IELTS Writing Task 1 Introduction: How to Paraphrase the Question
Rahul from Jaipur began his Task 1 answer by copying the question word for word. That sentence earned him nothing.
A good Task 1 introduction is one sentence that says what the visual shows, where and when, in your own words. Change the words and the structure, keep each fact, and move straight on to the overview.
What goes into the sentence?
Four details do the work: what the visual shows, who or where it covers, when, and the unit if the chart gives one, such as “in thousands”.
The sample scripts on the IELTS website point the same way. One examiner comment calls an introduction appropriate because the candidate tried to put it in their own words, and another says the opening should name the groups studied and the period covered.
Why not copy the question?
Words copied from the question are not assessed, according to Cambridge’s teaching notes for Academic Task 1. An article on the IELTS website adds that copied prompt text does not count towards the 150-word minimum.
The public Writing band descriptors list “language from the input material” beside memorised phrases as inappropriate lexical chunks at Band 4. Template openings raise a similar problem, as our post on memorised templates and set phrases explains.
Four ways to paraphrase the task
Combine two or three of these changes rather than hunting for rare words.
Practice task (written for this post)
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The line graph below shows the number of international students enrolled in three public universities in Country A between 2010 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Invented data for practice:
| University | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University A | 2,500 | 3,200 | 4,800 |
| University B | 1,800 | 2,100 | 2,900 |
| University C | 3,100 | 2,800 | 2,200 |
The task sentence can change in four ways:
| Technique | Task says | You write |
|---|---|---|
| Synonym | shows; international | illustrates; overseas |
| Word form | enrolled in | enrolment at |
| Structure | the number of students enrolled | how many students enrolled |
| Time phrase | between 2010 and 2020 | over the ten years from 2010 to 2020 |
Model introduction (illustrative Band 7)
The line graph illustrates how many overseas students enrolled at three public universities in Country A over the ten years from 2010 to 2020.
Why it works:
- Task Achievement: it names the visual, the students, the three public universities, the country and the period.
- Lexical Resource: “illustrates” replaces “shows”, and “overseas” replaces “international”.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: “how many students enrolled” turns a noun phrase into a clause, with “at” and “over” used accurately.
How do you fix a weak introduction?
Here are three weak openings for the practice task, each with a better version.
Incorrect: “The line graph below shows the number of international students enrolled in three public universities in Country A between 2010 and 2020.”
Correct: Between 2010 and 2020, the line graph tracks overseas student numbers at three public universities in Country A.
Incorrect: “This visual diagram presents an interesting illustration about foreign pupils studying in different colleges.”
Correct: The line graph compares overseas student numbers at three public universities in Country A from 2010 to 2020.
“Pupils” usually means school children, and “colleges” changes the meaning.
Incorrect: “The graph shows international students at three universities, and University A was the most popular because of cheaper fees.”
Correct: The line graph outlines international student numbers at three public universities in Country A between 2010 and 2020.
The reason (“cheaper fees”) is not in the data.
Where does the introduction stop?
Findings do not belong here, so leave out opinions, reasons and trends. They go in the overview, which our guide to the Task 1 overview explains.
Match the tense to the dates: past tenses suit 2010 to 2020, as our post on tenses in Task 1 shows.
Tip
Before you write, list the task’s key nouns, the time period and any unit, then decide which two you will reword.
Key Takeaways
- Words copied from the question are not assessed.
- Say what, where, when and the unit in one sentence.
- Mix synonyms, word forms, new structures and different time phrases.
- Leave opinions, reasons and trends out of the introduction.
- Keep each fact from the task sentence.
The bottom line: The introduction is the shortest paragraph in your answer, so spend the minutes you save on the overview and the figures.