Describing Graphs and Charts
Most candidates already know the words rise and fall. What separates a 6 from a 7 is writing a clear overview, choosing what not to mention, and knowing which grammar each word takes. Choose a tutorial below.
About the figures on this page
Every figure and diagram in these tutorials is invented by RCF English for practice. Nothing describes a real country, town or dataset, and it must not be quoted as fact.
Its only purpose is to give you something accurate to write about. Real Task 1 questions use real data, but the language you need is identical.
Six tutorials, one for every kind of Task 1 visual
Each tutorial has a drawn chart, a step-by-step method, the language for that chart type, a model answer, Band 5 and Band 7 sentences compared, common mistakes, and a second task with its own model answer.
1. Line graph
Change over time: trends, peaks and sudden falls.
2. Bar chart
Comparing categories, and how they change.
3. Pie charts
Shares of a whole, and how they change.
4. Table
Many figures: select, group and compare.
5. Process diagram
Stages in order, in the passive voice.
6. Maps
What has changed in a place, and where.
The mistake that caps most answers at Band 5
Writing down every number in the order it appears.
Task 1 asks you to select the significant features and make comparisons. A list of all twenty figures shows you can read a chart; it does not show you can write. The examiner is looking for an overview — the two or three things a person would notice from across the room — and you are marked down if it is missing.
Select. You are not required to mention every figure, and you should not.
The 20-minute method for every Task 1
Understand (1 minute)
What is measured, in what unit, and over what time? The time decides your tense.
Find the key features (2 minutes)
The biggest, the smallest, the fastest change, anything that overtakes, anything that stays the same.
Plan (2 minutes)
Introduction, overview, two body paragraphs. Decide which data goes in which body paragraph.
Write (12 minutes)
About 170 to 190 words. Each claim supported by one or two figures.
Check (3 minutes)
Tense, articles, prepositions (by, to, from), units, and word count.
The structure, in four paragraphs
1. Introduction — one sentence. Paraphrase the question. Change the wording, not the meaning. Copied introductions are not counted in your word total.
**2. Overview — two sentences, signalled with Overall. The biggest thing, and the second biggest. No figures needed here. This paragraph earns the most and is the one candidates leave out.**
3. Detail paragraph one. One group of the data, with figures as support.
4. Detail paragraph two. The rest, with comparison.
About 170 to 190 words. Under 150 is penalised.
The overview: the paragraph that decides your band
Without a clear overview, Task Achievement is held down however good the English. The overview gives the general picture, with no figures.
| Visual | Weak overview | Strong overview |
|---|---|---|
| Line graph | Overall, Asia was 380 in 2019. | Overall, arrivals from all three regions rose until 2019 and then collapsed, with Asia the largest source throughout. |
| Bar chart | Overall, there are five items. | Overall, ownership of every item rose, and the mobile phone overtook the television as the most common. |
| Pie charts | Overall, food is 45% and 30%. | Overall, food remained the largest expense, but its share fell, while housing, transport and education all took a greater share. |
| Table | Overall, the table has many numbers. | Overall, social media dominated young people's free time, whereas television was the main activity for older groups. |
| Process | Overall, tea is made in a factory. | Overall, there are seven stages, beginning with plucking and ending with packing. |
| Maps | Overall, there are many changes. | Overall, the town centre has become more residential and greener, although the river and main road are unchanged. |
Verbs and nouns of change — and the grammar each takes
| Verb form | Noun form | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| rise / rose / risen | a rise | Sales rose. — no object. Never sales rose the profit. |
| increase | an increase | Numbers increased to 500 (endpoint) · increased by 200 (amount). |
| grow / grew | growth | growth is uncountable — a rapid growth is wrong; write rapid growth. |
| fall / fell / fallen | a fall | Prices fell to 40. Never fell down. |
| decline | a decline | Slightly formal; good for gradual movement. |
| decrease | a decrease | decreased from 90 to 60. |
| drop | a drop | Suggests suddenness. A sharp drop. |
| plummet | — | A very steep fall. Use once at most, or it sounds rehearsed. |
| fluctuate | a fluctuation | Up and down with no clear direction. |
| remain stable / level off / plateau | — | Numbers levelled off at 200 — stopped changing after a period of change. |
| peak | a peak | Sales peaked at 500 in 2018 — the highest point, with the year. |
| reach a low of | a low | Figures reached a low of 12. |
| overtake | — | Mobile phones overtook televisions in 2014 — passed another category. |
| double / triple | — | The figure doubled — no by. Doubled by two is wrong. |
Saying how much, and how fast
| Degree | Adjective + noun | Verb + adverb |
|---|---|---|
| Very large | a dramatic rise · a sharp increase | rose dramatically · increased sharply |
| Large | a significant increase · a considerable fall | increased significantly · fell considerably |
| Moderate | a steady rise · a gradual decline | rose steadily · declined gradually |
| Small | a slight fall · a marginal increase | fell slightly · increased marginally |
| Very small | a negligible change | barely changed |
| Fast | a rapid increase | increased rapidly |
| Slow | a slow decline | declined slowly |
Prepositions — the commonest errors we see
| Write this | Not this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| rose by 30 | rose with 30 | by = the size of the change. with is a first-language habit. |
| rose to 500 | rose until 500 | to = the endpoint reached. |
| from 2010 to 2020 · between 2010 and 2020 | from 2010 until 2020 · between 2010 to 2020 | from...to and between...and are fixed pairs. Do not mix them. |
| in 2015 · at 40% · at its peak | on 2015 · in 40% | Years take in; values take at. |
| a rise of 20% | a rise of 20% points (unless it truly is percentage points) | A rise of an amount; a rise to a level. |
Which tense? Read the dates first
| The visual shows | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past years only | Past simple | Car ownership rose from 5 to 14 per cent. |
| Past years, with a change by a later date | Past perfect | By 2020, the mobile phone had overtaken the television. |
| A future forecast | is expected to, is predicted to, will | Solar power is predicted to rise to 20 per cent by 2025. |
| A process | Present simple passive | The leaves are rolled and then dried. |
| A map from the past to today | Present perfect passive | The factory has been replaced by apartments. |
| No time given | Present or past simple, consistently | Television took up 16 hours a week among the oldest group. |
Checking your own answer
Do
- Write an overview and start it with Overall
- Give the years or units in the introduction
- Support each claim with one figure, not five
- Compare — the word while or whereas should appear at least twice
- Use both grammar shapes: rose sharply and a sharp rise
- Count your words once, early, so you know what 170 looks like in your handwriting
Avoid
- Explaining why a trend happened — never asked, never credited
- Saying whether a trend is good, worrying, or encouraging
- Copying the question wording into your introduction
- Listing every figure in chart order
- Increased with, rose until 500, between 2010 to 2020
- Ending with a conclusion that repeats the overview — Task 1 needs no conclusion
Compare your writing against official marked answers
Once you have written two or three of the tasks above, read the test owner's official example responses with band scores and examiner comments (PDF, ielts.org).
Real candidate answers, marked, with the examiner explaining the band. Reading why one answer got 6 and another 7 will teach you more than any amount of advice — including this page.
Continue
IELTS Writing
Task 1 letters and Task 2 essays, with original practice prompts.
IELTS overview
The four modules, the nine bands, and how the score is worked out.
Practical Writing
General writing skills underneath the test.