Tips in Writing Task 1

7/30/2019 Tips in Writing Task 1

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TIPS IN WRITING TASK 1

When your Academic Writing 1 Task is graded byIELTS examiners, they look for this structure:IntroductionBodyConclusion

Introduction should describe the purpose of reportand say what overall trends you see.For example, if the graph is climbing up or droppingdown, you should mention that.You need toremember that you are describing a graph to

someone who doesnt see it. Write what the graph isabout, its dates and location.

Body should describe the most important trends,while all information is summarized to avoidunnecessary details. For example, if there is a graphthat has 2 peaks, you should mention them; tell

when those peaks appeared and what the peakvalues are.Notice how many distinctive featuresdiagram has and divide information into paragraphs,

one paragraph for one feature. You should link theparagraphs by sentences that logically connect themto one another.

Important! You need to write about all the periods oftime and all the subjects of graph.If it shows severalyears (1992, 1993, 1994) write about all of them,if it is about men and women write about both.Remember, summarizing doesnt mean throwingaway information. The secret here is to select whats

important, organize it, compare and contrast.

Conclusion should sum up the global trends shownon the figure and compare them if possible.

While you Write: Layout

Introduction

First sentence: Describe the graph. You can usesome slightly different words or word forms

from those on the question paper, but be careful

to give the full information. Start The graph

shows

Second sentence: This gives the trend or trends.You can put two trends in this sentence or only

one you could keep the other one for the

conclusion. Start Overall,

Paragraph 1: Trend 1

Start with a sentence with no number. Citysize increased sharply over the period. The

most obvious trend in the graph is that women

are having fewer babies. Oil production has

increased slightly in all the countries in the

graph

Follow this sentence with an example(sentence with number) and perhaps

another example (another sentence with

number). Keep alternating.

Paragraph 2: Trend 2

Start with a sentence with no number. Citysize increased sharply over the period.

Give an example (sentence with number)and perhaps another example (Sentence with

number)

Conclusion

Finish by repeating the main trends, or identifya second trend. Use different vocabulary.

Dont have any numbers in the conclusion (youcould use words like most, the majority aminority, a small number).

Dont give an opinion.Movements ( verbs ) UP

Rose Went up Increased Grew Shot up Surged RocketedMovements ( Verbs) Down

Fell Declined Dropped Decreased Sank Went down Plunged Plummeted

Prepositions

Between 1995 and 2000 From 1995 to 2000 Sales rose from 200 to 250 Sales fell to 150 in March Sales fell by 50%Adverbs and intensifiers


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slightly a little a lot sharply suddenly steeply gradually

gently steadilyNo movements ( verbs with adjectives )

remained steady were unchanged did not change remained constant remained stable stabilized

TOPS and Bottoms

reached a peak peaked reached their highest level fell to a low sank to a trough reached a bottomThe Vocabulary of NumbersThere are some special words for numbers, fractions

and percentages.

Look at the following table which shows a number in

different years (1990-1995) :

1990 1995

1200 1800

You could describe the above table using numbers,

fractions orpercentages:

The number went upby 600, from 1200 to800. (Number)

The number went upby half, from 1200 to1800. (Fraction)

The figure went upby 50%, from 1200 to1800.Percentage)

The figure went up 150%, to 1800. (Percentage)1992 1994 1996 1998

500 1000 3000 12000

Use trebled,-fold,and times: The number doubled between 1992 and 1994. The number trebledbetween 1994 and 1996. The figure quadrupled from 1996 to 1998

There was a twofold increasebetween 1992and 1994.

The figure went up sixfoldbetween 1992 and1996.

The figure in 1996 was three times the 1992figure.

The figure in 1998 was four times the 1996figure.

1992 1994 1996 1998

1000 800 400 100

Use Fractions:

Between 1992 and 1994, the figure fell byone-fifth.

Between 1994 and 1996, the number droppedbya half.

The figure in 1998 was one-tenth the 1992total.

Tips task 2

Our final C, composition, refers to employing a

proper essay structure. This means including a thesis(in the case of an argument essay), at least 2supporting ideas, real-life examples, properdiscussion of those examples as well as some kind ofsummary and finally a reasoned conclusion. To breakit down, an argument essay is most likely going tocontain 15 sentences partitioned into 4 paragraphsand follow a pattern something like this:

Introduction paragraph

A background sentence giving somebackground information on the essay topic.

A more detailed sentence linking thebackground sentence to the thesis.

A thesis that presents your point of view onyour given topic.

An outline sentence declaring the 2 pointsyou are going to use to support your thesis.

Supporting paragraph 1

A topic sentence illustrating the first pointyou will be presenting to support your thesis

(this point taken from your outline sentence). A sentence showing a real-life example of

this topic in action.

A discussion sentence that shows how yourexample links or proves your topic sentence.


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A conclusion sentence that links this entireparagraph back to your thesis.

Supporting paragraph 2

A topic sentence illustrating the second pointyou will be presenting to support your thesis(this point taken from your outline sentence).

A sentence showing a real-life example ofthis topic in action.

A discussion sentence that shows how yourexample links or proves your topic sentence.

A conclusion sentence that links this entireparagraph back to your thesis.

Conclusion paragraph

A summary sentence that briefly states the 2points you discussed in your supportingparagraphs.

A restatement of your thesis using differentwords.

A prediction or recommendation based on thetopic you have been given.

TRANSITIONS

AGREEMENT: also, plus, in addition, further,furthermore, moreover, additionally, to add to that,next, in accordance with, accordingly, in agreement,finally, for instance, for example, in exemplification,exemplifying that, in fact, factually speaking, interms of, and so forth, looking at the nexus between,in coordination with, along those lines, collectively

speaking, generally speaking, indeed, undoubtedly,obviously, to be sure.

CONTRAST: however, contrastingly, in contrast, onthe contrary, on the other hand, To put it intoperspective, from a different angle, nonetheless,nevertheless, but, yet, a catch to this is, sadlyenough, as a hindrance, looking at the holdups,oddly enough, instead, in direct opposition, still, andrather.

RESULT: as a result, as a consequence,

consequently, thus, therefore, hence, thereby,resulting in, ultimately, in the end, finally, in the

overall analysis, in hindsight, in retrospect,

retrospectively, vicariously, the long term effect, as a

short term result, significantly, as a major effect,

effectively, heretofore, hereafter, thereafter, in short,

generally, over all, concluding.

This is how they grade your essay: you receive

points for Task Response, Coherence andCohesion, Lexical Resource,Grammatical Rangeand Accuracy. Looks heavy? Never mind, herecomes the simple English version:

Task Response means that your essay showsthat you understood and covered the topic from allits sides, aspects, etc. Lets take this topic forexample Internet: connecting or isolating

people?. Those who chose to write about howInternet connects people loose marks, those whochose to write about how Internet isolates people loose marks, those who compare and contrast bothsides of the Internet and give arguments for andagainst gain marks.

Coherence and Cohesion means how well youconnected the paragraphs and sentences inside eachparagraph. You see, all of your paragraphs need to

be logically connected. For example, if paragraph 1explains the advantages of the Internet, andparagraph 2 explains its disadvantages, thenparagraph 1 should have last sentence sayingsomething like this: In spite of Internet being such ahelp in communication, its drawbacks can not beoverlooked. This sentence creates the connectionbetween 1st and 2nd paragraphs. If it wasnt there,examiner could think that you jumped from

advantages to disadvantages without a reason. Thesame rule applies to sentences inside the paragraph.Every sentence should lead to the next one.

Lexical Resource means vocabulary and differenttypes of sentences, simple and complex. You shouldbe able to use words and their synonyms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy meansspelling and grammar of sentences. You should beable to spell the words correctly, do not forget

articles a and the, punctuations is also important,etc you get the picture, dont you?

The Arguments againstTechnologyIt seems hard to imagine that there was once a life

without cell phones, computers, and computer

programs, but there was. Now, as technology

improves and more and more people rely on

technology for everyday life, older people are

speaking out against the use of such technological

advancements.

The argument against technology is simple to

understand: technology is replacing our need to

know the basic fundamentals of education. Many

people feel that technology like spell-check in

computer programs and calculators on phones

makes learning these simple lessons obsolete. Why

learn how to spell words correctly when a

computer program will correct the word for you?

Why learn how to add sums in your head when it is

faster to type the numbers into a calculator?

The simple truth of the matter is computers have

been created to make our life easier, and easier it


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certainly is. However, with all these advancements

comes a certain level of educational loss within our

learning systems. Many elementary schools no

longer teach cursive writing, instead it has become

mandatory that children learn to use software

programs.

However, as times change, it is important to

remember that the skills that students are learning

today are valuable skills for a lifetime. When it

comes time for a child to get a job it is now more

important that an employee can work the cash

register than that they can make change. As

computer programs run more and more of our

everyday lives it becomes important that todays

youth be able to run the systems.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of

the internet?"

These days the internet has become more and

more popular all over the world and is now an

integral part of modern society. The internet refers

to a global network of computers connected by

servers, which allows for the free and easy sharing

of information. This essay will assess whether the

internet can be seen as beneficial or harmful. The

essay will analyze the arguments and form a

conclusion about them.

To begin with the positive points : First, the

internet is good for communication. In this way,

people all over the world can communicate quickly

and conveniently with each other by chatting or

sending emails. Second, it has lots of benefits for

education. In this way, students are able to conduct

research online to help them with their studies.

Next, businesses get lots of advantages by using the

web. For instance, it is now possible for companies

to advertise and sell their products by setting up

web-sites, or alternatively they could promote

themselves effectively by utilizing some of the e-

commerce tools available in cyberspace. Last, there

are plenty of entertainment sites on the net. For

example, it is possible to download songs, play

games and listen to music all with the click of a

mouse.

Moving onto the negative aspects : Firstly, the

internet has no rules or laws. This means that

criminals and terrorist organizations can openly

operate behind the safety of a computer screen. The

terrorist organization Al-Qaeda has been extremely

effective in using the power of the web to promote

terror on a worldwide scale. Next, sex sites are a

fundamental problem online. In this regard, if

children were to view such obscene material, their

minds would be adversely affected. Lastly, viruses

are easily transmitted via the internet. A goodexample of this was the Love Bug virus a few years

ago, which caused havoc and mayhem by infecting a

large number of computers over a very wide area.

In conclusion, it can be observed from the above

arguments that the internet has both pros and cons.

It is disadvantageous in that it has no laws, sex sites

and viruses; however it is more beneficial than

harmful primarily because it provides a very

convenient, effective and quick method of

communicating in the modern world.

Dieting can change a persons life for the betteror ruins ones health completely. Whats youropinion?

Dieting seems to be part of our life in this modernsociety, especially for those who are healthconscious. Different people choose different type ofdieting methods, trying to achieve what they believeto be good for either their health or physicalappearance. In general, most of the people who diet

are focusing on controlling their weight.

In our urban society, most of the working

class person does not have the opportunity toconsume a healthy meal. Their daily meals consist offast food which contains high amount of fat and salt.The most significant prove of this unhealthy lifestyleis weight gain especially among those middle ageworking professionals.

Therefore, most of these young and energetic peoplehave to control their diet in order to stay in shapeeither for their appearance or health. The most

common and proper method of maintaining onesweight is eating less oily food, preferably more greenvegetables, fruits and avoid alcohol.

However, some have restore to losing weight byrestricting their diet to the very minimal or to someextreme, not eating at all for days. Others will makethemselves vomit after each meal. Many others willgo for dieting medication and beverages that causethem to lose their appetite. These

unhealthy dieting will cause internal damage in thelong run.

In my opinion, dieting for better health is moreimportant than solely for looking attractive.Individual who wish to control their weight shouldseek professional advise if they are unable to reducetheir weight after switching over to a healthy diet for


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a period of time. Losing weight and losing yourhealth together does not benefit any individual.

This essay needs some work. The first bodyparagraph explains the reason people have fordieting, whereas it should explain what are theadvantages or the dangers of it. The second

body paragraph explains how to diet, whereasit should present arguments for or againstdieting. Therefore, the task is only partiallycovered here.

On the bright side, the sentences are well-structured and the vocabulary is sufficient, theusage of linking words is smooth and the

spelling and grammar are mostly fine (seecomments underlined in blue). Overall, lookslike a Band 6 essay.

Example (For & Against Essay)

Censorship is necessary in modern society.

Discuss.

Censorship is an issue which frequently generates a

great deal of heated debate, with supporters

maintaining that it is vital in order to protect

society, whilst opponents claim that it is an

unjustifiable restriction of public access to

information.

Firstly, all countries have secrets which must be

safeguarded for reasons of national security. For

instance, if an enemy country were to acquire such

highly sensitive information, the effects could be

catastrophic. Consequently, governments have to

have the power to restrict access to information

concerning areas such as the armed forces or

particular aspects of foreign policy.

Secondly, it is often argued that censorship is

necessary to prevent the broadcast and publication

of obscene material which is considered offensive

or harmful to public morals. Many people feel that,without censorship the public would be constantly

subjected to material that the majority would find

offensive. For this reason, the government has a

duty to impose certain restrictions on the mass

media by censoring films and texts which contain

explicit scenes of sex, violence or foul language.

In contrast, opponents of censorship point out that

when it is abused by governments, censorship

becomes an instrument used to misinform societyand maintain power. In order to control the flow of

information which riches the public, repressive

regimes try to put constraints on the media, thus

denying citizens the right to information owing to

the fact that governments believe it may lead them

to seek greater freedom.

Furthermore, it is generally felt that mature adults

are able to make informed choices about what they

watch, read and listen to and should, therefore, be

permitted to make their own decisions. For

example, some comedians make use of offensive

language taboo subjects in their performances.

Critics of censorship argue that the only people who

will watch or listen to such material are adults who

have made a conscious decision to do so. Thus, it is

claimed, it is unjust to censor material like this

since it is not forced upon people who may

subsequently be offended by it.

All things considered, it can be concluded that a

certain degree of censorship is always necessary.

The best course of action would be to attempt to

achieve a balance between the requirements of the

country and the public on the one hand, and

individuals rights on the other.

Cause and Effect: ObesityThis is a cause and effect essay on obesity (being

overweight or too fat). It is divided into four

paragraphs:

introduction causes effects conclusionTry to aim at three causes and three effects. Give

examples for each one. Here is a diagram with some

ideas click for a larger image.
http://writefix.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/food.gif


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Obesity has become a major problem in the UAE.

Over 60% of Emirati nationals are overweight. This

is a difficult problem with many serious

effects on the individual and country.

Obesity can be divided into three main causes - diet,

lifestyle and education. One of the chief causes

is diet. Young Emiratis eat more and more high-

carbohydrate, high-fat burgers and pizza in fast-food restaurants. However, some traditional foods

are also very oily, andbecause of increasing

affluence are eaten more often than in the past.

Lifestyle is a second main cause of obesity.As a

result of cheap foreign labour, many Emiratis

now have sedentary jobs, and do not exercise

regularly. However, one of the main causes is

lack of educationand awareness. The societys

attitude to food often leads to over-consumption.

Parents do not teach good eating habits to children,

and many people lack knowledge about good

nutrition or a balanced diet.

Obesity affects the individual and the country. The

biggest effect is on the individual. First of all,

being overweight has health risks. Obesitycan

lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other

conditions. The quality of life suffers, as it is difficult

to enjoy exercise or move.Another result is lack

of self-esteem.This can lead to depression, eating

disorders and crash diets. The country is

also affected. It becomes very expensive for thegovernment to provide advanced medical care such

as heart transplants. Unhealthy citizens are also less

productive. and their children learn poor eating

habits.

Obesity or even being overweight has serious

effects on the individual and the society. Both need

to take action to examine the causes of this problem

and find solutions.

Cause and Effect: Fast Food

In the past people in the United Arab Emirates usedto eat healthy, freshly prepared food with theirfamilies in the home. Today however, many people,particularly young people, prefer to eat fast foodsuch as hamburgers, fried chicken, shawarma, orpizza. There are many reasons why this change hasoccurred, but this essay will also outline the seriouseffects of this move towards fast food on individualsand society.

There are many reasons for the popularity of fastfood. One of the main reasons is the change inlifestyle.Many people in the UAE are working longhours, shifts, or extended school days. They dont

have time to find ingredients or prepare goodfood. Women are now starting to work in theEmirates, and this can result in less time beingavailable for preparing family meals. Another causeis the huge number of young, affluent people in theUnited Arab Emirates. The rapid development of thecountry has meant that young people, who compriseover 75% of the population, have money to spend. Athird reason is advertising. The UAE is a modern,

free-market country, with all forms of media such asthe Internet and satellite television, and people liketo try new products and different kinds of fast food.

However, this change in diet can have some seriouseffects. One effect is on health. Many individuals inthe UAE are becoming obese. These people will beless productive and have conditions such as heartdisease and diabetes. Another result of fast foodculture is the loss of the family tradition of eatingtogether. Children and adults rarely eat togethernow, and thus get less opportunity to talk. A further

effect is on the economy. Although fast food is notvery expensive, it is more expensive than cookingproperly for yourself. Many of the fast-foodcompanies are franchisees of foreign corporations,so profits leave the country.

In conclusion, fast food, although it is convenient

and a tasty addition to a diet, can have serious

health and social effects. People should learn to

choose fast food carefully and remember the

pleasure of eating good food in good company.

Introduction:

Past

Present

Thesis

(Main

idea or

purpose

of essay)

people used

to eat

what people

eat now

this change

has had

many effects

Causes

There are

many

reasons

why fast

food has

become

so

popular

Cause 1:

Lifestyle

Cause 2:More

money

Cause 3:

Many people

working long

hours, no

time

Women

working

Young

people have

money to

spend,

More eatingoutside the

home

Advertising


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Modern

Life

Less time

with family

New things,

desire for

change

Effects

These

changes

have had

serious

effects

Effect 1:

Health

Effect 2:

Families

Effect 3:

Economi

c effects

Obesity

Heart

DiseaseDiabetes

Less energy

Family not

eating

together

Family not

talking over

a meal

Waste of

money

Multinationa

l companies

own fast

food chains

New things,

desire for

change

Conclusion:

Three

Sentences

Both

sides:

Future

Fast food is

tasty but.

fast foodalso has a

downside

We need to

look after

our health in

future

Documents

Tips in Writing Task 1