IELTS Task 1 Multiple Graphs

BY CHRISTOPHER PELL24 COMMENTS

This post will help you answer task 1 questions that feature more than one
graph.

A common question on the IELTS academic task 1 paper asks you to write
about two different graphs.
(Cambridge IELTS 8, page 30)

For example, in the question above we are asked to summarise both a pie
chart and a table. You could also be given a line graph and a bar chart, a pie
chart and a line graph or any other combination. Students normally score
lower on these types of questions, not because they are more difficult, but
because they are unfamiliar with this type of question.

This lesson will:

 discuss common problems

 suggest solutions to these problems
 give you a structure that can be used again and again for these
questions
 analyse a sample answer

Common Problems

Writing too much- Because there is more than one data source, students
tend to write about everything and this causes two problems. The first problem
is you only have 20 minutes to answer task 1 questions and you therefore
don’t have time to write about everything. The second problem is that the
question asks you to ‘summarise‘ and ‘report the main features‘, therefore
you have to pick only a few features and report them. In other words, if you
write about everything, you have not answered the question properly.

Solution– Pick 2 of the most obvious features from each graph and limit
yourself to writing about these things and these things only. Don’t worry about
leaving information out; the examiner will be actually looking for your ability to
leave insignificant information out because this shows that you
are summarising and only reporting the main features. More on how to do
this in the question analysis below.

Can’t find the main features– This is related to the first point. As stated
above you will be looking for just 2 features in each graph. It is often very
difficult for students to decide which features are the most significant.

Solution– The first important points should be very visual. By that I mean, you
should be able to identify them without looking at the data; just by looking at
the graphs. Also, look for extremes (highs and lows), major trends, major
changes (from beginning to end) and any obvious comparisons that can be
made between either the two graphs or within the same graph.

Remember that the most obvious things are the ‘main features’. The
examiners are not trying to trick you and want you to tell them the very
obvious things about the graph, so don’t get too clever and try to find
something less obvious.

Not grouping information into paragraphs– It is very important that you

organise your ideas into paragraphs. Paragraphs should be logical and have
one main idea. Lots of students fail to do this because they get confused
between the multiple pieces of data in the question and group data from
different graphs into one paragraph. This is very difficult to read and
understand and you will lose marks if you do this.

Solution– Don’t write about both graphs in one paragraph. Follow the
structure I suggest below. Group ideas for each paragraph separately i.e. 1
paragraph for 1 graph.

Making comparisons– The question states ‘make comparisons

where relevant‘. The keyword here is ‘relevant’ and this is what tricks many
students. Sometimes there will be a relevant comparison to make, but in some
questions there will not. Some students see two different graphs and they
assume that there must be a comparison. They then spend too long looking
for a comparison and then write about one even if they don’t find one.

Solution– If you don’t notice a very obvious comparison between the two
sources of data, then stop looking for one and don’t write about one. It should
also be noted that there may also be comparisons to be made between the
data in the same graph.

Structure

This structure can be used for every question in which you are given two
different graphs.

Paragraph 1
Sentence 1- Paraphrase question sentences.

There will normally be two question sentences and you should combine them
into one sentence by using ‘and’ or ‘while’. This will allow you to produce a
complex sentence and gain points for grammatical range and accuracy.

Paragraph 2

Sentence 2- Overview of two of the main features from graph number 1.

Sentence 3- Overview of two of the main features from graph number 2.

Sentence 4- Overview of any comparisons if necessary (optional).

Paragraph 3

Sentence 5- Details of first main feature of graph number 1,

Sentence 6- Details of second main feature of graph number 1.

Paragraph 4

Sentence 7- Details of first main feature of graph number 2.

Sentence 8- Details of second main feature of graph number 2.

Sentence 9- Details of any comparisons (if any).

So paragraph 2 should just be an overview of the main features and should

not include any details. The details come in paragraphs 3 and 4.

Sample Answer

Question– The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land
become lesson productive. The table shows how these causes affected three
regions of the world during the 1990s. (graphs in picture above).
Answer

The pie graph displays the principal causes why farming land deteriorates
while the table illustrates how three regions of the planet were affected by
these factors in the 1990s.

As you can see all I have done is change the words in the questions using
synonyms and then connected them using the word ‘while’.

We can clearly see from the pie chart that there are three primary causes of
farmland degradation, and over-grazing is the major one. The table shows
that Europe had a far higher percentage of unproductive land compared to the
other two regions in this time period.

For this paragraph I have picked out the main features from each graph and
wrote them in a general way. Notice that I have not included any numbers. We
will support our ideas with number in the next two paragraphs. Also, notice
that I am using the present simple for the pie chart because there is no date
and the past tense for the table because it was in the 1990s.

The pie chart represents four causes, with over-grazing representing the
biggest proportion at just over a third. Widespread clearing of trees and the
over-use of crops constitute nearly one third and just over a quarter
respectively.

Here I have varied my language by using synonyms for the causes and
proportions and fractions for the data.

The table shows that nearly one quarter of Europe’s entire surface had fallen
victim to degeneration. Only a small proportion of North America’s total land
became less productive at 5% and Oceania was marginally higher with a
value of 13%.

(151 words)

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