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In this tutorial you will learn:

* How to write an IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 answer.

This will help you in your IELTS Academic Writing exam because:

* You will learn the main steps to write any type of Academic Writing Task 1.

* You will learn invaluable vocabulary for Task 1 questions.

If you are preparing for IELTS Academic, you probably already know that its Writing section requires special preparation: you comment on a data visual in Task 1 and write an academic essay in Task 2.

In this tutorial we cover how to write IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 like a pie chart, flow chart or even a map.

Step 1: Understand what you will see in front of yourself.

You will have to write a descriptive text that comments on a visual.

This visual may be:

* a line graph

* a bar chart

* a pie chart

* a table

* a process, flowchart or cycle diagram

* a map

or even a multiple task visual, which is a combination of any visuals mentioned previously(for example: 2 pie charts, a pie chart and a bar graph, a map and a table, 2 tables, 3 pie charts, etc.).

Remember this important tip:

Practice writing for ALL types! Pie charts, maps, flow diagrams etc 

All types of tasks are rotated and are not repeated from one exam to another. So, if you get a diagram or a multiple task (3 bar charts) at the exam, and you barely practised describing it, your score will be severely compromised. Make sure that you are well familiarized with all visual types and have written at least 2 practice answers for each type, including the multiple tasks.

Be aware, this is as much an EXAM SKILL as it is a LANGUAGE SKILL. Summarising a chart or graphic adequately in your own language will be a challenge.

Step 2: Understand what you need to do with that graph, chart, map or diagram.

No matter the task type, IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 will always state: “summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant”.

What does this mean? Let’s analyze these instructions in more detail and clarify what you will have to do.

* You will have to to point out only the most relevant information from the visual (=summarize, main features),

* You you will have to decide what to comment on (=selecting) based on the data in the graph,

* You you will need to use the numbers from it (=reporting) and not simply enumerate the data, but

* You will need to evaluate how they are similar or different (=make ...