Task 1Task 1Task 1Task 1

RevisionRevisionRevisionRevision

Which activity was the most popular?Which activity was the most popular?

Which activity was least popular for men?Which activity was least popular for men?

Which activity was least popular for Which activity was least popular for

women?women?

Which activity shows the biggest Which activity shows the biggest

difference between men and women?difference between men and women?

IntroductionsIntroductionsIntroductionsIntroductions

In order to achieve a band 6 for Task achievement, candidates must ‘present and adequately highlight key features’ and be able to ‘present an overview with information appropriately selected’.

In Task 1, they could use the first paragraph to show their overall understanding of the data. This overview can be based on information taken from the title, the axes and the key of the chart.

TaskTaskTaskTask

Look at three introductions and write Look at three introductions and write

some notes on which you think is best and some notes on which you think is best and

why. Then compare your notes with the why. Then compare your notes with the

comments belowcomments below

Introduction a:

The table below shows how much time male and female adults spent on non-work activities in one European country during 2005. Some of the most important activities reported in the table are sleep and rest, audio-visual entertainment and housework and childcare. Women did more housework and childcare and therefore needed more rest.

Introduction b:

The table shows how adult men and women spent their leisure time in 2005. Eight main activities were identified. Looking at the table, we can see that the most popular activity for both groups was sleep and rest and the least popular activity was voluntary work.

Introduction c:

The table shows that men spent 15 per cent more time on audio-visual entertainment than women. Men also spent 50 minutes a week on hobbies. Women did 1 hour and 32 minutes of socialising a week, compared with 1 hour and 22 minutes for men. For both men and women, reading was the least popular activity.

CommentsCommentsCommentsCommentsIntroduction b is the best. It uses the information in the question and the table to give an overview of what information is being presented and to highlight the main points.

In Introduction a, the candidate starts by copying out sections from the question and the table. It is important for candidates to write in their own words about what they see, to show their understanding of the data. The candidate also explains why he thinks women spent more time on sleep and rest. In Task 1, candidates should describe what they see but not try to give reasons or opinions.

In Introduction c, the candidate has immediately started writing about specific details, but these should not be described until after an overview has been given. Also, some of the information is inaccurate – reading was not the least popular activity.

Lexical resourceLexical resourceLexical resourceLexical resource

For a band score of 6, candidates need to have an 'adequate range of

vocabulary' and for a band score of 7, they need a 'sufficient range of

vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision'. One way that

candidates can be more precise when describing graphs is by using

adverbs and adjectives.

Task- 2 minsTask- 2 minsTask- 2 minsTask- 2 mins

Look at the following sentence. How could you change it to make it

more precise? Think about changing verbs and nouns as well as

adding adverbs or adjectives:

Between 1992 and 1994 the number of 50-year olds rose.

Possible solutionsPossible solutionsPossible solutionsPossible solutions

You could add an adverb:

• Between 1992 and 1994 the number of 50-year olds rose dramatically.

• You could add an adjective to the noun:

• Between 1992 and 1994 there was a dramatic rise in the number of 50-year olds.

• You could change the verb to a more interesting synonym:

• Between 1992 and 1994 the number of 50-year olds rocketed.

Grammatical rangeGrammatical rangeGrammatical rangeGrammatical range

In any Task 1 that involves a graph, table or bar chart, candidates will need to compare information. They should use a variety of structures to compare the facts given in the visual data – a candidate who uses a limited range of structures will not get higher than a band 5 for Grammatical range. The use of some complex structures is needed for a band 6. Here are some examples of different grammatical structures that learners could use:

There were (comparative) X than Y.There were more male customers than female customers.

The amount of X was (multiples, e.g. double, triple, half) the amount of Y.The amount of spending on cars was double the amount of spending on clothes.

The number of X was as (adjective) as Y.The number of customers in 2010 was as high as in 2011.

The second paragraph

Having given an overview in the first paragraph, in the second paragraph of the writing the candidate should go on to describe other key points using information from the visual data to support what they are saying. They can then use a third paragraph to summarise and conclude.

It is important for candidates to remember that they should only describe the information given in the data. They should not invent any information.

Look at it againLook at it againLook at it againLook at it again

Write what you think are the answer's strengths and weaknesses and decide which band it would be awarded. Then look at the comments and compare your ideas.

Sample answerSample answerSample answerSample answer

The table shows how much time men and women spent on leisure activities. Men spent more time on hobbies, games, sport and audio-visual entertainment. Whereas women spent more time on all the other categories. They both spent almost the same amount on time on reading, sleeping and audio-visual entertainment. Yet there is a big difference in the category of ‘housework and childcare’. Men spent about one and a half hour on this. Whereas women spent more than twice as much time on this chore.

Women spent one fourth more time on voluntary work compared to men. However. Men spent 25 minutes more time on audio-visual entertainment as women do.

Women and men spent both most time on sleep and rest. In addition, they spent the least amount of time on voluntary work, reading, personal care and hobbies.

It was surprising that women spent much more time on housework and childcare. That leaves the question open if there is a lack of emancipation in that category.

ReviewReviewReviewReviewThis response presents the key information, but the introduction does not present the topic or the context accurately. An appropriate summary is given, but more figures could be used to give a clearer picture of the information. Nevertheless, the main comparisons are highlighted.

The information is grouped and organised in a relevant way. There is some good use of linking words to connect the information, but there are also errors in the use of some contrasting linking words.

A lot of vocabulary comes from the table and the task. Nevertheless, enough additional vocabulary is used accurately to address the task in an appropriate way.

The range of sentence types is rather restricted. There are not many examples of accurate complex sentences, although some are successful. There are more simple sentences that are accurate and there are some good examples of complex structures, such as comparative forms, within these.

This piece of writing was awarded a Band 6. Look at the descriptions for Band 6 in the IELTS Task 1 writing assessment criteria.