Here’s how to meet the examiner’s expectations and raise your score in Academic Writing Task 1.

1. Paraphrase the introduction smartly 🔄

Don’t change every word - it will sound unnatural.

Do use accurate synonyms (e.g. 'shows' = 'gives information about') and change word forms (e.g. 'the production of oil' → 'how much oil was produced').

💡 Tip: Group countries into regions (e.g. 'in France, Italy and Spain' = 'in 3 European countries') and vary how you describe time periods (e.g. 'from 1995 to 2015' = 'over a decade' or 'over a ten-year period')

2. Write a clear overview 👀

Don’t confuse the overview with the introduction.

Do give the “big picture” - even if that means saying there was no change or no correlation.

💡 Tip: Start with “Overall…” so the examiner knows it’s your overview.

3. Describe data, not opinions 📏

❌ Don’t explain why trends happened (e.g. 'due to the global financial crisis').

✅ Do describe objective facts, using precise language (e.g. 'sales fell sharply').

4. Make comparisons both ways 📈📉

Don’t just describe trends over time (horizontally ↔️)

Do compare highest and lowest figures too. (vertically ↕️)

💡Tip: Draw on the graph in the paper-based test to spot key features.

5. Include data wisely 🧮

Don’t list every small change - it’s boring and not analytical.

Do summarise and round numbers (£489.93 → 'just under £500').

6. Summarise patterns 🔍

Do use language like 'doubled' and 'halved'.

💡Tip: Add figures to be more specific (e.g. 'with 2 million visitors in 2005').

7. Hit the word count ✏️

Don’t risk being underlength - some words from the task don’t count.

Do practise writing well over 150 words so you never waste time counting in the exam.

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