1 Writing an introduction

1) Writing an introduction

The opening sentence for the first paragraph should define what the graph is about that is the date, location and what is being described in the graph. The easiest way to start writing is by paraphrasing the topic. Practice writing different introductions about one graph.

It introduces the graph with all the key information but does not copy from the rubric:

2) An overview
It provides an overview of the graph that identifies the key trend/s taking place:

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  An overview is simply a summary of the main things you can see.
  
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  Because the overview is so important, put it at the beginning of your essay, just after the introduction sentence.
  
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  Write two overview sentences. A one-sentence overview is not really enough.
  

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  After you have described the general trends, if you have time, you can select another interesting idea from the graph to write in the overview.
  

Note: this could be placed at the end as a conclusion instead, but either is ok.
Writing Body paragraphs
We should plan writing two main body paragraphs so that your essay looks more organized. We need to select something to say about each trend or piece of information. There is no rule about what information you select; everyone will do this differently. We should look for the highest figures in each category and make comparisons or give explanations. While writing the body paragraphs, describe the graph in detail, maybe in 3 or 4 sentences. In these two paragraphs you need to select key information, include numbers and make comparisons or give explanations.

In IELTS Task 1, you need to interpret data from an image and put it into words. The simplest paragraph structure for this kind of writing is:

1 Make a general statement.
2 Explain what you mean.
3 Give some proof.