much greater at $55,182. This means that it
generally takes just over 2 years for a typical individual from Singapore
to acquire this vehicle. (200 words)
Band 9.
Analisys
It should be noted that this is not a real IELTS task 1 question. This is just a chart that I saw on the internet, but it allowed me to make a very important point - you don’t have to mention everything on the graph. I only talked about 2 out of the 8 countries and I still wrote 200 words and answer the question fully. The key is finding the most significant data and not talking about anything else. Don’t worry, you won’t lost marks for not talking about everything, quite the opposite.
Vocabulary
This graph
is also good for demonstrating how important it is to vary your
vocabulary. There were four words that could have been overused in this
essay - car, average, country and people. Instead of repeating them over and
over again I used synonyms to show the examiner I have a wide vocabulary and
gain extra marks. Here are the synonyms:
- Car - Toyota Camry - automobile - vehicle - motor vehicle - motorcar
- Average - approximate - normal - typical - standard
- Country - countries - nation - state
- People - citizen - man or woman - individual
I hope you
have found these tips useful. If you have any questions, let me know below.
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