IELTS Writing Task 1 69 questions with model answers
38 Academic questions covering line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, tables, maps, processes and mixed data, and 31 General Training letters across all three registers. Every one comes with a full model answer and a measurement of the language that answer uses. Free, no signup.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my Task 1 answerAcademic and General Training are different tasks
In Academic Task 1 you are given a visual, usually a chart, graph, table, map or process diagram, and you have 20 minutes to report what it shows in at least 150 words. In General Training Task 1 you are given a situation and three bullet points, and you write a letter in response. They share a time limit, a word count and a set of marking criteria, but almost nothing else. Practising the wrong one is not partial credit, so check which test you are entered for before you start.
What Task 1 is worth
Task 1 carries half the weight of Task 2 in your Writing band: the paper is scored roughly 1 part Task 1 to 2 parts Task 2. That is an argument for timing, not for neglect. Twenty minutes on Task 1 and forty on Task 2 is the split the paper is designed around, and candidates who overrun on Task 1 pay for it twice over on the task that counts for more. If you are still writing Task 1 at the twenty-five minute mark, stop and move on.
The overview is the mark most people lose
Academic Task 1 has one requirement that is easy to satisfy and easy to forget: an overview. It is a sentence or two, usually placed after the introduction, stating the main pattern in the data without any figures. Without one, Task Achievement is capped no matter how accurate the rest of the answer is. It is the single most reliable half band available in the Writing paper, and it takes about thirty seconds. Every Academic model answer in this library contains one, usually opening with "Overall". The General Training equivalent is covering all three bullet points. Two out of three caps Task Achievement in exactly the same way.
Do not interpret, and do not invent
Task 1 asks you to report, not to explain. A line graph showing energy use falling in Germany does not tell you why it fell, and a sentence explaining that it fell because of renewable investment is unsupported by the data in front of you. It earns nothing and can cost you under Task Achievement. Report the shape, the size and the comparison. Select the features that matter rather than listing everything, because "selecting and reporting the main features" is what the instruction actually asks for, and an answer that reports all of them equally has selected nothing.
Line graphs and trends over time (15)
Anything with a time axis is asking for trend language: rose, fell, levelled off, peaked. Report the shape of the change, not every point on it, and always give the overall pattern before the detail.
Bar charts and tables (18)
Comparison, not description. A bar chart answer that walks left to right through every bar has described the data without comparing it, which is where the Task Achievement marks are.
Process diagrams (5)
Sequence language and the passive voice. A process has no numbers to compare, so the marks come from staging it clearly: the number of stages, where it starts, where it ends, and whether it is a cycle.
Formal letters (18)
Written to someone you do not know by name: a manager, a council, an editor. Dear Sir or Madam, Yours faithfully, no contractions, and a purpose stated in the first line rather than worked up to.
Semi-formal letters (5)
Written to someone you know in a professional capacity: a landlord, a colleague, a course coordinator. Dear Mr Chen, Yours sincerely. The commonest mistake is sliding into full informality once the letter gets going.
Informal letters (6)
Written to a friend or family member. Contractions, phrasal verbs and questions back to the reader are all correct here, and a letter that stays stiff loses marks for the wrong register.
Other General Training letters (2)
The rest of the letter bank. Every General Training Task 1 gives you three bullet points, and all three have to be covered for full Task Achievement.
Frequently asked questions
How many words should IELTS Writing Task 1 be?+
At least 150. Under that you are penalised under Task Achievement. Aim for 160 to 200: enough to cover the main features properly, without eating the time Task 2 needs.
What is the difference between Academic and General Training Task 1?+
Academic gives you a visual to describe, such as a chart, graph, map or process. General Training gives you a situation and three bullet points, and you write a letter. Same 20 minutes, same 150-word minimum, same four marking criteria, completely different task.
Do I need an overview in Task 1?+
In Academic Task 1, yes. Without an overview stating the main pattern, Task Achievement is capped however accurate the detail is. It costs one or two sentences. In General Training the equivalent requirement is covering all three bullet points.
Should I include figures from the chart?+
Yes, but selectively. Figures support the comparisons you are making. An answer that quotes every number has described the data instead of reporting its main features, which is what the instruction asks for.
Can I get my Task 1 answer scored for free?+
Yes. Paste it into the IELTS writing checker for a band on each of the four criteria and the specific sentences costing you marks, in about 30 seconds, no card required.
Reading about it is not practising it. Get a band in seconds.
Write an answer to any question above, paste it in, and get a band for each criterion with the sentences that cost you marks.
Score my Task 1 answer