IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic: How to Describe Charts, Graphs & Maps

Understanding What Task 1 Academic Is Testing

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 asks you to describe visual data — typically a line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table, diagram, or map — in at least 150 words within 20 minutes. The task is not a test of your opinions or general knowledge. It is a test of your ability to accurately report, compare, and summarise data using appropriate academic language.

Many candidates make the critical error of trying to explain why the data looks the way it does, or of including their personal opinions. This directly harms your Task Achievement score. Your role is to report what the data shows — nothing more, nothing less.

The Essential Four-Part Structure

A high-scoring Task 1 response consistently follows this structure:

1. Introduction: Paraphrase the task description — say what the visual shows in your own words. Never copy the question.
2. Overview: Identify the two or three most significant trends, patterns, or features. This is the most important paragraph and is worth significant marks.
3. Detail Paragraph 1: Support your overview with specific data and figures.
4. Detail Paragraph 2: Continue with further detail, comparisons, and supporting statistics.

The overview paragraph is where many candidates lose marks. Examiners specifically look for a clear summary of the most prominent features. A response without a clear overview cannot achieve Band 6 or above, regardless of language quality.

Describing Trends: The Language You Need

For line graphs and data that changes over time, a varied range of trend language is essential. Avoid repeating the same verb or phrase throughout your response.

Verbs for upward trends:

• rose, increased, grew, climbed, surged, soared

Verbs for downward trends:

• fell, declined, decreased, dropped, plummeted, dipped

Verbs for stability:

• remained stable, levelled off, plateaued, stayed constant

Combine these verbs with adverbs to show the degree of change: rose sharply, declined gradually, increased marginally, dropped dramatically. This demonstrates the lexical range needed for Band 7+.

Making Comparisons in Bar Charts and Pie Charts

When describing bar charts or pie charts, the focus shifts from trends to comparisons between categories. Use comparative and superlative structures accurately:

• significantly higher than
• roughly double the figure for
• the largest proportion was accounted for by
• in contrast to / whereas / while

Always include precise figures from the chart to support your comparisons. Vague statements like "sales were high" score far lower than "sales reached approximately 4.5 million units, significantly outperforming the nearest competitor at 2.1 million."

Describing Processes and Diagrams

Process diagrams require a different approach. Rather than comparing figures, you must describe a sequence of stages logically and clearly, using passive voice and sequencing language.

Useful sequencing phrases include:

• First / Initially / To begin with
• Following this / Subsequently / The next stage involves
• Finally / At the last stage / The process concludes with

Passive voice is particularly important for processes: "The raw materials are heated to 200 degrees" rather than "Workers heat the raw materials."

Describing Maps

Map tasks ask you to compare a location at two different points in time, or compare two different locations. The key language involves spatial description and change over time:

• to the north/south/east/west of
• adjacent to, opposite, surrounding, in the centre of
• was replaced by, was demolished, was extended, was constructed
• underwent significant development, remained largely unchanged

Common Task 1 Mistakes to Avoid

• Copying the task description word-for-word as your introduction
• Omitting the overview paragraph
• Describing every single data point without identifying the main trends
• Including personal opinions or speculating about causes
• Writing fewer than 150 words

How to Improve Your Task 1 Score

The fastest way to improve is to practise with authentic IELTS Task 1 prompts and then review your response critically against the four scoring criteria. Ask yourself: Does my introduction paraphrase, not copy? Is there a clear overview? Have I included specific data? Does my language show range?

For instant, detailed feedback, use our AI evaluator to check your score — it assesses your Task 1 response against official IELTS criteria and tells you exactly where to improve before your real exam.