Task 1 — select, report, and write the overview · Task 1 — sélectionner, rapporter et rédiger la vue d'ensemble
A rising share does not tell you the number of journeys
- Original survey: cycling is 20% in 2020 and · et 35% in 2025; cars are 50% and 40%; other travel is 30% and 25%. Cycling gains share while the others fall, and cars remain the largest category.
- The totals are not supplied. You cannot conclude that the number of cycling journeys rose or that a new cycle lane caused the change. A percentage knows its share of the pie, but not how big the whole pie was.
In Task 1 you should explain why the trend happened. · Dans Task 1, vous devriez expliquer pourquoi la tendance s'est produite.
Report what the visual information supports. An invented cause is unsupported and takes space from the task; no single sentence establishes an automatic score cap.
An overview selects the main picture
- In this survey, “Cycling gained share while the other categories declined; cars remained the largest category” summarises the main patterns. “Cycling was 20% in 2020” is one supporting detail rather than the overall comparison.
- Main features depend on the visual: a dominant category, major change, important crossover or stable feature can matter. Do not force a crossover into a chart without one. An overview need not use a prescribed number of sentences.
In a visual with an important overall movement and a major line crossover, which features could be selected for the overview? Choose all that apply.
An overview selects the main patterns, such as the largest category or a major change. Supporting figures belong mainly in the detail paragraphs; avoid invented causes or opinions.
Group details around meaningful comparisons
- Introduce what the visual shows, give the main picture, then develop useful groups of details. For this survey, compare the rising cycle share with the falling shares; support each comparison with given values.
- One usable structure puts the overview after the introduction and develops two detail groups. It is not a mandatory paragraph recipe. A different visual may need another organisation; listing every value in display order can hide the relationships.
Put this suggested Task 1 plan in a useful order.
This plan introduces the visual, summarises its main picture and develops grouped details. It is one usable structure, not a mandatory paragraph or overview placement rule.
Read labels and totals before claiming an amount
- A percentage-only housing comparison of 26% and 38% of income supports a larger share, but not necessarily a larger amount spent. If total income also changed, the amount depends on both share and total.
- A pie chart can label counts, amounts or percentages. Read its labels and units rather than assuming its shape supplies only shares. When amounts are given, use them; when only percentages are given, keep the claim at that level.
A percentage-only housing comparison rises from 26% to 38% of income; total incomes are not given. Which sentence is supported?
The given percentages establish a larger share. Amount spent also depends on total income. A pie chart may show other units, so read its actual labels rather than generalising from its shape.
A diagram explicitly labels 120 bottles before sorting. What supports reporting that quantity?
The diagram supplies the count. Process information can include quantities, temperatures and durations.
Process and map descriptions follow their actual labels
- A process may supply temperatures, durations or quantities as well as stages. For an original label “Heat water to 80°C, then filter it”, include the relevant temperature and sequence. Use passive forms when the actor is unimportant, and active forms when a named actor matters.
- Maps can compare past, present or proposed layouts. Choose tenses from their dates and status: “In the proposed plan, the entrance will move east” does not claim it has moved already. Describe what is shown without inventing features or changes.
Rewrite in the passive: 'People collect the bottles.' → 'The bottles ___ collected.' · Réécrivez à la voix passive : « People collect the bottles. » → « The bottles ___ collected. »
Are collected is the present passive form. It fits when the collection stage matters more than the actor; other process descriptions may appropriately use active verbs.
A map labels an eastern entrance as a proposed future change. Which description preserves that status?
The proposal is a future layout. Do not claim that it has already been built.
Check detail against the same evidence
- Cycling rises by 15 percentage points to 35%; cars fall by 10 points to 40%. These details support the overview and preserve the supplied units. A share increase alone leaves the absolute journey count unresolved.
- Format checked on 2 October 2026: official IELTS Academic Writing guide. Our survey, process and map snippets are original teaching examples; the short checks do not predict a band.
- Select the main picture, support it with accurate details and keep every claim within the supplied evidence.
Match the distinctions in this worked case.
Detail: cycling rose by 15 percentage points to 35%, while cars fell by 10 points to 40%. Both descriptions select comparisons from the same values without inventing a cause.
Which category has the largest share in 2025?
Original data: cycle share is 20% in 2020 and 35% in 2025; car share is 50% and 40%; other travel is 30% and 25%. Overview: cycling rose while the other two shares fell; cars remained the largest category. Detail: cycling rose by 15 percentage points to 35%, while cars fell by 10 points to 40%. Both descriptions select comparisons from the same values without inventing a cause.
Cycling shares of 20% and 35%, with neither total supplied, prove that the number of cycling journeys rose.
Counts require totals as well as shares. Different totals could produce an unchanged or lower number despite a higher share.