IELTS Advantage: Academic Task 1 Writing - Bar Charts

Introduction

• Focus on writing a band nine response for task one academic writing.
• Emphasis on the importance of thinking while writing; it's a thinking test as much as a writing test.

Understanding Bar Charts and Data

• What to expect in Task 1 Academic: A paragraph with data to summarize and report main features.
• Bar charts visualize data, making it easier to understand compared to raw numbers.
• Key points to remember:
  • Summarize key information (150-200 words).
  • Look for main features and comparisons.

Analyzing the Bar Chart

• Topic of the chart: Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India and China (2014-2019).
• Main purposes:
  1. Compare FDI between China and India.
  2. Show trends over time.
• General trends observed:
  • China: Decreasing trend in FDI.
  • India: Fluctuating but relatively stable.
• Overall observation: China has more FDI than India throughout the period.

Writing Structure

Introduction

• Simply paraphrase the first sentence of the question paragraph.
• Use synonyms for clarity (e.g., 'shows' can be replaced with 'illustrates').
• Example paraphrase components:
  • "The chart..."
  • Change "foreign direct investment" to "outside investment" where appropriate.
  • Adjust wording for precision (e.g., "between 2014 and 2019").

Overview

• Quality of overview is crucial; must summarize main features.
• Begin with "Overall," to introduce general observations without specific figures.
• Key points for overview:
  1. China's expenditure declined steadily.
  2. India's FDI fluctuated but was generally lower than China's.

Details Paragraphs

1. China's FDI Analysis:

   • Detail the trend year by year (e.g., $80 billion in 2014, fell to $60 billion in 2015).
   • Highlight significant changes (e.g., resurgence in 2018).
   • Use approximate figures (e.g., "just under 80 billion").

2. India's FDI Analysis:

   • Start with initial figures (e.g., more than $20 billion in 2014).
   • Describe fluctuations and major increases.
   • Compare with China where relevant (e.g., only in 2015 did India exceed China).

Important Vocabulary for Reporting Data

• Descriptive terms: declined, fluctuated, receding, resurgence, reached more than, increased dramatically.
• Accuracy in reporting: use "around," "more than," "approximately," etc.

Conclusion

• Simplifying the understanding of data and following a clear structure improves scoring chances.
• Watch for common mistakes in vocabulary for further improvement.