IELTS Writing – Part One

The IELTS writing test is divided into two parts, each lasting one hour.

Part One:
Describe graphical information, such as statistical data.
Candidates must write at least 150 words for this part, and it’s best not to spend more than 20 minutes.

Part Two:
Complete an essay question.
For this section, candidates must write at least 250 words, and the time spent should preferably not exceed 40 minutes.

Introduction to Part 1 of the IELTS Writing Test

The purpose of the first part of the writing test is to assess the candidate’s ability to describe how to present data in charts, graphs, tables, and other forms. In UK universities, students must write such essays, so this is a great preparation for a student about to study in the UK. Imagine you are a marketing student who needs to conduct some market research during your studies, and your findings will be presented in charts and data. At this point, your professor will likely ask you to write a report describing the information you have gathered and drawing conclusions.

Step 1: Understand the graphic information

Let’s look at the following questions. These questions are similar to those found in actual IELTS writing tests.

Using the information presented in the table below, write a short essay describing the preferences of people of different ages regarding raising different pets.

The relationship between choice of pets and the age of pet owners

Before you start writing, two things are very important. First, understand the data in the chart. Second, think about how to answer questions and organize what you want to write into paragraphs.

Key Point 1: Understand the data in the chart

How do you understand the data in the chart? You have to take it step by step. Here are a few steps you must take:

1. Find a heading or topic. Usually, there is a heading on a chart or table. This heading is very useful as it provides an overview of the data for the graph.

2. Identify the main factors. Most data is used to show relationships between two or more groups of factors. In the example we listed, the survey results show the relationship between pets owned and different age groups. Usually, the main factors are listed in the title bar and title bar.

3. Identify the main trends. Can you spot obvious trends in the data? Some trends may be very obvious. For example, in the table above, it’s clear that dogs and cats are more popular pet choices than snakes and pigs. However, you should also identify trends that arise from other related factors. For instance, look at the relationship between the percentage and age of people keeping birds as pets in this example. You’ll find that compared to younger people, keeping birds seems more popular among older people.

Key Point 2: How to organize and conceive your article

1. Your article must be presented in paragraphs. The first paragraph is usually an introduction. In the paragraph, you can describe the basic information in the chart, then explain the data you are going to describe, and finally make some comments. Next is the main part of the article. In this section, you will describe the data in the chart in several paragraphs. The final part is the conclusion. In this paragraph, you should summarize the data you described and explain any major trend you have identified. Sometimes, the title will also require you to comment on the reasons or reasons behind the main trends. Don’t be afraid to conclude; your conclusion may add value to your article.

2. You should carefully consider how to organize your ideas into sections. You must organize this article well, and try to write as few paragraphs as possible. Let’s use the table above as an example to illustrate. In the example above, there are two variables: age group and pets. If you use the pet column as your base, then you need to write in eight sections (one type of pet should write one section). If you base your writing on age group, then you should write in four sections. Which option is better? Of course, the second one. Writing four paragraphs in this article is clearer and simpler than writing eight paragraphs.

Therefore, we will use the age group column as the basis and write this article in four sections. Our writing plan is as follows:

Now it’s time for you to pick up your pen and practice answering. After you finish, you can compare it with our sample essays. The sample essays are organized into sections based on the above writing plan.

Sample essays are as follows:

The table shows us some statistics which tell us about the relationship between the types of pet that people keep and the age groups of these pet owners. Maybe the age of people influences their decision to choose a type of pet. I will describe the information in the table and then try to explain some of the trends which the statistics show to us.

In the first age group, people who are age 0 to 15, we can see that dogs are the most popular choice. 35 per cent of the pet owners in this age group have chosen dogs. The second most popular choices are cats and rabbits. We can also see that some children also like to keep fish and mice as pets. Birds, pigs and snakes are not popular choices!

We can see that dogs are also the most popular choice of pet for people in the age group 16 to 30. The second most popular choice is cats. Rabbits, birds and fish are less popular choices. Mice, snakes and pigs are not popular in this age group.

Dogs are again the most popular choice for people in the age group 31 to 50. Cats are the second most popular choice. Birds and fish are half as popular. People in this age group do not like to keep mice and snakes as pets very much. Pigs are not kept as pets at all.

In the age group of elderly people, from 51 and above, we can see that their favourite pets are cats. Half of the people in this group prefer keeping cats as pets – maybe because they are well-behaved and comforting. The second most popular choice are birds and the third are dogs. Elderly people do not like to keep mice, snakes and pigs as pets.

From the information in the table we can see that there seems to be a relationship between age and the choice of pet. Dogs are popular with all age groups, particularly with middle-aged people. Cats seem to become more popular as people’s age increases. Some pets, such as rabbits, mice and fish, seem to be more popular with young people. The graph shows that as age increases they become a less popular choice.