IELTS Writing Task 1 is different in IELTS academic and IELTS GT (General Training). IELTS Writing Task 1 academic requires you to write at least 150 words. It is in the form of any graph, flow chart, table so on. Candidates have to present fact-based information and summarize the visual information.
In IELTS Writing Task 1 general, a question is asked in the form of a letter. The word limit for this task is the same as IELTS academic i.e. minimum 150 words.
The total time allotted for the IELTS Writing task is 60 minutes, but it is divided into 20 minutes and 40 minutes slots. 20 minutes will be given for IELTS Writing Task 1 and 40 minutes for task 2.
IELTS Writing module is one of the modules of the IELTS test to check the efficiency of writing skills of the test takers. If any person wants to enter or migrate to a foreign land where the first language is English then he/she has to prove their proficiency in all aspects like reading, writing, speaking, and listening. But writing module is the most challenging one for the test takers, especially for non-native ones.
When aspirants have decided which test they will take, then it’s time to prepare for it. Here, in this article, some basic tips are shared to approach IELTS Writing Task 1 .
IELTS Writing Task 1- Academics
IELTS Academic is opted by the candidates who want to migrate to English speaking world for study.In the question, you can be asked a line chart, pie chart, bar chart, table, diagram or even map. Aspirants can follow some helpful clues to score high in IELTS writing task 1.
IELTS Writing Task 1- General Training
IELTS GT is opted by the candidates if they want to migrate to English speaking environment for permanent settlement. In GT writing task 1 question is given in the form of a letter. The letter can be informal, formal, or semi-formal. By following some tricks one can achieve a good score.
Some strategies for IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic and General Training:
- Marking Criteria:
Firstly, the candidate must be aware of the marking criteria. The four criteria for evaluation are:
- Task achievement (25%)
- Coherence and cohesion(25%)
- Lexical Resource(25%)
- Grammar and accuracy(25%)
Once aspirants are aware of marking criteria they can plan the further writing accordingly.
- Planning and Identification:
After you come to know about the marking criteria then it’s time to plan the task. Spending a few minutes on planning will lead to enjoying the rest of the time.Now, for IELTS GT candidates need to first identify the letter whether is formal, informal or semi-formal.
- Paraphrasing:
Now, come to start the task. In the introduction, the candidate has to paraphrase the question. Paraphrasing is an important skill in IELTS.
Now paraphrasing doesn’t mean copying the question lines in the introduction. The candidate has to re-write the sentence so that it has exact meaning. Here, the candidate can use relevant but different vocabulary to re-phrase.
- Discussion of bullet points:
Candidates have to cover all the bullet points asked in the question in IELTS GT writing task 1. These are helpful clues to write the letter in a proper manner and aspirants get ideas also.
- Overview:
After the introduction in IELTS academic Writing Task 1, write the overview, this is the first thing an examiner will check because it shows that you can identify the most important information from the graph or chart.
- Don’t stick to the given word limit:
As discussed above, the word limit for this task is at least 150 words it doesn’t mean candidates will write that much only, they have to extend up to 180 words. Otherwise, there will be chances of losing marks.
- Signing Off or conclusion:
Add a short conclusion for a chart or graph and give an attractive end to your letter. It is advised not to over complicate the ending, simply conclude it and write your name beneath in the letter only.
- Checking:
Check your work this is a necessary step on which your whole writing is based. In this aspirants will check the word count and any grammatical error.If you miss this, then you will lose points.
These were basic tips for IELTS Writing Task 1, if you want to know more you can visit our website where you can get complete information with model questions and get enroll in Western Overseas, one of the best IELTS institutes, to give wings to your thoughts.
