IELTS Writing Task 1: Academic and General Training Guide with Sample Answers

IELTS Writing Task 1 asks you to write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. In IELTS Academic you describe a chart, graph, table, map or process diagram. In IELTS General Training you write a letter. It is the shorter of the two writing tasks and carries less weight than Task 2, but a weak Task 1 still pulls your Writing band down. Most candidates lose marks here for the same three reasons: no overview, too much detail, and running out of time.

This guide covers both versions: what the examiner marks, a four-paragraph structure that works for any Academic visual, the three letter types in General Training, and an annotated sample answer for each.

What Is IELTS Writing Task 1?

Task 1 is the first of two questions in the IELTS Writing test. The whole Writing test lasts 60 minutes, and you choose how to split that time. The official advice is about 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 on Task 2, because Task 2 counts for twice as much of your Writing score.

Not sure which version you need? Check what your university, regulator or visa route asks for before you book. Our guide to UKVI IELTS for UK visas covers the UK routes, and the IELTS preparation course roadmap maps each version to Canada, Australia and nursing registration.

How Is Task 1 Marked?

Examiners score Task 1 against four criteria, each worth a quarter of the task score. They are published in the official IELTS writing band descriptors, and they are the most useful thing you can read before you practise.

• Task Achievement. Did you answer the question you were given? In Academic this means a clear overview of the main trends and accurate key figures. In General Training it means covering all three bullet points in a tone that suits the reader.
• Coherence and Cohesion. Is the answer logically organised into paragraphs, with linking words that help the reader rather than decorate the page?
• Lexical Resource. Do you have the vocabulary for describing change and comparison (rose sharply, levelled off, accounted for, twice as many), used accurately?
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Do you use a mix of simple and complex sentences, mostly without errors?

The single most important line in the Academic descriptors is about the overview. Without a clear overview of the main features, your Task Achievement score is very unlikely to go above band 5, however good your English is. In our classes in Kuwait this is the most common reason a student with strong grammar is stuck at 6.

Academic Task 1: Which Visuals Can Appear?

You will get one of six formats, sometimes two combined (for example a pie chart alongside a table).

A Four-Paragraph Structure for Any Academic Visual

You do not need a different plan for every chart type. This structure works for all six, and it puts the overview where the examiner expects it.

1. Introduction (1 sentence). Paraphrase the question. Change the words, keep the meaning: "The chart shows" becomes "The bar chart compares".
2. Overview (2 sentences). The two or three biggest features. No numbers here. Ask yourself: if I could tell someone only two things about this chart, what would they be?
3. Detail paragraph 1. Evidence for the first main feature, with key figures.
4. Detail paragraph 2. Evidence for the second main feature, or the comparison.

Two rules keep you out of trouble. Never give an opinion or explain causes the chart does not show. And never write a conclusion that merely repeats your overview. The overview is your summary; put it second, not last.

Academic Sample Question and Annotated Answer

Practice question: The table below shows the percentage of households with internet access in three countries in 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The figures above were invented for practice and do not describe real countries.

The table compares the proportion of homes with internet access in three countries at five-year intervals between 2005 and 2020.

Overall, access rose in all three countries throughout the period. Country A had the highest level of connection at every point, while Country C, despite starting from a very low base, saw by far the fastest growth.

In 2005, almost two thirds of households in Country A were already online (62%), compared with roughly a third in Country B (35%) and fewer than one in ten in Country C (8%). Country A's figure then climbed steadily, reaching 95% by 2020, which meant that by the end of the period nearly every home had access.

Country B followed a similar but lower path, rising by between 16 and 19 percentage points every five years to finish at 86%. The most dramatic change, however, was in Country C. Its rate more than doubled between 2010 and 2015, from 15% to 31%, and then almost doubled again to 58% in 2020. Even so, it remained well behind the other two countries.

Why it works: 178 words. The first sentence paraphrases instead of copying the question. The overview names the two main features, the leader and the fastest growth, without a single number. Each detail paragraph is built around one idea, and the figures are selected, not listed: the answer never reads out all twelve cells. Comparison language (compared with, a similar but lower path, by far, well behind) does the work Task Achievement rewards.

General Training Task 1: The Three Letter Types

In General Training you are given a situation and three bullet points to cover. The first thing to decide is who you are writing to, because that fixes your tone.

The fastest way to lose Task Achievement marks in a letter is to skip a bullet point or answer it in a single throwaway line. Give each bullet its own paragraph and the structure takes care of itself: a one-line opening that states why you are writing, three body paragraphs, and a one-line close.

General Training Sample Question and Annotated Answer

Practice question: You recently started a new job and your manager has asked you to attend a training course next month. However, the course clashes with a family commitment. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter: explain why you cannot attend; suggest an alternative; say how you will keep up with the training.

Dear Ms Rahman,

Thank you for enrolling me on the customer service training course on 14 November. I am writing because, unfortunately, I will not be able to attend on that date.

My brother is getting married in India that week, and I booked my flights several months before I joined the company. As the eldest son, I have a number of responsibilities at the ceremony, so it would be very difficult for me to change my plans.

I noticed that the same course is being run again on 5 December. If there is still space, I would be grateful if I could join that session instead. Alternatively, I understand that part of the material is available online, and I would be happy to complete it before I travel.

In the meantime, I will ask Ahmed, who attended last year, to talk me through the key procedures, and I will read the course handbook so that I am not behind the rest of the team.

I apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

Yours sincerely,
Joseph Mathew

Why it works: 177 words. The purpose is stated in the first two lines. Each bullet point gets its own paragraph with a reason or a concrete detail, not just a statement. The tone is semi-formal because it is a manager the writer knows: polite, no slang, no contractions. The close is short and matches the opening.

Five Mistakes That Cost Candidates a Band

1. No overview, or an overview at the end. Examiners look for it in the second paragraph. Make it easy to find.
2. Describing every number. Select. Three or four well-chosen figures per detail paragraph is plenty.
3. Copying the question. Copied words are not counted toward your 150, and they show the examiner nothing about your vocabulary.
4. Writing under 150 words. Short answers are penalised under Task Achievement. Aim for 160 to 190; going much longer usually means you are listing data, and it eats into your Task 2 time.
5. Spending 30 minutes on Task 1. Task 2 is worth double. If Task 1 runs over, Task 2 suffers, and that costs you more.

For the longer essay, see our guides on how to score band 9 in IELTS Writing and ten IELTS writing tips. For how the two writing tasks fit together, see the IELTS Academic Writing format.

How to Practise Task 1 in Two Weeks

If your exam is close, this is the routine we give students at our Kuwait centres:

• Days 1 to 3: Read the official band descriptors and five high-scoring sample answers. Do not write yet. Underline the overviews.
• Days 4 to 7: Write overviews only, two a day, for different visual types (or openings and purpose lines for letters). Time yourself: four minutes each.
• Days 8 to 12: Full answers in 20 minutes, one a day. Count your words afterwards, not during.
• Days 13 and 14: Two full Writing tests, Task 1 and Task 2 together, in 60 minutes, so the timing becomes automatic.

Writing is the skill where feedback matters most, because you cannot easily mark yourself. Get a trained eye on at least a few of your answers. A full IELTS mock test will also show you whether your 20 minutes hold up under exam pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get Feedback on Your Task 1 Answers

REG Education & Immigration runs IELTS Academic, General Training and UKVI preparation at our branches in Salmiya, Jaleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Mangaf, with online classes for anyone who cannot get to a centre. Our trainers mark your Task 1 and Task 2 answers against the official band descriptors and show you exactly which criterion is holding your score back.

See the IELTS course in Kuwait or contact us to ask about the next batch.