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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