TRENDS 1 See & Say › 2 Transform › 3 Write It | COMPARE 4 See & Say › 5 Transform › 6 Write It | INTRO 7 See & Say › 8 Transform › 9 Write It

🏆 Lesson 9 — Write It

IELTS Task 1 Intro & Overview · B2 · Lesson 3 of 3 (Set 3) · The full toolkit

60-second speed drill

Twelve cards. Start the timer, click each one, say the answer aloud before it flips. If you get 10+, move on.

Time remaining: 1:00
Synonym for "shows" (chart verb)illustrates / depicts / presents / displays
Synonym for "compares"contrasts / sets X against Y
Paraphrase "the number of X"how many X / the quantity of X
Paraphrase "the proportion of X"the share of X / what percentage of X
Paraphrase "between 2000 and 2020"over a 20-year period from 2000 to 2020
Paraphrase "people in the UK"UK residents / British citizens / the British population
First word of every overview sentenceOverall,
Two things you must NEVER put in an overviewnumbers · opinions ("I think", "because of…")
How many main features does an overview name?1–2 — the BIGGEST patterns only
Where does the overview go in your essay?Right after the intro — second sentence (NOT at the end)
Fix: "The graph show the number..."The graph SHOWS the number... (singular subject → -s on the verb)
Fix: "Overall, the figure was 25% in 2010."No numbers in the overview! Use "rose / fell / dominated" instead.

Three charts, three frames

Three different chart types. For each, write the intro AND the overview. Then reveal the model. Different chart types need slightly different language — pay attention.

📊 Chart 1 — LINE GRAPH
"The graph shows the percentage of UK households owning a car between 1970 and 2020."
Main features: Car ownership rose steadily across the period, climbing from around 50% in 1970 to over 80% by 2020. The biggest gains came in the 1980s and 1990s, while the figure plateaued slightly after 2010.
INTRO
OVERVIEW

Intro: The line graph illustrates the share of British households that owned a car over a 50-year period from 1970 to 2020.

Overview: Overall, car ownership rose steadily across the five decades, with the steepest growth occurring in the 1980s and 1990s before levelling off in recent years.

📊 Chart 2 — BAR CHART
"The bar chart compares the average monthly income in five professions in Spain in 2024."
Main features: Doctors earned the most (€4,500). Teachers earned the least (€1,800). Engineers and lawyers were close to each other in the middle (€3,200 and €3,400). Nurses earned €2,600.
INTRO
OVERVIEW

Intro: The bar chart contrasts the typical monthly earnings in five different professions in Spain during 2024.

Overview: Overall, doctors received the highest income by a clear margin, while teachers earned the least, with the remaining three professions falling between these two extremes.

📊 Chart 3 — TWO PIE CHARTS
"The pie charts show the proportion of energy generated from four sources in one country in 2000 and 2020."
Main features: In 2000, coal dominated (60%), with gas, nuclear, and renewables sharing the rest. By 2020, the picture had reversed: renewables led (45%), coal had collapsed to 15%, and gas had grown.
INTRO
OVERVIEW

Intro: The two pie charts compare the share of energy generated from four different sources in one country in 2000 and again in 2020.

Overview: Overall, the energy mix shifted dramatically across the two decades, with renewables overtaking coal as the dominant source while gas use also grew.

The Write — full Task 1, full toolkit

This is the test. Write a complete 150+ word Task 1 response that uses EVERYTHING from all three sets:

  • Set 3 (this one): paraphrased intro + overview as your first paragraph
  • Set 1 (trends): verb+adverb (rose dramatically) and adj+noun (a dramatic rise) for changes
  • Set 2 (compare): comparatives, superlatives, and proportion phrases for contrasts between items

Plan for 2 minutes, write for 18. Check yourself with the scorecard in Tab 4.

The chart shows the percentage of UK adults using four social media platforms in 2010 and 2024.

0 20 40 60 80% Facebook 45% 70% Instagram 5% 55% TikTok 0% 60% X (Twitter) 20% 25% 2010 2024

Facebook 45→70 · Instagram 5→55 · TikTok 0→60 · X 20→25 (figures in %)

Words: 0

Model (185 words)

The bar chart contrasts the share of British adults using four different social media platforms in 2010 and again in 2024.

Overall, three of the four platforms saw considerable growth across the period, with Instagram and TikTok experiencing particularly dramatic rises, while X showed only marginal change. By 2024, Facebook remained the most widely used platform.

In 2010, Facebook was already the leading platform, used by 45% of adults, while Instagram had only just begun to attract users (5%) and TikTok did not yet exist. X was used by a fifth of the population.

By 2024, the picture had shifted considerably. Facebook had risen sharply to 70%, retaining its position as the most popular platform. Instagram saw the most striking growth in proportional terms, climbing from 5% to 55% — an eleven-fold increase. TikTok, starting from zero, reached 60% in just over a decade, overtaking Instagram. In contrast, X grew only marginally, from 20% to 25%, making it by far the least dynamic of the four.

Target language used: contrasts (intro verb), Overall (overview opener, no numbers), rose sharply / saw the most striking growth / climbing from (Set 1 trends), the most widely used / by far the least / an eleven-fold increase (Set 2 compare). Full toolkit, 185 words.

The full scorecard — mark your write against ALL three sets

Tick each box that your response achieves. This scorecard combines everything from Sets 1, 2, and 3.

Structure (Set 3)

Trend language (Set 1)

Comparison language (Set 2)

Accuracy (Task 1 killers)

Pass criteria

14+ out of 16 ticks → Full Task 1 Master. Move to Mastery tab.
10–13 → solid B2 — redo The Write paying attention to the missed boxes.
Below 10 → revisit whichever set has the most missed ticks (Set 3 = structure, Set 1 = trends, Set 2 = compare).

🎓 The full Task 1 toolkit

If you scored 14+ on the scorecard, you've now completed the full nine-lesson Task 1 set. You've got:

  • Set 1 — language for describing change (verb+adverb / adj+noun)
  • Set 2 — language for comparing items (comparative / superlative / multiple / proportion)
  • Set 3 — the architecture that holds it all together (paraphrased intro + clean overview)

That's the entire Band-7 toolkit for Task 1 reports. Whatever chart you're given on exam day, you can reach for these three sets.

🎓

Task 1 Master

IELTS Writing Task 1 · Full Toolkit (Sets 1–3)

This certificate confirms that

can open any Task 1 with a paraphrased intro and a clean overview, then describe trends and comparisons using accurate Band-7 language across all common chart types.

The line graph illustrates… Overall, … rose dramatically … the highest … twice as much as …

Issued by Malcolm the Teacher · preply-lessons

What to do next

→ Different chart types

The toolkit works on every chart, but each type has its own quirks: line graphs (time prepositions), pie charts (proportion phrases), tables (multi-column comparison), process diagrams (sequencing language), maps (location vocabulary). See the Task 1 Master Lesson for chart-specific extras.

→ Spaced repetition — come back in 7 days

Redo Lesson 9's Speed Drill and The Write in a week. If both are still fluent, the full toolkit is yours for exam day.

→ Task 2 essays

Different game — structured argument, hedging, concession, conclusions. See the full IELTS Writing Pathway.

→ Mock exam under timed conditions

The next step is a full timed Task 1 (20 minutes, 150+ words, no aids). Try the Task 1 timed practice and assess yourself with this scorecard.