IELTS Writing tips Guidelines

• Minimum 150 words , you will lose marks if you are under this word count
• The task is to DESCRIBE data or a process. Do not give opinions, a hypothesis or solutions
• Your language should be academic and formal in style. Do not use abbreviations or contractions
• You should allow no more than 20 minutes to complete the task

It should be structured as follows;

• A short introduction (one or two sentences) which provides an overview of the data, i.e. what is the topic/area and how is the data presented. Do not copy the title heading, you should use your own words.
• The main  body which includes
  -The most significant information in the data / process; main similarities, differences, overall trends. You do not need to describe all the information presented
  -A few facts/figures from the data to support your description. It is not necessary to refer to all the data
• A short conclusion ( one or two sentences) which summarises the main trends or most significant features

Looking for information at speed and Summarising data

In the IELTS test there may be a lot of data to describe, in a limited number of words. It is essential that you select the appropriate details and organise the material in a relevant way in order to fulfil the task requirements satisfactorily. In order to do this within the time limit you need to develop your speed in using language and finding information from a graph.

The bar chart below shows the results of a survey to find out why Chinese and Indian university students want to learn English at university. The survey had 10,000 participants.

Reasons for Learning English

Examine the graph and answer the questions as accurately as possible.

1. What does the bar chart show?

2. What does the bar chart show overall:
How many people participated in the survey?
Where are the participants from?

3. Which group was more positive about learning English?

4. What were the top reasons for learning amongst the more positive group?
What data supports this (percentages)?

5. What were the top reasons for learning amongst the less positive group?
What data supports this (percentages)?

6. What were the least popular reasons for learning amongst the least positive group?
What data supports this (percentages)?

7. What were the least popular reasons for learning amongst the more positive group?
What data supports this (percentages)?

Answers

1. The bar chart shows the results of a survey.

2. 10,000 people were interviewed. The participants were Chinese and Indian university students.

3. Overall the Chinese students were more positive

4. The most popular reasons amongst the Chinese students for learning English were that it was useful for work and could improve job prospects. In addition it was thought to be enjoyable and useful for travel. Around 90% of the students interviewed gave these reasons.

5. The most popular reasons amongst the Indian students for learning English were that it was useful for work and could improve job prospects. In addition it was thought to be useful for travel. Around 50 - 60% of the students interviewed gave these reasons.

6. The least popular reasons amongst the Indian students for learning English were that it is important for studying and enjoyable. These statistics were all around 20 -30%.

The least popular reasons amongst the Chinese students for learning English were that it improves their own language, is important for studying and improves personal development. Around 70% of the students interviewed gave these reasons.

7. The least popular reasons amongst the Chinese students for learning English were that it improves their own language, is important for studying and improves personal development. Around 70% of the students interviewed gave these reasons.

Now take the sentences for your answers and combine them to make one, continuous text.

	Model Answer The bar chart shows the results of a survey in which 10,000 Chinese and Indian universities were interviewed Overall the Chinese students were more positive with the most popular reasons for learning English being that it was useful for work and could improve job prospects. In addition it was thought to be enjoyable and useful for travel with around 90% of the students interviewed giving these reasons. Similarly, the most popular reasons amongst the Indian students for learning English were its’ usefulness for work and travel, and its ability to improve job prospects with slightly over half the participants giving these reasons. Interestingly among the Indian students, enjoyment was not something that was thought to be an important factor nor its importance for studying with around a fifth stating these preferences. Conversely, 70% of the Chinese students thought learning English was is important for studying and that it improves their own language as well as their personal development. In general the graph shows that Chinese students are more positive about learning English than Indian students. Word count: 175

IELTS Tips

READ MORE ABOUT IELTS:

USA SAYS YES TO IELTS

TEST FORMAT

WHICH MODULE OF IELTS SHOULD YOU TAKE

TEST DATES

HOW TO APPLY FOR IELTS

FEES AND PAYMENT TERMS

HOW TO PREPARE FOR IELTS

TEST RESULT

BRITISH COUNCIL IELTS SCHOLARSHIP

IELTS FAQs