IELTS Writing - Task One - charts & graphs

On our Facebook page yesterday, we featured a grammar-and-vocabulary quiz based on a map. If you haven’t taken the quiz, start today’s blog by clicking on the post here:

Post by English42.

In this blog, we’ll use these 7 sentences to study an important part of IELTS Writing Task 1: describing graphs and charts. We’ll try to understand the correct and incorrect answers to this quiz, and then learn how we can use sentences like these to achieve a high mark in IELTS.

Firstly, however, let’s quickly look at the answers:

1) The map shows how many countries in the world have McDonald’s.

2) In central Africa there are no McDonald’s restaurants.

3) Norway is the country with the most expensive McDonald’s.

4) There are more McDonald’s outlets in Germany than there are in the UK.

5) McDonald’s is far less  popular in China than it is in Canada,

6) The price of McDonald’s fluctuates among the countries in Europe...

7) ...but the price rises when you look at European countries which are outside the Eurozone.

Graphs And Charts In IELTS
Roughly 80% of exams in IELTS Writing Task 1 display a graph or chart, and a brief explanation of the chart. This means that studying this kind of exam is well worth it – you are very likely to have to discuss a graph or chart when you do your IELTS exam.
As we’ve said before, a great IELTS score requires great vocabulary and severalother aspects. There are also some methods and key words which will help you get the best possible mark in IELTS Writing Task 1.
We will use the examples from the McDonald’s map to illustrate these methods. Let’s take a look.

Grammar and IELTS

1) The map shows how many countries in the world have McDonald’s.

GRAMMAR ADVICE: Technically, it would be ok to use the word “most” – although it’s true and grammatically correct to use the word “most”, it’s far too informal for a high IELTS score.
It’s untrue to use the word “all”. Although the grammar is ok, it’s simply not correct – many African countries and other countries around the world are coloured blue, meaning that no McDonald’s restaurants exist there.
So, the correct sentence is: “The map shows how many countries in the world have McDonald’s.”

IELTS ADVICE: The first sentence of your Task One essay should paraphrase the description which is given in the exam. If you look at these samples of Task One graphs (SAMPLE 1, SAMPLE 2 ) you’ll see that each contains some text, usually in a box, which describes the graph.
“To paraphrase” means “to repeat a message with different words”. Here are two sample paraphrases:

“The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.”

PARAPHRASED:  “The chart displays information on how many males and females studied in third-level education in the UK during three periods of time. It also shows the difference between full-time and part-time courses which they took.”

“The bar chart below gives information about the percentage of the population living in urban areas in the world and in different continents.”

PARAPHRASED: “The chart illustrates the percentage of people who live in cities worldwide, according to various continents.”

2) In central Africa there are no McDonald’s restaurants.

3) Norway is the country with the most expensive McDonald’s.

GRAMMAR ADVICE: In sentence 2), we must choose the correct grammar. It’s absolutely incorrect to say “In Central Africa, can see no McDonald’s”: no English speaker will understand this. (You could say, “we can see no McDonald’s”. This is not very good English, but it can be understood)
We say “there is / there are” to describe what exists. In this sentence, “there are” is correct because of the plural noun “restaurants”. Many English speakers use “there is” in this sentence. It’s technically not correct English, however.

In sentence 3), we must also use the correct grammar. Here, we use the word “most” to show that Norway’s McDonald’s restaurants are more expensive than any other country in the world. “All expensive McDonald’s” is completely incorrect English.

IELTS ADVICE: You may see in the sample tests that all graph-related tasks ask you to

“Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features."

You don’t need to describe some parts of the graph, and you shouldn’t waste your time by describing them. The colour of different bars; the minimum and maximum numbers or the gaps in between them – these are examples of unnecessary information. The information which you should describe is what the chart tells you. This can usually be expressed in a simple sentence:

SAMPLE 1
Urban population in 1950 is coloured orange.

In 2007, 49% of the world’s population lived in urban areas.

SAMPLE 2
A dotted line separates men and women in further education.
Around 900,000 men were in part-time further education in 1990/91.

MCDONALD'S MAP
In central Africa there are no McDonald’s restaurants.
Norway is the country with the most expensive McDonald’s.

These sentences are fine for an IELTS score of 6.0-7.0. However, to achieve a higher score (7.5 and above), we should use compound sentences. These are complex sentences which contain more than one piece of information.

In central Africa, between South Africa and the border of Egypt to the north, there are no McDonald’s restaurants.

Norway, where a Big Mac costs €7.18, is the country with the most expensive McDonald’s.

4) There are more McDonald’s outlets in Germany than there are in the UK.

5) McDonald’s is far less  popular in China than it is in Canada,

GRAMMAR ADVICE: Both of these sentences use comparatives; the correct sentences are both true and have the correct grammar.
In sentence 4), we need to describe the difference in the number of restaurants in Germany (1,276) compared to the number of restaurants in the UK (1,250). To do this we use the word “more”.
But the choice between “fewer” and “less” is very difficult. Both words are the opposite of “more”. So what’s the difference? Well, it’s small but important: “fewer” is used to compare countable nouns...

In this classroom are fewer men than women.

 Ireland has fewer football clubs than the UK has.

...and “less” is used to compare uncountable nouns or adjectives...

There is less space in your hotel room than there is in mine.

It is less cold in Saudi Arabia than it is in Ireland.

This helps us to choose the correct answer in sentence 5): “far less”. So why do we use the word “far” here? Well, it’s the exact same as “much” or “a lot”. It means there’s a big difference between McDonald’s popularity in China (only 660 restaurants) and its popularity in Canada (1,400 restaurants).
Of course, we can’t use the word “far” (or “much” or “a lot”) in sentence 4), because there’s a small difference between the restaurants in the UK and Germany.

IELTS ADVICE: All graph-related Task One exams require you to “compare and contrast the information where possible”. So there are two important skills which will help you get a high mark in this task: a) finding the information to compare/contrast, and b) using correct and, where possible, advanced language to describe the differences.

6) The price of McDonald’s fluctuates among the countries in Europe...

7) ...but the price rises when you look at European countries which are outside the Eurozone.

GRAMMAR ADVICE: In sentences 6) and 7), which contain advanced English, we have to choose between the same three words. Each word has a completely different meaning:

“To fluctuate” means to go up and down unpredictably. We only use this to describe graphs and abstract nouns. (we can’t use it to describe a boat in a storm, for example)

“To be constant” means to stay the same. Again, we only use it to describe abstract things. It’s often used, for example, to describe the weather.

“To rise” is an a synonym for “to go up”. We can use it to describe physical things (the sun) or abstract nouns (population).

IELTS ADVICE: Using words like “fluctuate”, “constant” and “rise” show that you can combine both of the requirements of Task One: describing and comparing. You’re using advanced language to describe how things change on the graph – and you will get higher marks if you use them correctly.
How do you use them correctly? This requires three skills:

a) Vocabulary: there are many more words besides these three. Other examples are “decrease”/“increase”, “fall”/“skyrocket”, “erratic” / “stable”. Learn the words!

b) Word formation: Each of the words above (except for “erratic” / “stable”) are verbs. Most of them can be transformed into nouns, adjectives and sometimes adverbs. Word formation – transforming verbs into nouns, nouns into adjectives, etc. – is a huge part of IELTS.

c) Use of English: When you learn a new verb, noun, adjective or adverb, it’s essential to use it correctly in a sentence. Many IELTS students lose marks because they can’t use them properly in a sentence. Examples are:

“PC sales are fall.” (It should be “PC sales are falling”)

“Population in Africa was increase after 1950.” (It should be “There was an increase in the population in Africa after 1950.” Or “The population in Africa increased after 1950.”)

“Males in part-time education fluctuated between 1970 and 1991.” (It should be “The number of males in part-time education fluctuated between 1970 and 1991.”

Practicing Your New Skills
Graphs and charts are everywhere, especially if you are studying or working in business. Even if you’re not a business-person, the media (especially the news) in any language is a great source of these diagrams.

ACTIVITY IDEA 1: 

Visit any media site, preferably in English, and find a graph or chart in the news or business section. Write 6-10 sentences to describe the graph/chart, as if you were explaining the information to someone who couldn’t see it.

ACTIVITY IDEA 2:

Test your new skills by answering a sample IELTS task with a full, 150-word essay.

IELTS - Skills and Scores

If you've finally decided that you want to do the IELTS exam, then it's important to know exactly what you'll need to do in the exam - and how you can get the best possible score.


There are 4 parts to the IELTS exam: Writing, Speaking, Listening and Reading.
Your IELTS score comes from the average of the scores you get in each part. The formula for your overall IELTS score is:

Writing score + Speaking score + Listening score + Reading score /4

All the scores, then, are treated equally. But each score is decided in a different way, and each part is done in a different way. Here’s what to expect...


The IELTS Skills
In Writing, there are two tasks, and you must complete both tasks in a one-hour exam. Task One is short – you should write 150 words in around 20 minutes – and you are usually required to describe a graph or sometimes a diagram or a picture. Task Two is an argument: usually, you are given an opinion about a social issue, and you should argue in favour of the opinion, against the opinion – or both. You should write 250 words for Task Two, and you have around 40 minutes.

In Speaking, you have a face-to-face conversation with an IELTS examiner, usually taking around 15 minutes. There are three parts to this exam. In Part One, you have a short informal conversation, to “warm up” (get ready and feel comfortable).
In Part Two, you must speak on your own for around 2 minutes, answering a question with four parts. You have one minute to prepare for it.
In Part Three, you speak in a formal style, answering questions from the examiner which are related to the topic in Part Two.

Listening and Reading are more or less the same in how they are done. You must answer 40 questions in 40 minutes. These questions are in many different forms. In Reading, you will need to read four texts. There are also four “texts” in the Listening exam, and you will only hear them once.

The IELTS scores
The top score in IELTS is 9.0. Many students make the mistake of aiming for this score, which is a mistake. More or less, only native speakers could get this score – or non-native speakers who are completely proficient in the language. Most IELTS examiners and teachers have never met a student who got a 9.0.
The lowest score in IELTS is 0 – for students who didn’t take the test. A score of 1.0 is for a student who took the test but, more or less, cannot speak or understand English.
The scores in between exist in gaps of 0.5, and they represent the different levels of English between 1 and 9. The scores are:

9.0 / 8.5 / 8.0 / 7.5 / 7.0 / 6.5 / 6.0 / 5.5 / 5.0 / 4.5 / 4.0 / 3.5 / 3.0 / 2.5 / 2.0 / 1.5 / 1.0

Your scores in Listening and Reading are decided quite simply. However, the decision in Writing and Speaking is much more complicated. Let’s look at the two different groups.
The IELTS scores – Listening and Reading
Although both of these exams are usually very difficult for the student, it’s quite easy for the examiner to decide the student’s score: it’s simply a case of how many questions were correctly answered.
The table below shows the scores exactly. However, it’s first important to understand what a right answer is.
In Listening and Reading a right answer is an answer which:
a) is correct;
b) obeys the instructions on the test; and
c) is spelled correctly.
The decision, then, is quite simple for the examiner. If the student meets all three criteria, (s)he gets 1 mark. 

Here, then, are the scores you can recieve in Listening and Reading:

	LISTENING score (TOTAL=40)		READING score (TOTAL=40)
9	39-40		39-40
8.5	37-38		37-38
8	35-36		35-36
7.5	32-34		33-34
7	30-31		30-32
6.5	26-29		27-29
6	23-25		23-26
5.5	18-22		19-22
5	16-17		15-18
4.5	13-15		13-14
4	10-12		10-12
3.5	8-10		8-9
3	6-7		6-7
2.5	4-5		4-5
0-2	[no score available]		[no score available]

The IELTS scores – Writing and Speaking
It’s much more difficult for the IELTS examiner to decide these scores, and the system is much more complicated.
Firstly, the examiner must use his/her judgement and opinion much more than in the Listening or Reading exams, and it must be done in a much shorter amount of time. This opinion is based on many things, but it basically comes down to two questions. Firstly, how well can the examiner understand you? Secondly, did you answer the question you were asked?
However, there is more to this IELTS score than just the examiner’s opinion. The examiner has quite complicated guides for your Listening and Speaking tests. These tell him or her to give you a score based on different criteria.
Here are the criteria the examiner uses, in simpler English:

	WRITING		SPEAKING
9	You answered the question you were asked. You thought carefully about what you would write and how to separate it into paragraphs. You used vocabulary and grammar exactly like a native speaker.		You spoke just like a native speaker. If you paused or hesitated, it was because you were thinking of what to say, not how to say it in English. Your vocabulary was very wide, very accurate and included idioms and figures of speech. Your grammar was the same. Your pronunciation was perfect, making your answer completely easy to understand.
8	Like a 9.0 score, you answered the question and structured your answer well with paragraphs. Only small errors in grammar and vocabulary tell us that you’re not a native speaker.		You spoke fluently – your answers were understood exactly. You paraphrased the questions well. (repeated them, changing the words, tense or pronoun) The few mistakes you made were with pronunciation or grammar.
7	You need some more focus in your answer, as it is a little too general or unclear. Also, you may use the same vocabulary/grammar again and again. However, you’ve structured your answer well into paragraphs, many of your sentences are perfect, and you use less common vocabulary once or twice.		You spoke well and for a suitably long time, but you did have to stop sometimes to think about the English you would use. Your vocabulary was wide enough to discuss many different subjects. Your grammar was wide enough to use many different structures and tenses. Your own native accent could be heard, even if you did obey most of the pronunciation rules.
6	You answered all the parts of the question. However, your ideas weren’t very clear. There was structure in your essay, but it was difficult to follow. You used some long sentences and some short sentences. Your vocabulary was good, but there were mistakes and you sometimes used the wrong kind of word (for example, you used a verb instead of a noun).		You could talk about many different subjects, and you used some complex sentences. There were many mistakes. However, they didn’t make your answer difficult to understand. You understand the rules of pronunciation, but you don’t use them all the time – this sometimes causes difficulty in understanding.
5	In general, you answered the question: you gave your ideas, but you didn’t give any details about them. Your answer was basically organised, but it was difficult to follow. Your vocabulary and grammar was full of mistakes, but it was enough to communicate your basic message.		Your speech was slow, and you often used the same sentence or the same language again and again. You could talk about many different subjects, but there were many problems in understanding you with some subjects. You used simple sentences perfectly. However, your more complex sentences had many mistakes. You understand most of the rules of pronunciation, but your own native accent was very strong.
4	You answered some parts of the question in a basic way. You didn’t structure your answer so it was difficult to see how your ideas were related to each other. It was also extremely difficult to understand your grammar and vocabulary because there were many mistakes.		You spoke slowly and often corrected yourself. You used simple sentences and linked them together, but with mistakes. You talked about a few different subjects, but you couldn’t talk about many because you didn’t have the vocabulary. Because of your vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation mistakes, it was difficult to understand you – maybe the examiner misunderstood you.
3	Your answer was very basic, very unclear. You didn’t really answer the different parts of the question. You used the same vocabulary again and again. You made many mistakes so your text was almost impossible to understand.		You could talk about yourself but not other subjects, and your sentences were very short and simple. You made many mistakes. Your pronunciation was very bad, so it made your answer very difficult to understand.
2	You didn’t answer the question. Maybe you gave one or two ideas but you didn’t explain any more. You don’t know how to form words and you don’t use sentences, except for sentences you have in your memory.		You couldn’t speak in sentences - only in words on their own, and you spent too much time trying to produce them. Often, you couldn’t be understood.
1	You gave an answer which had no relation to the question. You could only write a few words, and you didn’t write any sentences.		You couldn’t communicate at all.
0	You didn’t attend the exam, or you didn’t answer the question at all,      OR your answer was completely memorised.		You didn’t attend the speaking task.

Moving Forward...
In the next few weeks, we will look at the different skills. We will examine the different requirements, and you can learn important tips for getting the score you need. Writing will come first – and soon!

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