Academic Writing Course: Task 1

📝 IELTS Writing: Paragraph Structure

Master the 4 essential paragraph types for Band 7+

1️⃣

Introduction Paragraph

Purpose: Paraphrase the question and state what the visual shows

Features:

Rewrite the question in your own words
Identify the type of graphic
State the time period (if applicable)

2️⃣

Overview Paragraph

Purpose: Summarize the main trends without specific data

Features:

2-3 most important features
No specific numbers
Use “Overall” or “In general”

3️⃣

1st Body Paragraph

Purpose: Describe the first key feature in detail

Features:

Start with highest/lowest figures
Include specific data
Make comparisons
Use trend language

4️⃣

2nd Body Paragraph

Purpose: Describe the second key feature in detail

Features:

Describe other significant data
Note exceptions or contrasts
Use comparing language
Show relationships between data

Sample Answer Structure

Introduction Paragraph (Click to view) +

“The bar chart illustrates the percentage of people using different transportation methods in a European city between 1985 and 2015. It compares four types of transport: cars, buses, bicycles, and trains.”

Overview Paragraph (Click to view) +

“Overall, car usage increased significantly while bus usage declined. Bicycle and train usage showed moderate growth over the period.”

1st Body Paragraph (Click to view) +

“In 1985, buses were the most popular transport method at 45%, compared to just 25% for cars. However, by 2015, this situation had reversed dramatically, with car usage soaring to 60% while bus usage plummeted to 15%.”

2nd Body Paragraph (Click to view) +

“Train usage grew steadily from 15% to 25% during the period. Similarly, bicycle usage increased from 10% to 20%, though it remained the least popular option throughout. Notably, both train and bicycle usage showed consistent growth without the fluctuations seen in other transport methods.”

// Flip card functionality function flipCard(card) { card.querySelector(‘.flip-card-inner’).style.transform = card.querySelector(‘.flip-card-inner’).style.transform === ‘rotateY(180deg)’ ? ‘rotateY(0deg)’ : ‘rotateY(180deg)’; } // Toggle paragraph visibility function toggleParagraph(element) { const content = element.nextElementSibling; const icon = element.querySelector(‘span:last-child’); if (content.style.display === ‘block’) { content.style.display = ‘none’; icon.textContent = ‘+’; } else { content.style.display = ‘block’; icon.textContent = ‘-‘; } }

We will now examine each paragraph more closely.