Problem: you know what the chart shows, but your description repeats one sentence shape, mixes up by and to, or uses the wrong tense for the visual. Answer in brief: let the visual choose the grammar — trend charts take varied rise/fall structures with exact prepositions; static charts take comparatives with clean articles; process descriptions often combine present-simple passives with active verbs; map descriptions choose tenses from the dates shown. This guide teaches all four with models and 12 practice tasks with complete answers.
Learning outcomes
By the end you will be able to: write a four-paragraph Task 1 answer (paraphrase, overview, two detail paragraphs) with correct tense for dated versus undated visuals; vary trend description across verb+adverb, there-be and adjective+noun structures; use to/by/from/in exactly with figures; compare static categories with comparatives, correct articles and plural agreement; describe processes with appropriate active and passive forms; and distinguish completed historical map changes from changes continuing to the present. All guidance follows the source book, IELTS Academic Writing – Grammar Focused (Jobin Thomas), Task 1 workbook chapters with trend, comparison, process and map notes, model answers with grammar highlights, and practice exercises with answer keys.
Overview grammar: tense choice and the 150-word plan
Official IELTS Academic Writing guidance requires Task 1 answers of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes — see IELTS Academic format — Writing (recheck current official guidance before test day). Planning roughly 170–190 words is a comfortable editorial target, not an official rule: paragraph 1 paraphrases the prompt without copying; paragraph 2 states the overview — the most significant patterns, usually without a detailed list of figures; paragraphs 3–4 report details with figures, grouped logically (by time period or by category). Tense follows the visual’s time: past years (2000–2020) → past simple, with present perfect only for change continuing up to now and present passive reporting phrases (“is projected to reach”, “is expected to continue”) for projections; a general process with no dates → present simple; an undated snapshot → present simple (“Oil is larger than gas”), while a snapshot labelled 2019 → past (“In 2019, oil was the largest source”). The overview itself usually needs no figures — comparatives and trend nouns carry it (“Technology had the highest share throughout, while Healthcare had the lowest”).
Trends: three structures and exact prepositions
These three structures offer alternative ways to describe a supported trend:
- Verb + adverb: “The number of students rose dramatically.” (noun + past verb + manner adverb.)
- There + be + noun: “There was a dramatic rise in the number of students.” (There + past be + article + change noun.)
- Adjective + noun (+ passive): “A dramatic rise in enrolment was observed.” (Useful when the agent is irrelevant.)
Join two trends in one sentence with while/whereas/as: “Enrolment increased steadily, while teacher numbers remained unchanged”; “As enrolment rose, class sizes fell.” Prepositions are exact: to before the new value (“went up to 100”), by before the amount of change (“went up by 20”), from–to for the range (“increased from 80 to 100” — write both numbers), in after change nouns (“an increase in sales”; “a fall of 10 percentage points in market share”). Combined: “Sales fell by 10 units to 90 units in 2019.” For shares, distinguish percentage points from relative percentage change: a rise from 40% to 50% is 10 percentage points, but a 25% increase relative to the original share. Comparatives appear inside trends too (“higher than Finance”, “the lowest share”) when two lines share one graph.
Static comparisons: comparatives, articles, plurals
Bar charts, pie charts and tables without time need comparison, not trend language. Lead with comparative and superlative forms (higher than, the highest, the lowest, larger, more/less than) and linking structures (while, whereas, compared to, in contrast). Keep nouns and verbs agreeing in number (“The figure for cars is 5 million” versus “Cars account for 5 million”) and articles exact with names (“the USA” but “Canada”, never “the Canada”). Tense: dated snapshot → past (“In 2019, energy came from five sources”); undated → present (“X is larger than Y”). A strong static detail sentence stacks all three: “In 2019, oil was the largest source at 30%, whereas nuclear, at 10%, was the smallest — just one-third of oil’s share.” Keep the relationship between figures explicit: a linker, a comparative phrase or a clear use of respectively can help the reader identify which value belongs to each category. The book’s pie-chart model works exactly this way, ranking oil (30%), coal (25%) and natural gas (20%) above renewables (15%) and nuclear (10%).
Processes: choose the focus, then the voice
In a manufacturing process, passive verbs often keep attention on the material: “The paper is sorted, shredded and mixed with water.” The agent can be omitted when the diagram does not identify one or when the actor adds no useful information. A present-simple passive has is/are + past participle. Its tense suits a general process repeated in the same way.
Passive voice is not compulsory throughout a process report. “Water flows into a tank” and “The seedlings grow” are useful active sentences describing natural processes. Neither flow nor grow in these examples needs an object to become a passive subject. “Rollers press the pulp into sheets” is also valid if the rollers matter to the explanation. The decision is about meaning and the information in the diagram, not making every sentence look the same.
Use sequencing words to make the order clear: first, next, after sorting, then and finally. A connector cannot supply a stage missing from the input. Likewise, do not infer a temperature, chemical treatment or environmental benefit from your knowledge of real recycling plants. Report the particular process supplied. The worked example below uses the book’s described process, which should not be treated as a technical specification for all paper recycling.
Maps: matching changes to the dates
Read both date labels before choosing a tense. Two finished historical dates, such as 2000 and 2020, normally require a past-time account. Describe the earlier layout with past simple. For the later layout, either describe what was there in 2020 or use past perfect to look back at changes completed by that point. If the second map genuinely represents the present, present perfect can connect earlier changes to now. The fact that a task contains maps does not itself require present perfect.
Input (adapted from the book’s map model): In 2000, the town was a small rural village with a large northern forest, southern farmland and one east–west main road. Most buildings stood around that road. By 2020, the forest had been replaced by a residential neighbourhood, and the farmland had become a lake and park. Several new roads included a north–south highway. The village area extended eastwards, with many additional houses along the old road.
Task: Compare the two historical layouts in at least 150 words. Report the changes and relevant locations without inventing reasons for development.
Suggested model (newly written from the supplied layouts, 166 words):
The maps compare the layout of a town in 2000 and 2020. Overall, the settlement became more developed during the period, with additional housing and roads replacing part of the earlier rural landscape. The southern farmland also changed to recreational use.
In 2000, a large forest occupied the north, while farmland covered much of the south. A single main road ran from east to west, and most buildings were grouped around it. The settlement was therefore concentrated along one route, with extensive open areas to its north and south.
By 2020, the northern forest had been cleared and replaced by a residential neighbourhood. In the south, the farmland had become a lake and park. The road network had expanded to include several additional roads, among them a north–south highway. The original village area had also extended eastwards, and many more houses had been built beside the old main road. Thus, the later map showed both a larger built-up area and a more extensive transport network.
Teaching note and source correction: this article corrects the book’s use of present perfect with the finished reference “by 2020”. Here, “had been cleared” looks back from 2020 at an earlier completed change. “In 2020, a residential neighbourhood occupied the former forest site” is another correct way to describe the later map. See British Council: past perfect. Do not infer that an overview must change into present tense merely because it comes last.
Cohesion: linkers, overview sentences and variety
Grammar is not only correct sentences but connected ones. The book’s cohesion chapter groups linkers by job: contrast (while, whereas, in contrast, compared to), sequence (first, next, then, after sorting, finally, throughout), cause-effect (as, because, leading to), and overview signals (overall) and reporting phrases for supplied projections (is expected to). Each detail paragraph should open with its grouping logic (“By sector, Technology led” is weak; “The clearest divide is between Technology and Healthcare” is strong) and every figure needs a job — highest, crossing point, exception — never decoration.
Overview sentences deserve deliberate grammar. Three reliable frames: the superlative frame (“Technology was consistently highest; Healthcare lowest throughout”), the change frame (“There was a dramatic increase overall, sharpest after 2015”), and the contrast frame (“Whereas output rose, employment remained flat”). Write the overview before details so figures obey it, and reuse its nouns in the detail paragraphs (overview “teleworking share” → details “the share in Finance and Healthcare”) for lexical chains. Variety then follows naturally: if the overview used there-was, open details with verb+adverb; if the overview compared two groups, develop that comparison with the most useful figures. The final check is mechanical: scan your sentence openings — where several start with “The figure”, rebuild some with There, While/Whereas, By + date, or a sequencer, choosing whichever fits the meaning of that sentence.
Worked models: trends, processes and comparisons
These are newly written suggested answers to inputs adapted from the book’s models. They are practice material, not official examiner answers. The data are supplied so that you can attempt each response before reading it. The map section above provides a fourth complete model.
Model 1 — a line graph with a projection
Input: International students at University X: about 20 thousand in 2000, approximately 40 thousand in 2010 and 90 thousand in 2020. The historical trend rises steadily in 2000–2010 and faster in 2010–2020. A supplied projection gives 120 thousand for 2030.
Task: Summarise the main features and relevant comparisons in at least 150 words.
Suggested model (171 words):
The graph presents international student numbers at University X between 2000 and 2020, together with a forecast for 2030. Overall, enrolment increased substantially during the historical period, with a larger rise in the second decade than in the first. Further growth is projected for 2030.
Approximately 20 thousand international students attended the university in 2000. Over the following ten years, that figure rose steadily to about 40 thousand, which was double the initial number. The increase between 2010 and 2020 was considerably greater: enrolment reached 90 thousand, a gain of roughly 50 thousand compared with the earlier rise of 20 thousand.
By 2020, the total was therefore more than four times its 2000 level and was the highest figure in the historical data. The projection for 2030 is 120 thousand students. This would represent another increase of 30 thousand from 2020, although that absolute gain would be smaller than the rise recorded during the previous decade. If the forecast is realised, the final total will be six times the starting figure.
Why it works: the overview separates recorded growth from a forecast. The gains are 20 thousand and 50 thousand, so the second absolute increase is larger. The forecast adds 30 thousand, less than the previous decade’s 50 thousand. “Is projected” is a present passive reporting a future forecast; it is not grammatically a future passive such as “will be built”. There is no claim that enrolment equals the number of available places.
Model 2 — a paper recycling process
Input: Used paper is collected from recycling bins and transported to a facility. It is sorted by type and grade, separating cardboard from office paper. It is shredded and mixed with water into pulp; staples and plastic are removed. Rollers flatten the wet pulp and squeeze out excess water. Large dryers dry the sheets. Finally, paper is rolled onto reels and cut into sheets or rolls for reuse. The described process adds no chemicals. No timings or temperatures are supplied.
Task: Describe the sequence in at least 150 words using only these facts.
Suggested model (164 words):
The supplied flowchart describes how used paper is processed into paper that can be used again. Overall, the sequence begins with collection and transport, continues through sorting and pulping, and ends with drying and finishing. The material changes from discarded paper into pulp before it is formed into paper once more.
First, paper is collected from recycling bins and taken to a processing facility. It is then sorted by type and grade, with cardboard separated from office paper. Following this preparation, the paper is shredded into small pieces and mixed with water to create pulp. Impurities, including staples and plastic, are removed at this stage.
Next, the wet pulp passes through rollers, which flatten it and squeeze out excess water. The resulting sheets are subsequently dried in large dryers. In the final part of the process, the paper is rolled onto large reels and cut into sheets or rolls for reuse. The diagram also specifies that no chemicals are added during the described process.
Why it works: passive verbs keep the material in focus, while the active clause “which flatten it” explains what the rollers do. The overview groups the sequence without inventing a stage count. The book associates the absence of added chemicals with an entirely recycled output; this answer reports the supplied fact without claiming that one fact proves the other.
Model 3 — a static pie chart
Input: Shares of energy production in 2019: oil 30%, coal 25%, natural gas 20%, renewables 15% and nuclear power 10%. The shares sum to 100%.
Task: Summarise the distribution and compare relevant groups in at least 150 words. There is only one year, so do not describe rises or falls over time.
Suggested model (161 words):
The pie chart compares the contributions of five sources to energy production in 2019. Overall, oil was the largest individual source and nuclear power the smallest. The three fossil fuels together accounted for a considerably larger share than renewables and nuclear power combined.
Oil provided 30% of total production. Coal was the second largest contributor at 25%, followed by natural gas at 20%. These three sources therefore supplied 75% of the total, or three quarters. The difference between the largest and smallest fossil-fuel shares was 10 percentage points.
The remaining quarter came from renewables and nuclear power, at 15% and 10% respectively. Renewable energy’s share was half that of oil, while nuclear power contributed one third of oil’s proportion. Together, renewables and nuclear power equalled coal’s 25% share and exceeded natural gas by 5 percentage points. Each of these two non-fossil sources was individually smaller than any of the fossil fuels, even though their combined contribution matched the second largest source.
Why it works: every comparison can be checked from the input. Renewables plus nuclear equal 25%; coal equals that sum, while natural gas is lower. A share of 30% is twice 15% and three times 10%. “Five percentage points” describes the difference between 25% and 20%; it is different from saying “5% more”. The model reports categories without making unsupported environmental claims.
Practice bank: 12 tasks with explained answers
Try each question before opening its answer. These exercises adapt the book’s teaching themes or are newly written as labelled. Models are suggested answers; where another construction preserves both grammar and meaning, it may also work.
1. Trend structures
New practice based on the book’s trend drills. Rewrite “The number of students rose substantially” using (a) a there-was construction and (b) a noun phrase as the subject. Keep the meaning.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: (a) There was a substantial rise in the number of students. (b) A substantial rise in student numbers was recorded.
Explanation: The verb-plus-adverb pattern becomes a noun-plus-adjective pattern: rose substantially becomes a substantial rise. The second rewrite changes the grammatical focus without adding a date or figure. These are alternatives to choose for clarity, not forms you must rotate in a fixed order.
2. Change, endpoint and year
New practice. Sales were 100 units in 2018 and 90 units in 2019. Complete with by, to or in: “Sales fell ___ 10 units ___ 90 units ___ 2019.” Then describe a share rising from 40% to 50% using percentage points.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Sales fell by 10 units to 90 units in 2019. The share rose by 10 percentage points, from 40% to 50%.
Explanation: By introduces the amount of change; to introduces the endpoint; in introduces the year. The second change is also a 25% relative increase because 10 divided by the starting share of 40 equals 0.25. Do not interchange percentages and percentage points.
3. Joining trends faithfully
Adapted sentence-combining practice. Join “Enrolment rose. Teacher numbers remained unchanged” using while or whereas. Do not add information about the speed of growth.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Enrolment rose, while teacher numbers remained unchanged. An equally suitable answer uses whereas.
Explanation: The conjunction marks a contrast between the two trends. Adding steadily, sharply or rapidly would introduce a rate of change not supplied by the task. While here introduces a subordinate clause of contrast; it is not a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses.
4. Choosing the time frame
New practice using the book’s category data. Complete (a) a report explicitly about 2019 and (b) a chart with no date: “In 2019, nuclear power ___ (provide) 10%.” “The undated chart shows that nuclear power ___ (provide) 10%.”
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: (a) provided; (b) provides.
Explanation: The first sentence locates production in a finished past year. The second presents an undated distribution in the current chart description. A chart’s reporting verb can remain present even when its data are past: “The chart shows that nuclear power provided 10% in 2019.” Separate the act of showing from the period shown.
5. Articles and number forms
New fictional grammar sentences, adapted from the book’s article and plural practice: “She studied in the Canada before moving to USA. Her publisher printed 5 millions books.” Correct the errors without changing the events or quantity.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: She studied in Canada before moving to the USA. Her publisher printed 5 million books.
Explanation: Canada normally has no definite article, while the abbreviation the USA retains it. Million remains singular directly after a number, whereas an indefinite large quantity can be expressed as millions of books. These invented sentences practise grammar and make no claim about national populations or an actual publisher.
6. Comparing the supplied categories
Adapted from the book’s 2019 energy data: oil 30%, coal 25%, natural gas 20%, renewables 15%, nuclear 10%. Write one sentence comparing oil and nuclear power, including their relative sizes.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: In 2019, oil contributed 30% of energy production, three times nuclear power’s 10% share.
Explanation: The model is a short sentence drill, not a full Task 1 response. Three times is verified by dividing 30 by 10. You could instead say nuclear power provided one third of oil’s share. Both express the same relationship, and neither invents a change over time.
7. Active to passive without additions
Adapted voice-conversion drill: “Workers collect the paper. Workers sort it.” Combine the sentences in the passive. The task allows the uninformative agent workers to be omitted.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: The paper is collected and sorted.
Explanation: Both verbs retain present-simple meaning. A single is can serve both coordinated participles. “The paper is collected and is sorted” is also grammatical, though repetitive. Do not add by type, at the factory or after drying: those details are absent from these particular sentences, even if they occur elsewhere in a recycling example.
8. Process order in a short paragraph
New short drill using the process supplied above: paper is collected from bins, transported to a facility, sorted by type and grade, shredded and mixed with water; staples and plastic are removed, rollers press the pulp, dryers dry the sheets, and the paper is rolled and cut. Write a connected stage paragraph.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: First, paper is collected from bins and transported to a facility, where it is sorted by type and grade. Next, it is shredded and mixed with water, and staples and plastic are removed. The pulp is then pressed by rollers. After the sheets have been dried, the paper is rolled and cut.
Explanation: This is deliberately a short sequence paragraph. The full model above adds an introduction, overview and fuller development. Each action is supported by the input; connectors organise the actions. Present perfect in the after-clause marks completion of drying before the next step within a general process.
9. Historical map tenses
Adapted map drill with a correction to the source’s tense pattern. Treat both dates as historical: “In 2000 the settlement ___ (be) a village. By 2020 it ___ (transform). By that date, the northern forest ___ (clear).” Use past simple followed by past-perfect passives.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: In 2000 the settlement was a village. By 2020 it had been transformed. By that date, the northern forest had been cleared.
Explanation: Had been plus a past participle places a completed change before the later past reference. Has been would connect to the present and does not suit the specified historical viewpoint. A different valid construction is “In 2020, the northern area contained housing”, but only if that housing is actually supplied in the map.
10. A map overview using only given changes
New two-sentence drill. Between 2000 and 2020, northern forest was replaced by housing, and southern farmland became a lake and park. Summarise the changes without adding roads, population figures or reasons.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Overall, the two areas changed from forest and farmland to residential and recreational uses. Housing replaced the northern forest, while a lake and park occupied the former farmland in the south.
Explanation: This is a short overview exercise. It groups two land-use changes and retains their locations. “The whole town became heavily urbanised” would go beyond the limited input, especially because the southern change is recreational. The second sentence uses ordinary finite verbs; it should not be described as a participle phrase.
11. Reporting a supplied projection
New wording drill using the book’s forecast. The graph explicitly projects 120 thousand international students for 2030. Rewrite “Enrolment will reach 120 thousand by 2030” to make the forecast status clear, keeping the number and date.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Enrolment is projected to reach 120 thousand by 2030. Alternatively: The graph forecasts enrolment of 120 thousand students by 2030.
Explanation: Both versions attribute the future figure to the supplied projection. “Is projected” is present passive with a future reference. Without a projection in the input, you should not invent one merely to make an unsupported prediction sound cautious. An answer omitting 120 thousand or 2030 would not preserve this task’s requested details.
12. Editing with a fact checklist
New mixed drill, not a single report. Supplied facts: enrolment rose from 20 thousand in 2000 to 40 thousand in 2010; oil supplied 30% in 2019; workers sort paper, with no sorting criterion stated. Correct: “The graph is increasing between 2000 to 2010. Oil is 30% in 2019. The paper is sort by workers.”
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Enrolment increased from 20 thousand in 2000 to 40 thousand in 2010. Oil accounted for 30% in 2019. The paper is sorted by workers.
Explanation: The measured quantity increases, not the graph itself. From pairs with to; between pairs with and. Past simple matches the finished periods, and sorted is the participle needed in the passive. Retaining by workers preserves the specified agent; omission could be appropriate in another task that explicitly allowed it. No new dates, places or sorting criteria are inserted.
Common errors and corrections
- Changing the picture instead of its measurement: replace “the graph increased” with the named quantity: “student numbers increased”.
- Confusing a share with a change: a rise from 40% to 50% is 10 percentage points, not a 10% relative rise. Calculate before choosing the wording.
- Inventing a trend in one snapshot: a pie chart for 2019 can show a larger share, but it cannot establish that a category grew unless another point of comparison is supplied.
- Using present perfect for every map: completed historical comparisons can remain in past tenses. Present perfect needs a connection to the present viewpoint.
- Forcing every process verb into the passive: “Water flows” and “Plants grow” may be the clearest accurate forms. Choose the subject and voice from the process.
- Adding facts while correcting grammar: retain an input checklist. A grammatical answer can still be wrong if it introduces an unsupported date, quantity, location or cause.
- Making repeated overview claims: use the overview to identify the principal patterns, then develop them with selected evidence. A second conclusion saying the same thing usually adds less value than a useful comparison.
Worked repair: accuracy before variety
New fictional input: A training centre enrolled 200 learners in 2010 and 300 in 2020. The number of teachers was 20 in both years. No figures between those dates and no reasons for change are supplied.
Weak paragraph: “The graph is increasing steadily between 2010 to 2020 because the school became famous. Learners rose by 100% to 300, whereas teachers increase too.”
Corrected short paragraph: “Learner enrolment increased from 200 in 2010 to 300 in 2020, while the number of teachers remained at 20. The centre therefore had 100 more learners at the end of the period, representing a 50% increase. Teacher numbers showed no change between the two dates.”
Reasoning: first identify what is measured: learners, rather than the graph. Use past simple for both historical observations. Replace the invented cause with a supported comparison. Remove steadily because two endpoints cannot establish the pattern between them. Check the arithmetic: 100 additional learners divided by the starting 200 gives 50%, not 100%. Finally, correct the teacher claim because the figure stayed at 20.
The revised paragraph is intentionally shorter than a complete Task 1 answer: the input is a small editing exercise. It demonstrates why grammatical variety comes after factual checking. A beautifully punctuated sentence about rising teacher numbers would still misreport the information. Use three separate checks: underline every data claim, match it to the input, and then inspect tense, agreement and connectors. This sequence helps you catch errors that a spellchecker or a word-count check cannot find.
Independent practice and self-assessment
Task adapted from the book: Describe the distribution of energy production in 2019: oil 30%, coal 25%, natural gas 20%, renewables 15%, nuclear power 10%. Write at least 150 words. You may aim for roughly 170–190 as a practical planning target, but that range is not an official upper limit.
Before drafting, write a one-line overview in your own words and select two groups of details. One possible plan compares the three fossil fuels in the first detail paragraph and the remaining sources in the second. Another plan works from the largest category downwards while making comparisons. Either can be clear; do not force a structure that causes repetition.
Answer guidance: oil should emerge as the largest individual source, nuclear as the smallest, and fossil fuels as 75% collectively. The remaining 25% equals coal’s share. Verify any ratio before using it: renewables provide half of oil’s share, while nuclear provides one third. Avoid rises, declines, projections or explanations of why particular fuels were used, because the supplied chart cannot support them. Compare your completed answer with Model 3 only after finishing your attempt.
Self-check: Have I reported the correct year and all selected numbers? Does the overview identify the main distribution? Does each paragraph add useful information? Have I distinguished percentage points from a relative percentage change? Are comparisons mathematically true? Do past verbs match 2019? Have I written connected sentences and at least 150 words? Have I removed unsupported causes and duplicated overview sentences? Keep one corrected sentence in an error log and write a fresh version the following day.
A study sequence with the book
Session 1: trends. Read the book’s trend structures and the University X example. Calculate the absolute gains before writing. Practise two alternative ways to describe one increase, then choose the version that best connects to the preceding sentence. Do not add an adverb of speed unless the graph supports it.
Session 2: comparisons. Study the pie-chart model, then complete the percentage-point and category-comparison drills here. Calculate each combined share on paper. Write one sentence expressing a ratio and another expressing a percentage-point difference; explain aloud why the two forms say different things.
Session 3: processes. Read the recycling stages and underline each material, action and machine actually mentioned. Write a report using appropriate passive and active forms. Afterwards, remove any added detail that came from general knowledge instead of the supplied process.
Session 4: maps. Read the map layouts alongside this article’s correction to the historical tense pattern. Make a two-column list of the earlier and later features. Practise “In 2020, there was…” alongside “By 2020, … had been built”, keeping the viewpoint clear.
Session 5: transfer. Attempt the independent chart task under a realistic time allowance, then use the fact-first editing sequence. Classify errors as data, grammar or organisation. Choose the two recurring problems for your next practice session; rewriting an entire correct answer offers less value than repairing a persistent misunderstanding.
Frequently asked questions
How many sentence structures must I include? There is no fixed quota. Use a range that fits the information and that you can control accurately. A comparative, a subordinate clause and a passive can each be useful, but their presence alone does not make a response good.
Must the overview contain no figures? A concise overview usually prioritises broad patterns rather than detailed numbers. That is an organisation choice, not a ban on every figure. The important question is whether the reader can see the main features clearly.
Should every map answer mix past simple and present perfect? No. Read the dates. Two historical maps can be described with past forms; present perfect is relevant when changes connect to the present. Do not follow a fixed tense formula solely because the task contains maps.
Is passive voice more academic? It changes the focus. It is useful when the action or material matters more than the agent. An informative active clause may be equally suitable, and many natural-process verbs are clearest in the active.
Can I use what I know about a process? Use that knowledge to understand the input, but report only what the task supports. A real factory may use additional machinery or chemicals that the supplied diagram does not show. Do not add those details.
What if my full model is below 150 words? Expand the actual report with a clear overview, relevant comparisons or adequately described stages supported by the input. Do not insert comments about your grammar to reach the total. Short drills are useful when labelled as drills.
How long should I spend? Official IELTS guidance gives about 20 minutes for Task 1 and requires at least 150 words. Task 2 carries twice the weighting, so avoid spending so long on Task 1 that you cannot develop the essay. See the official Academic Writing format for current requirements.
The matching book
This guide accompanies IELTS Academic Writing – Grammar Focused in the Jobins Training collection, focusing on its Task 1 grammar: trend structures and prepositions, static comparisons with articles and plurals, process passives with sequencers, and map descriptions, with model answers carrying grammar highlights plus trend, comparison, process and mixed-drill exercises with answer keys. You can find its current listing here: IELTS Grammar — Book 5 in the Jobins Training book collection. The same book also covers Task 2 essay-type grammar, cohesion, verb tenses, modals, conditionals and pitfalls, which sit outside this article’s Task 1 focus.
Keep practising with IELTS Academic Writing – Grammar Focused
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Sources and editorial note
Source book read for this article: IELTS Academic Writing – Grammar Focused (Jobin Thomas) — the Task 1 chapters on trends, comparisons, processes and maps, their model answers, and the related practice and answer keys. This article develops those themes with newly written models and exercises, preserving the supplied data where identified. It corrects the historical map-tense pattern and avoids inferring recycled composition from the absence of added chemicals. Items labelled “adapted” rework the book’s drills and model topics; the line-graph, process and map models follow the book’s data and stages, and Model 3 uses the book’s pie-chart figures (oil 30%, coal 25%, natural gas 20%, renewables 15%, nuclear 10%); items labelled “newly written” are original to this article. Chapter and section names identify the source material. Exam requirements verified against IELTS Academic format — Writing on 27 September 2026 (Task 1: at least 150 words in about 20 minutes; Task 2 contributes twice as much to the Writing score); recheck current official guidance before test day.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
