IELTS Writing Task 1 Tips Kerala 2026 — Academic Graphs & General Letter Templates for Band 7
Athul Mohan — IDP Certified IELTS Trainer
Academic Writing Task 1 — Graph Description Types
| Chart Type | What to Describe | Key Language |
|---|---|---|
| Line Graph | Trends over time — rises, falls, fluctuations | rose sharply, declined gradually, remained stable, peaked at, reached a low of |
| Bar Chart | Comparisons between categories at fixed points | significantly higher than, the most common, accounted for, in contrast |
| Pie Chart | Proportions of a whole | represented, comprised, made up, accounted for [X]%, the largest share |
| Table | Multiple data points — select most significant only | the highest figure was, compared to, while, whereas |
| Process Diagram | Stages in a process — chronological order | first, then, subsequently, following this, the final stage |
| Map | Changes to a location over time or area comparison | was replaced by, was extended, a new [X] was constructed, remained unchanged |
Academic Task 1 Band 7 Structure
Paragraph 1 — Introduction (1–2 sentences): Paraphrase the chart description. Never copy it. "The line graph illustrates the changes in..." not "The line graph shows the number of..."
Paragraph 2 — Overview (2–3 sentences): The most important paragraph. Describe the 2–3 most significant overall trends without specific numbers. This is what separates Band 6 from Band 7 in Task Achievement.
Paragraphs 3–4 — Details: Specific data with numbers to support the overview. Group similar data together rather than describing every data point individually.
💡 Critical tip from Athul Mohan: The Overview paragraph is mandatory for Band 7+. Many Kerala students skip it or merge it with the detail paragraphs. Without a clear Overview that identifies the main trend, your Task Achievement score cannot exceed Band 6 regardless of how well you describe the data.
General Training Task 1 — Letter Writing
General Training Task 1 requires a letter — formal, semi-formal, or informal depending on the prompt. You must address all three bullet points given in the question. Missing any bullet point drops your Task Achievement below Band 6.
| Letter Type | Opening | Closing | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal (to manager, government) | Dear Sir/Madam, | Yours faithfully, | Professional, no contractions |
| Semi-formal (to known person) | Dear Mr/Ms [Name], | Yours sincerely, | Professional but warmer |
| Informal (to friend, family) | Dear [First Name], | Best wishes, / Take care, | Conversational, contractions OK |
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