IELTS Writing Task 1: What It Asks and How to Answer It

Writing Task 1 comes before Task 2 and carries less weight. Academic and General Training both call it Task 1, but the tasks are different. This guide covers the Academic task in full. The General Training letter has a short section here and a guide of its own. The Writing hub covers the whole Writing test.

What the Academic task asks

You describe what a picture shows. You do not explain it, and you do not give an opinion.

The picture can also be a process diagram, a map or a plan. You summarise it by picking out the main features and reporting them, and you make comparisons where they are relevant source: ielts.org.

You are not asked to interpret the data or give your opinion source: ielts.org.

So leave out reasons the picture does not show. If a chart shows fewer visitors, do not guess why.

Word count and time

Aim a little above 150 words, and move on to Task 2 at about 20 minutes.

Words you copy from the question do not count toward the 150 source: ielts.org. You are not penalised for writing more than 150 words. But a longer Task 1 answer may leave you less time for Task 2 source: ielts.org. Task 1 is worth a third of your Writing mark, and Task 2 is worth two thirds source: ielts.org.

So extra minutes in Task 1 take time from the task that counts twice as much.

Your answer must be one piece of connected text. You are penalised for notes or bullet points source: ielts.org. In the Academic task, use no sub-headings, no greeting, no name at the end, and no diagrams, charts or tables source: ielts.org.

Do you need a conclusion?

No. Task 1 needs an overview, not a conclusion.

One option is to write the overview as your second sentence. Then it is in your answer even if you run out of time source: IDP.

That order is the safer one.

What the overview says

The overview gives the main point of the picture in one or two sentences, with no figures from the data.

An overview summarises the main points: the main trends, the main changes, or the number of steps source: ielts.org. A clear overview is important for band 7 or higher source: ielts.org. Leave specific data from the chart out of the overview source: ielts.org.

To find your overview, ignore the numbers for a moment and look at the shape. Ask what rises and what falls. Ask what is biggest and what changes most. The answers to those questions are your overview.

What counts as a key feature

A key feature is something a reader needs to understand the picture. It is not every number.

Key features might be the trends over time in a chart, the steps in a process, or major changes on a plan or map source: ielts.org. You do not need every figure from the diagram, only the key features source: IDP.

At band 5, "the recounting of detail is mainly mechanical" source: ielts.org.

Recounting means telling the details. Mechanical means one number after another, with nothing compared. Choose the figures that prove each main feature, and put them side by side.

How many paragraphs to write

The official IELTS pages do not say how many paragraphs the whole answer needs. What matters is that your grouping is easy to follow.

The introduction and overview together need only two or three sentences. The body is one or two paragraphs of specific data that support the main trend. How you group the body depends on the chart, so there is no one answer source: ielts.org.

In Task 1, using paragraphs is only important for bands 8 and 9, because the response is short source: ielts.org.

One common shape has three parts: an introduction, an overview, and the main features with figures source: IDP.

Use paragraphs anyway. They make your grouping visible to the examiner. A simple plan is one short first paragraph for the introduction and the overview together, then one or two body paragraphs.

Which tense and style to use

Look at the time period the picture gives. Decide if it is past, present or future. If there is no time period, use the present tense source: IDP.

You should write in an academic or semi-formal/neutral style source: ielts.org.

The British Council's blog sets a stricter line: a strictly formal, academic register, with no contractions source: British Council.

For the Academic report, that means plain and accurate sentences, with no slang. Leaving out contractions keeps you safe under both lines. The General Training letter has its own rules on tone and contractions, set out in the letter guide. A chart that shows a future year needs future forms, such as "is expected to rise".

Line graphs

A line graph shows change over time, so its key features are trends.

Hover, tap or use the arrow keys to read values

Invented data, drawn by Compass IELTS to show how a line graph is described. Not an IELTS task.

Show the data

Invented data: Visitors to three museums, 2015 to 2025, thousands of visitors

Year	Science	History	Art
2015	40	60	70
2017	47	62	62
2020	59	58	48
2022	73	61	38
2025	89	60	35

In this graph, the three lines move three ways. Science rises, Art falls, and History stays level. That is the overview. Here is one way to write it, for this page.

Overall, the Science museum became steadily more popular,^{note 1} while the Art museum lost visitors.^{note 2} History stayed almost level^{note 3} across the period.

1. An overview summarises "the main trends, changes, or number of steps" source: ielts.org. This clause gives the trend of the line that changes most, in plain words.
2. At band 7, "main trends or differences are identified" source: ielts.org. This clause sets the opposite trend beside the first one, so the reader sees the contrast.
3. The overview should not include specific data from the chart source: ielts.org. "Almost level" gives the trend of History without a number. The figures belong in the body.

Then choose the figures that prove each trend: where each line starts and ends, and the year Science passes History.

Some values are hard to read exactly on a line graph. It is fine to give a number as close as you can source: IDP.

Show that the number is not exact with a word such as "about" or "just under".

Bar charts

A bar chart compares amounts, so its key features are the largest, the smallest and the biggest differences.

Hover, tap or use the arrow keys to read values

Invented data, drawn by Compass IELTS to show how a bar chart is described. Not an IELTS task.

Show the data

Invented data: Households with a bicycle, 2010 and 2020, percent of households

Town	2010 (%)	2020 (%)
Town A	42	55
Town B	30	28
Town C	61	64
Town D	18	35

The weak way to describe this chart is to go from left to right. Here is a short before and after, written for this page. The first paragraph is the weak way.

Before: In Town A, 42% of households had a bicycle in 2010 and 55% in 2020. In Town B, it was 30% and 28%.^{note 1}

After: The biggest change was in Town D,^{note 2} where ownership almost doubled, from 18% to 35%.^{note 3} Town B was the only town to see a fall,^{note 4} from 30% to 28%.

1. At band 5, "the recounting of detail is mainly mechanical" source: ielts.org. Each town gets its numbers in turn, and nothing is compared.
2. Task Achievement looks at "highlighting the identifiable trends, principal changes or differences in the data" source: ielts.org. This sentence opens on the main difference, not on Town A.
3. At band 6, "Information is appropriately selected and supported using figures/data" source: ielts.org. Two figures support the claim, and no more.
4. At band 7, "the data are appropriately categorised" source: ielts.org. Town B is grouped by what happened to it, a fall, not by where it sits on the chart.

Pie charts

A pie chart shows how one whole is divided, so its key features are the biggest and smallest shares.

Use words of proportion, such as "a quarter", "just over half" and "the largest share". If there are two pies for two years, the key features are the shares that grew and the shares that shrank. Compare shares, not the size of the whole, unless the chart gives totals.

Tables

A table gives exact numbers but no shape to look at, so you have to find the pattern yourself.

Mark the highest and lowest value in each column first. Then look for rows that move the same way. A table usually holds more numbers than you need. Choose the few that prove each main feature, and group the rows that behave alike.

Maps and process diagrams

Maps and process diagrams need a different method, because they show places and stages rather than numbers. Each has its own guide: how to describe a map and how to describe a process diagram.

General Training: the letter

On General Training, Task 1 is a letter. You respond to a situation, for example by asking for information or explaining a situation. You write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes source: ielts.org.

The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal. The task tells you what to include in three bullet points source: ielts.org.

There is no chart, no overview and no data to report. How to write the General Training letter covers the three styles and the bullet points. If you are not sure which test you need, read Academic vs General Training.

How Task 1 is marked

Task 1 is marked on Task Achievement. Task 2 is marked on Task Response instead. Both tasks share the other three criteria: Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy source: ielts.org.

The criteria are weighted equally, and the score on the task is their average source: ielts.org.

How IELTS Writing is marked explains all four criteria. Task Response covers the Task 2 criterion.

What changes from band 6 to band 7

The step from band 6 to band 7 is mostly about the overview and the grouping.

At band 5, "there may be a tendency to focus on details (without referring to the bigger picture)". At band 6, "a relevant overview is attempted". At band 7, the answer "presents a clear overview, the data are appropriately categorised, and main trends or differences are identified" source: ielts.org.

So test your overview on its own. Could a reader sketch the main shape of the chart from it? If not, it is still an attempt. Then check the body. Each paragraph should hold one group of data, not one bar or one year after another.

The band score calculator shows how your Writing band combines with your other three sections. For a plan from one band to the next, read how to improve your IELTS Writing score.

The task wording, word count, time and the penalty for notes come from ielts.org's Academic Writing format and General Training Writing format pages. The weighting, overview, key features and paragraph points come from its Writing test resources page and its article on preparing learners for Task 1. The band wording comes from the Writing band descriptors (updated May 2023) and the Writing key assessment criteria. The British Council's guide to formal and informal English (updated 11 September 2025) gives its stricter line on style. IDP's articles on the overview, reporting figures and trends, common Task 1 types and Task 1 on both tests give the points marked IDP. The two PDFs were last opened on 26 September 2026. The other pages were last checked on 3 October 2026. The charts and examples were made up for this page and are not from any test.

Frequently asked questions

How many words should Task 1 be?

At least 150. You are not penalised for writing more, but a longer answer leaves less time for Task 2 source: ielts.org.

Do I need a conclusion in Task 1?

No. Task 1 needs no conclusion. If your overview is not in the introduction, it can go at the end source: ielts.org.

Can I give my opinion or explain the data?

No. You are not asked to interpret the data or give your opinion source: ielts.org.

Which tense should I use?

Follow the time period in the picture. With no time period, use the present tense source: IDP.

How many paragraphs should I write?

The official pages set no number for the whole answer.

The body is one or two paragraphs source: ielts.org. Paragraphing only matters for bands 8 and 9 in Task 1 source: ielts.org.

Is Task 1 the same on Academic and General Training?

No. Academic asks you to describe visual information in at least 150 words source: ielts.org. General Training asks for a letter of at least 150 words source: ielts.org.