Hey all. In this post today I will show you all of the different Task 1 question types. You will definitely see one of these types on your test!

In order to get a good score in the Task Achievement and Cohesion/Coherence criteria on your test, it is important to know how to handle each of the different question types.

It is also important to take a couple of minutes to organize and plan your answer before you start writing. A little bit of planning can make the difference between an “okay” score and a great score on the test.

So, after each question type, I’ll give you a few ideas about how you might structure an answer.

Let’s go.

Bar chart

What should I put in the introduction overview?

One obvious overall trend you could mention is how National/international fixed line calling and mobile calling both went up throughout the period, but local fixed line calling rose and fell.

How should I organize my two body paragraphs?

You could compare and contrast local and national/international calling in one paragraph, then mobile calling in your second paragraph. Or, you could talk about local calling in your first paragraph and compare and contrast national/international calling with mobile calling in your second.

A third way might be to divide your two paragraphs in terms of time: 1995-1999 for the first, and 1999-2002 for the second.

Pie chart

What should I put in the introduction overview?

In your overview here, you could talk about what both countries have in common, and where they are different. For example, in both countries, the percentage of population aged 60+ is expected to rise, but Italy’s population aged 15-59 years will shrink, while Yemen’s will grow.

How should I organize my two body paragraphs?

Here it would be best to simply choose specific aspects (ages) to compare and contrast between the two countries in body paragraph 1, then compare and contrast the others in body paragraph 2. For example, paragraph 1 could discuss young (0-14 years) and old (60+ years) populations in Yemen and Italy, and then paragraph 2 could discuss 15-59 year olds in Yemen and Italy.

Line graph

What should I put in the introduction overview?

In your overview here you could talk about the most popular (roads) and least popular (pipeline) means of transport, and their general trends.

How should I organize my two body paragraphs?

Here you could choose two transport methods to compare and contrast for body paragraph 1, then compare and contrast the other two in body paragraph 2.

Table

What should I put in the introduction overview?

Here, notice which routes are longest, which ones are most popular, and which ones are the oldest. It’s interesting that these three pieces of data are correlated with each other!

How should I organize my two body paragraphs?

In your first paragraph, you might talk about the three biggest and most popular routes (London, Paris and Tokyo), then in the second paragraph talk about the other three routes.

Note also that this is just one way to handle this table… you might think of another great way to do it.

Process diagram

What should I put in the introduction overview?

This one is a little different because it’s a diagram. What do you think is the most important information here?

You might notice the ingredients used in each process, or you might talk about which process is simpler overall.

How should I organize my two body paragraphs?

The most obvious way to do it would be to talk about cement production in one paragraph, and concrete production in the other.

*Tip: on these question types, test takers often overuse the word “then” as they describe step after step. Try to vary your vocabulary with expressions like “first”, “second”, “after that”, “next”, “finally” and other such words.

Map

What should I put in the introduction overview?

Here you could just explain the obvious fact that before the development of the facilities the island was almost completely empty, except for some trees. After development, there are now a number of buildings and paths.

How should I organize my two body paragraphs?

First of all, it's important to realize that on maps, somewhere in your answer you must mention ALL of the things that are labelled on the map!

So if it has a label and it's named on the map, you need to talk about it somewhere! This doesn't mean you have to explain every single thing that is labelled; you just have to make sure to mention it.

As for paragraphs: maps can be a little bit difficult to organize! Sometimes you just have to pick some things and separate them into paragraphs for no good reason.

For this one, you might discuss the buildings in the first paragraph – the location of the restaurant, accommodations, and reception area. Then, in your second paragraph, you can talk about the roads, the pier and the beach.

Multi-type

What should I put in the introduction overview?

Some question types mix different kinds of graphs into one. Here we have a pie chart and a table.

For an overview here, you could talk about the biggest cause of land degradation (over-grazing), and which regions it affected most. You could also talk about how certain regions weren’t affected at all by certain causes of land degradation.

How should I organize my two body paragraphs?

An obvious way to organize this one might be to talk about the pie chart in paragraph 1, and the table in paragraph 2. However, I think it’s better to split it up a different way.

Instead, you could try talking about over-grazing specifically in paragraph 1, and which regions it affected. Then, talk about the other causes and which regions they affected. This will allow you to compare and contrast better, instead of just talking about individual observations.