Every Task 1 answer — line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table or process — opens with the same two moves, and they are two separate paragraphs. First a short introduction that paraphrases the question into your own words. Then, on a new line, your overview of the big picture. Get these two right and you have the backbone of a Band 7 answer before you describe a single detail.
The whole answer is built the same way every time: introduction → overview → two body paragraphs (the detail and the figures). This lesson builds the first two; Lesson 2 builds the body.
You must not copy the question. Words copied straight from the task are not counted as your own, so a first sentence that repeats the rubric earns you nothing for vocabulary. Instead, rewrite it using four simple tools:
Some words you keep: proper nouns (London, France), units (millions, %) and technical terms usually have no safe synonym — changing them risks changing the meaning. Here is the whole move on one example.
“An answer that lifts wording directly from the task instructions cannot be credited for that language. The strongest responses re-express the prompt accurately in the candidate's own words before reporting the data.” — IELTS Writing Key Assessment Criteria, Lexical Resource (paraphrased)
Each row rewrites a piece of that question. Decide whether the rewrite is a good paraphrase (different words, same meaning), just copied (barely changed) or a meaning change (says something the question does not).
Task 1 can give you any of five input types. The paraphrase move is the same for all of them, but the verbs shift: a graph over time rises and falls; a table or bar chart compares; a process has stages. Study the four below, then pick the best opening for each.
Bar chartThe chart below shows the percentage of households with internet access in four countries in 2005 and 2020.
Pie chartsThe two pie charts below show the proportion of electricity generated from four sources in Country X in 2000 and 2020.
TableThe table below shows average monthly household spending, in pounds, on three categories by three age groups.
| Age group | Housing (£) | Food (£) | Leisure (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–25 | 620 | 180 | 210 |
| 26–40 | 950 | 320 | 240 |
| 41–60 | 880 | 360 | 300 |
ProcessThe diagram below shows the process by which used glass bottles are recycled.
For each of the four questions above, choose the opening sentence that paraphrases the task accurately — not a copy, and not one that adds meaning the chart does not show.
The introduction is finished — it was the paraphrase, and nothing else. Now start a new paragraph and stand back. The overview names the biggest, most general features of the whole data set — the thing a reader would notice from across the room. It is usually one or two sentences, but it is a paragraph of its own: never bolt it onto the end of your introduction, and never bury it in the body. A missing or weak overview is the single most common reason Task 1 answers are capped at Band 5 — giving it its own line is what makes the examiner see it.
A good overview:
Here is the museum line graph again — the chart your worked example described. Use it to judge the statements below.
For each statement about Figure 1, decide whether it belongs in a good overview (broad, no numbers), is a detail (true, but a specific figure for the body) or is off-task (a cause, opinion or recommendation the chart cannot show).
You have judged paraphrases, chosen the best openings, and sorted overviews from details. The next step is a complete Task 1 paper, where your introduction and overview open a full response. Practice papers can be marked by AI against all four official criteria — that step needs a free account and credits; this lesson does not.
Go to a Task 1 practice paper