Task 1 - Grammar 

• You are assessed on two things:

  1. 1. Your ability to produce grammatically accurate sentences ==> Reduce ‘error’ sentences.

     2. Your ability to use a wide range of grammar structures ==> Uses complex sentences (such as conditional and relative clauses) that flow naturally.

(1) There + be + adj. + noun + in + noun phrase

There + was + a gradual + rise + in + the price of oil.

There + has been + a sharp + drop + in + the price of oil.

(1) Noun phrase + verb + adverb

The price of property + fell + sharply.

The percentage of homes + dropped + dramatically.

(2) There + be + noun + in + noun phrase

There + was + a fall + in + literacy levels.

There + has been + an increase + in + the cost of coffee.

(3) Using fractions

The price of oil + halved + in less than a year.

The price of oil + has halved + since July.

By July, the price of oil + has halved.

(1) More/few/less + noun + than

Overall, more + people preferred public transport + than taxis.

(2) of one syllable -er + than

A higher + number of people preferred public transport + than taxis.

(3) More/less + adj. of more than one syllable + than

Taxis were more + popular + than public transport.

(4) of one syllable -est.

The highest + percentage of commuters preferred taxis.

(5) The most/least + adj. of more than one syllable.

The least + popular mode of transport was buses.Heoxinhdep1402

• The key is to look at the title of the chart and the information contained on both axes to establish what time frame is used. This will help you establish what tense you should use

  1. 1. If the time is one point in the past, for example, January 1990, then we should use the past tense.

     2. If it has projections for the future, for example, 2045, we use future tenses.

     3. If there is no time, we use present simple.

(1) Present Perfect:

• We use this tense generally to talk about an action that happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time period is not important.

• In writing task 1, we use this tense to talk about changes in data that have happened over a period of time.

• Example: The price of oil has fallen by $5 a barrel every week since July.

(2) Present Perfect Continuous:

• We use this tense to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now.

• Example: Oil prices have been decreasing since July.

(3) Future Perfect:

• We use this tense to state that something will be finished by a particular time in the future.

• We often use it with ‘by’ or ‘in’.

• Example: The price of oil will have reached $300 a barrel by 2020.

(4) Past Simple:

• Use this tense to talk about an action that started and finished at a specific time in the past.

• Example: The price of oil fell from $150 in Jan 2014 to $50 in Jan 2015.

• Express percentages in a different way.

• A way of varying this language is to express them as fractions or proportions.

(1) Fractions:

• 73%- nearly three quarters

• 51%- just over a half

• 49%- just under a half

• 32%- nearly a third

• 3%- a tiny fraction

• 50%- exactly a half

• 26%- roughly one quarter

• 49%- around a half

• 24%- almost a quarter

• 77%- approximately three quarters

(2) Proportions:

• 70%- a large proportion

• 71%- a significant majority

• 15% a small minority

• 3%- an insignificant minority

1. To + Number: 

   • Describe the change in some levels.

   • Ex: In April, the consumption of meat rose to 5 tons.

2. By + Number:

   • Describe the change in a specific range.

   • Ex: The percentage of people going to restaurants decreased by 5% due to the corona outbreak.

3. Of + Number:

   • Describe the difference

   • Ex: There was an increase of 5% in the number of people trying to learn Ielts Writing Task 1.

4. At + Number:

   • Show a specific number.

   • Ex: The percentage stood at 6%.

5. With + Percentage:

   • Describe the percentage and the amount captured.

   • Ex: Misa lost the competition with only 10 votes out of 100.

6. Approximately, adequate, around:

   • Ex: The job will take approximately three weeks, and cost approximately $1,000.

7. Between...and:

   • Ex: She weighs between 55 and 60 kilograms.

(1) A record high:

• • Dynamic graphs have peak values.

  • Vocabulary: Reach a peak, reach a highest point ==> a record high.

  • Example:

    1. The percentage of beef consumed reached a record high of 55% in 1997.

    2. The percentage of beef consumed increased to a record high of 55% in 1997.

(2) A trough:

• • Vocabulary: Hit the bottom, the lowest point ==> a trough.

  • Example:

    1. By 2000, chicken consumption had reached a trough of only 33%.

    2. Chicken consumption had fallen to a trough of only 33% by 2000.

(3) To recover to:

• • Reduce and increase again.

  • Vocabulary: to recover to.

  • Example:

    1. The proportion of lamb consumed dropped to 20% in 1995, and then increased again to 35% in the next five years.

    2. The proportion of lamb consumed dropped to 20% in 1995, before recovering to 35% in the next five years.

(4) Advanced vocabulary:

• Zenith = Peak. (Reaching a zenith)

• Nadir = Trough. (Reach a nadir of around ...)