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Useful Academic Expressions
These are some useful expressions used in academic writing:
1. Stating your own position on a Subject or Topic
This paper aims at... This paper will be concerned with... The aim of this paper is to… The point of this article is to… It shall be argued in this paper/essay/review that… The view presented in this paper/essay/review is that..
2. Presenting your own point of view
I strongly believe that... To my mind... As I see it.... It seems to me evident/obvious that... I feel that... I think/contend that... There are many reasons why… It is important/necessary to point out that… The first thing to be considered is… It is a fact that…
3. Supporting your view and adding more information:
The first/second reason why…is… Firstly/Secondly... not only ...but also... The most important… In addition, … Furthermore, … What is more, … Another reason is … A further point is …
4. Stating the view of Another Person on a Subject or Topic
Harris's approch (1970, p. 1) can be described as follows... Chomsky (1965, p. 133) maintains/argues/asserts/claims/points out that... Th authors views ca be stated as follows... The opinion of Chomsky (1965, p. 133) is that… Chomsky (1965, p. 133)) has suggested that …. According to Smith (1992, p. 123), …
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It is thought by some theorists, for example, Chomsky (1965, p. 133) and Harris (1970, p. 1) that…
5. Agreeing with the Views of Others
I don't agree with the authors ideas/thoughts...because... I don't think the author's views are accurate...because... Chomsky (1965, p. 133) is certainly/may be correct/accurate in saying that …
because… As Chomsky (1965, p. 133) says/states … Like Chomsky (1965, p. 133), it can be agreed that …. because…
6. Disagreeing with the Views of Others
Chomsky (1965, p. 133) fails to address the issue when he says "…" because … When Chomsky (1965, p. 133) argues that …. his reasoning is questionable
because…. One of the main arguments against Chomsky (1965, p. 133) and Harris (1970, p.
1) is that … Harris (1970) approach/position/methods is/are somewhat
inadequate/inaccurate/insufficient because… There is some doubt that…
7. Indicating a Lack of Knowledge in a Particular Topic or Subject
Despite the book's attempts to... it lacks accuracy... What I find lacking in the research is... Although the research has tended to focus on…..rather less attention has been
paid to… Most studies, such as Harris (1970, p. 1) and Chomsky (1965, p. 133) have
emphasized/concentrated on/focused on inadequate /insufficient….
8. Drawing a Conclusion Using the Work of Others
To sum up, ... In a nutshell, ... As a conclusion, ... As a summary, ... All in all, ... To conclude, ... Based on these authors, a connection can be made between… It can be concluded from what Jones (2004, p. 2) and Smith (2002, p. 1) have
stated that... is … When Smith’s (2001, p.52) work/paper is looked at closely, it is seen that… One outcome of Smith’s (2001, p.52) work/paper/research is …
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KEY WORDS for IELTS WRITING
Stating Your Opinion
In my opinion, According to me,
In my view, To me,
From my point of view, I think
It seems to me that I believe
From my perspective To my way of thinking
It appears that I suppose
I realize I understand
I imagine I feel
Giving Examples
For example, For instance,
such as In other words,
as like
that is namely
To illustrate To paraphrase
Comparing
Similar to As...as
in common also
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Either...or In the same way,
Neither...nor At the same time
Just as resemble
Contrasting
However, But
On the contrary, On the other hand,
Differ from Nevertheless
Although Though
Otherwise Instead
Alternatively, Even though
Generalizing
Generally, Generally speaking,
Overall, On the whole,
In general, By and large,
It seems to me that I believe
All in all, Basically,
Essentially, As a rule,
All things considered For the most part
Expressing Certainty
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Certainly, Undoubtedly,
Doubtless, No doubt,
Definitely, Of course,
Expressing Partial Agreement
More or less, To some extent,
Up to a point, Almost,
In a way, So to speak,
Showing cause
Due to Because
Because of Owing to
Showing effect
Therefore, As a result,
Consequently, For this reason,
Thus, So,
thereby Eventually,
Hence, The reason why
Marking time
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First, Last
Second, Lastly,
Third, Then,
Firstly, First of all,
Secondly, Before
Thirdly, After
During While
To begin with At the same time
Simultaneously After this / that
Since Meanwhile
Afterwards Following this
When As soon as
Adding Information
Furthermore In addition
Also And
Moreover Similarly
Likewise As well as
Besides Too
Even What’s more
Expressing condition
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If Whether
In case Unless
Provided that So that
Concluding
To summarize In conclusion
Lastly, Finally,
To conclude with, In short,
IELTS Writing Task 1: Useful LanguageSome IELTS test-takers memorise a stock of useful phrases for both writing tasks. This is not cheating – learning expressions by heart and reproducing them in an appropriate context is one of the most fundamental ways to improve in a second language. The key is to stick to learning effective signposting phrases; that is, expressions whose only function is to link ideas and which can therefore be used when writing about any topic. See the list below for suggestions for IELTS Writing Task 1. For each function, the language is graded for level, from regular use (Bands 5-6) to higher-level use (Bands 7-9).
Introducing the topic
The graph shows… / The table reveals… The chart displays… / The diagram illustrates… Some interesting facts concerning… are revealed in the diagram. Several key trends are revealed by the graph showing…
Introducing the first set of data
Beginning with the… To begin with the… Let me begin by describing the…
Introducing the second set of data
Meanwhile, the… shows that… As for the… , it shows that…
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Turning to the… , it can be seen that…
Introducing the first major trend
First of all, it is clear that… Most noticeably of all, it can be seen that… The first result worth pointing out is that…
Introducing lesser trends
Another trend that can be observed is that… It is also worth pointing out that… Also worth noting is that…
Exceptions to the main trend
However, this was not always the case. However, it should be pointed out that… There was one noticeable exception, however.
Comparing and contrasting
Similarly, … / By contrast, … A similar trend can be observed in… The results for… , however, reveal a markedly different trend.
Adding figures
The figures were X and Y respectively. …, at X. / …, with Y. (Usage note: use ‘at’ when you mean ‘the figure was'; use ‘with’
when you mean ‘something had’) …, at/with X and Y respectively.
Concluding and summarising
To sum up, … / In summary, … / In short, … Overall, … / On the whole, … The main thing that can be observed here is that…
First paragraph: Introduction
Key technique: Be direct.
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When writing an introduction to Task 1, get straight to the point as you only have 20 minutes to write your answer. One or two sentences are often sufficient. Two things you should try to include in the introduction are:
Paraphrase of the question: What does the diagram show? (Don’t describe the results yet!)
General description: Are the differences great or small, many or few? Is there one very obvious trend or feature that stands out?
Hint: Many people make the mistake of continuing with all the details. Stop here and begin your first body paragraph.
Body paragraphs
Key technique: Divide the body into two or three paragraphs.
Use a logical way to divide the body of your report into two or three paragraphs. Are there two or more sets of data? Great, then write a paragraph about each one. Is there only one set of data? Count the variables and divide them into two or three groups. You can divide by natural similarity (e.g. some academic subjects are sciences; others are arts.) Or you can divide by similarity of results (e.g. some exam scores went up; others went down.) Or you can divide a process, a time period or age range into two or three stages (e.g. the 20th Century can be divided into the early, mid, and late 20th Century.)
Now that you have a paragraphing system, make sure each paragraph is organised as follows:
Link to the previous paragraph: By contrast, turning to, finally, etc. Topic sentence: Describe the main point, change or comparison in general terms without
giving specific information. Supporting sentence(s): Quote a figure or other evidence that supports the claim made
in the topic sentence.
Hint: If you find yourself writing more than two consecutive supporting sentences, include a general sentence (e.g. There were also significant differences in…) to guide the reader, or consider starting a new paragraph.
Final paragraph: Conclusion
Key technique: Add overall coherence.
Due to lack of time, many people will omit the conclusion from Task 1. However, there are several reasons you should write a conclusion. One is that writing a summarising sentence takes very little time and may push you past the 150-word limit. Another is that a good summary can add coherence to your answer, which could rescue your score if you have drifted a lot. Finally, since the purpose of Task 1 is usually to compare, the conclusion allows you to make direct
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comparisons of the different sets of data, which is especially important if you have described them in separate body paragraphs. Here are some things that can go in the conclusion to Task 1:
Concluding signal: In conclusion, in summary, overall, etc. Summary: Paraphrase the overall trend or the two or three main points made in the body.
Never include statistics or other evidence in the conclusion. Direct comparison: If there are several sets of data, here is your chance to make a
connection between them. Don’t go into too much detail. Prediction: If the data includes a timeframe, you could make a prediction about what is
likely to happen next. Concluding comment: If you really need some extra words, you could add a comment
on the data. Is it surprisingly, alarming, expected? Comments such as these are not required by the question but are better than incurring a penalty for not meeting the word requirement.
Hint: You don’t need to include all of the above in your conclusion. Two sentences are generally enough.
IELTS Writing Task 1: Line Graph with Sample AnswerIELTS Writing, Sample Answers, Task 1 June 13, 2012 IELTSAcademic 2 Comments
Task 1 Question
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The diagram shows the consumption of renewable energy in the USA from 1949-2008.
Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer identifying the main trends and making comparisons where relevant.
Model Answer
The line graph shows growth in the consumption of renewable energy during the period 1949-2008 in the USA. The results are also broken down by source.
The first thing to note is that renewable energy use more than doubled over the period, with particularly strong growth in biofuels. This sector did not exist in 1980 but experienced a steep rise during the 2000s to over one quadrillion Btu per year. This made biofuels a serious challenger to both wood and hydroelectric power, which both saw only limited growth overall. The former grew steadily between 1975 and 1985, but then slipped back to around its original level of 1.8 quadrillion Btu. The latter began the period at the same level as wood but experienced more substantial growth. However, it also fell back to around 2 quadrillion Btu, with a particularly sharp drop in the late 1990s.
Finally, wind power emerged late in the period but showed a gradual rise to around 0.5 quadrillion Btu, suggesting that it, along with biofuels, will replace wood and hydroelectricity as the main sources of renewable every in the future.
(184 words, IELTS 8.0)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
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Task achievement: The model answer describes the overall trend first, followed by an analysis of the different energy sources. Numerical evidence is used sparingly to illustrate the trends. The main trends are used as the basis of a prediction in the final sentence.
Coherence and cohesion: Trends are explained in general terms first, followed by supporting figures. Some energy sources are grouped together for ease of understanding. It and this are used throughout as cohesive devices, and the writer uses the former and the latter to refer back to information in a previous sentence.
Lexical resource: The writer uses a wide range of vocabulary to describe change, including adjectives and adverbs such as limited, substantial and particularly sharp, and verbs such as doubled, slipped and emerged.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The model answer is free from grammatical errors. Sentence forms are complex and include relative clauses and linking words such as with. The candidate makes use of past, present and future tenses. Punctuation is also used carefully and accurately throughout.
IELTS Writing Task 1: Process Diagram with Sample AnswerIELTS Writing, Sample Answers, Task 1 March 11, 2012 IELTSAcademic 18 Comments
Task 1 Question
The diagram shows how electricity is generated by a hydroelectric dam.
Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer explaining how the process works.
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Model Answer
The diagram illustrates the basic principles of hydroelectric power. The process requires the construction of a large dam connected to a powerhouse. The dam creates a large reservoir and the powerhouse is where the electricity is generated.
First of all, water trapped in the reservoir behind the dam is forced through an intake. It then flows into a narrow chamber called a penstock, where the resulting high pressure turns a turbine. The turbine is connected to a generator in the powerhouse above, and this is where the movement of the turbine is converted into electricity. The resulting electricity leaves the powerhouse via cables that carry it over long distances to where it can be used.
It is interesting to note that a hydroelectric dam creates no harmful byproducts and relies entirely on natural forces to produce electricity. After the turbine stage, water flows out through a second channel and into a river. The process is renewable, thanks to the water cycle in nature.
(163 words, IELTS 8.0)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task achievement: The introduction paraphrases the question and describes the constituent parts of the process. The body describes each stage of the process in sequence.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer has an introduction, body and conclusion. Sequencing expressions such as first of all, then and after are used appropriately. The articles a and the are used effectively to introduce and refer back to different elements of the process.
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Lexical resource: The labels in the diagram are well integrated into the model answer and appropriate verbs such as converted, flows and leaves are used throughout. Less-common words such as byproducts and renewable are introduced by the writer. Spelling is always accurate.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The writer uses the present simple tense and has good control of subject-verb agreement and active/passive forms. A good balance of simple and complex sentences is used throughout.
ELTS Writing Task 1: Describing a ProcessIELTS Writing, Sample Answers, Task 1 January 20, 2013 IELTSAcademic 18 Comments
Writing Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The illustration below shows the process of tying a bow tie.
Write a report explaining to a university lecturer how to tie his bow tie.
Write at least 150 words.
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Model Answer
The diagram illustrates how to knot a bow tie in eight stages.
To begin with, the tie should be placed around the neck, with one end slightly longer than the other. Then place the longer end over the other and pass it upwards and behind the point where the two ends cross.
Next, take the other end of the tie and bend it twice to form an ‘S’ shape. Bring the longer end down and in front, so that it holds the ‘S’ curve in place. Now comes the trickiest part of the process. Take the long end of the tie and form a similar ‘S’ shape before passing it through the narrow gap behind the other end. This creates a knot and the bow should now be held securely in place.
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Finally, adjust both sides of the bow to make it symmetrical and prepare to be the envy of your friends.
(152 words, IELTS 9.0)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 9 score?
Task achievement: The model answer fully satisfies all requirements of the task by describing each stage in the process.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer uses a range of sequencing expressions to describe the order in which the actions should be carried out. The answer is divided into several paragraphs for ease of understanding, with the inclusion of a general sentence – Now comes the trickiest part of the process – to aid coherence.
Lexical resource: A range of appropriate vocabulary is introduced, including action verbs such as knot, bend, pass and adjust.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The correct forms – imperatives, modals – are used to give instructions. Sentence patterns vary and are always grammatically accurate.
IELTS Writing Task 1: Comparison Diagram with Sample AnswerIELTS Writing, Sample Answers, Task 1 July 23, 2012 IELTSAcademic 3 Comments
Task 1 Question
The diagram shows the skeletal systems of two ancestors of modern human beings.
Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer describing the diagram and making comparisons where relevant.
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Model Answer
Variations in the skeletal systems of two early types of human are illustrated in this diagram. Overall, we can see that australopithecus afarensis had a heavier body and much longer arms, while homo erectus was slimmer and had more developed joints.
To begin with the upper half of the body, australopithecus afarensis had a much broader chest and waist than homo erectus, giving it a rounder appearance. The former had much longer arms and larger hands, which would have been useful for climbing trees.
As for the lower half of the body, we can see that homo erectus had proportionately longer legs and larger hip, knee and ankle joints. The feet of homo erectus were also smaller and more arched, with shorter toes. These differences meant that homo erectus was better suited to long-distance running.
In conclusion, we can see significant changes in the development of early humans from the diagram. Homo erectus is more similar to contemporary human beings with its long legs and arched feet. The physical differences are clearly related to differences in the lifestyles of tree climbers and endurance runners.
(183 words, IELTS 8.0)
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Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task achievement: The model answer selects only the most important information from the diagram and uses this to make several direct comparisons. The physical differences are clearly connected to the description of each creatures’s lifestyle, providing a very rounded answer. The length is sufficient.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer is divided into clear paragraphs with a logical separation between the body paragraphs. There is a general overview in paragraph 1 and a summary in paragraph 4. A reference link, the former, is used to avoid over-repetition of the names of the creatures.
Lexical resource: The model answer adds more vocabulary not in the diagram such as lifestyle, proportionately, suited, appearance and contemporary. There are also attempts to paraphrase such as wide > broad and endurance > long-distance.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The model answer uses comparative structures accurately. The temptation to list all the features in repetitive structures is avoided. A variety of grammatical devices are used to extend sentences, including with, which and -ing clauses.
IELTS Writing Task 1: Cycle Diagram with Sample AnswerIELTS Writing, Sample Answers, Task 1 August 2, 2012 IELTSAcademic Leave a comment
Task 1 Question
The diagram below illustrates the carbon cycle in nature.
Write a 150-word description of this diagram for a university lecturer.
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© The National Center for Atmospheric Research
Model Answer
The diagram shows how carbon moves through various stages to form a complete cycle. This report will give a brief description of the main stages in this cycle.
First, we can see that energy from the sun is transformed into organic carbon through a process in plants known as photosynthesis. This organic carbon is then transferred underground when plants, and the animals that feed on them, die and decay. Some of this carbon is trapped underground in the form of fossils and fossil fuels.
Carbon is also released back into the atmosphere, however, through various means. One is when animals and plants respire, and another is when humans burn fossil fuels in cars and factories.
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All this carbon enters the atmosphere as CO2. It is then reabsorbed by plants, and the cycle begins again.
Overall, we can see that carbon moves in a natural cycle, although human factors may now be affecting the balance.
(154 words, IELTS 8.0)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task achievement: The model answer selects and describes most components of the diagram except for waste products and ocean uptake. There is an overall description of the cycle followed by a clearly sequenced and divided description of the stages. The summary identifies something noteworthy about the diagram. The length is sufficient.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer is divided into clear paragraphs with a logical separation between the body paragraphs and connective markers first, then, however, and overall. There is a general overview in paragraph 1 and a summary in paragraph 4. Referencing techniques such as ellipsis (one is…) are used to avoid over-repetition of key words.
Lexical resource: The writer makes good use of the language in the diagram and is also able to change forms in the case of respiration > respire. The writer also introduces a range of verbs for describing a process or cycle such as transform, transfer and release.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The model answer demonstrates accurate usage of a wide range of forms including countable/uncountable nouns, active/passive structures, and transitive/intransitive verbs.
IELTS Writing Task 1: Bar Chart with Sample AnswerIELTS Writing, Sample Answers, Task 1 July 10, 2012 IELTSAcademic 4 Comments
Task 1 Question
The bar chart shows the relative electricity consumption and cost per year of various household devices.
Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer explaining the data and making comparisons where relevant.
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Model Answer
The bar chart compares the energy consumption and expense of operating 16 different items of household equipment. Overall, we can see significant differences in both cost and consumption.
To begin with, there are some common household items which consume relatively little energy. These include an electric blanket (approx. $10 or 100kwh/year), a microwave oven (approx. $15 or 150kwh/year) and a television (approx. $17 or 170kwh/year).
By contrast, devices that might be classified as ‘luxury’ items such as a pool pump or spa are comparatively expensive and energy-intensive, at nearly $125 or 1500kwh/year and around $190 or 2225kwh/year respectively.
It is interesting to note that even among household items normally considered alike, such as a microwave and refrigerator, there are enormous discrepancies in cost and energy use. The former uses only around $15 or 150kwh/year, while the latter consumes at least six times that amount at $90 or 1150kwh/year.
In conclusion, it appears that there is no clear pattern in the relative energy consumption of domestic equipment, although households had better be aware of the high running costs of luxury items such as a pool pump and spa.
(187 words, IELTS 8.5)
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task achievement: The model answer presents an overall description first, followed by key supporting details that illustrate the main trend.
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Coherence and cohesion: The model answer is divided into clear paragraphs and each paragraph contains one main idea. There are cohesive links between paragraphs. A variety of reference links are used throughout, including the former, the latter, and respectively.
Lexical resource: The language in the question is effectively paraphrased. Synonyms are introduced for key concepts such as electricity consumption > energy use and cost > expense. Some less-common words such as discrepancies and energy-intensive are used.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The model answer is free from grammatical errors. Sentences tend to consist of multiple clauses. Paragraphs contain a variety of sentence structures.
Introducing the topic
The graph shows… / The table reveals… The chart displays… / The diagram illustrates… Some interesting facts concerning… are revealed in the diagram. Several key trends are revealed by the graph showing…
Introducing the first set of data
Beginning with the… To begin with the… Let me begin by describing the…
Introducing the second set of data
Meanwhile, the… shows that… As for the… , it shows that… Turning to the… , it can be seen that…
Introducing the first major trend
First of all, it is clear that… Most noticeably of all, it can be seen that… The first result worth pointing out is that…
Introducing lesser trends
Another trend that can be observed is that… It is also worth pointing out that… Also worth noting is that…
Exceptions to the main trend
However, this was not always the case.
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However, it should be pointed out that… There was one noticeable exception, however.
Comparing and contrasting
Similarly, … / By contrast, … A similar trend can be observed in… The results for… , however, reveal a markedly different trend.
Adding figures
The figures were X and Y respectively. …, at X. / …, with Y. (Usage note: use ‘at’ when you mean ‘the figure was'; use ‘with’
when you mean ‘something had’) …, at/with X and Y respectively.
Concluding and summarising
To sum up, … / In summary, … / In short, … Overall, … / On the whole, … The main thing that can be observed here is that…
Linking phrases for essay In Writing on July 26, 2011 at 9:25 am Linking phrases for essays Introductions ● Firstly, … ● Currently, presently ● To begin with… ● There are differing explanations/opinions as to why…. ● It is first necessary to explain… ● In the following essay will be examined. Supporting your argument ● In addition,… ● Furthermore,… ● This is further shown by the fact that…. ● This is further illustrated by…. ● This idea is supported by Again,… Another possibility is that… At the same time it is true to say… In addition… In any case…
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In other words… It should also be emphasized that… It should also be noted that… Mention should also be made of… Related to these arguments is the critique that… The corollary of this is that… The key point to note is that… The same can be said of… The same is true of… There were other factors which arguably counted for more. This in turn means that. Distinguishing Another important distinction between x and y is that… I would like to distinguish between x and y. On the other hand… The big difference between x and y is that… The essential difference is that… The essential point on which I differ is that… There is however an important difference between x and y. There are some respects in which x differs from y. This difference clearly cannot be explained by… We must here make a distinction. Giving Examples and Exemplifying A classic illustration often cited is… Another example of this may be given. In the x case this was perhaps the most obvious. More detailed studies show that… Only in one respect does the advantage seem to be with… Or let us take another example. That x happened illustrates the point that… The evidence of x is even more obvious in the case of… The origins of x can be traced back to… This was by no means unique. This was typified by… To take yet another illustration… Typical of x was… Discussing and Explaining your example A general explanation remains difficult to find/elusive.
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As a result… How are we to explain x? If one looks at x in historical perspective, one finds that/ it is clear that… Moreover it is at least arguable that… Partly for this reason it was inevitable that… The first thing we notice is the… The main reason it happened was that… The reality was at best that… The reasons for x cannot be traced to either y or z. The tendency of x is not necessarily a disadvantage. This achievement was primarily due to… This applies especially to… This in turn means that… This is the key to the problem. This means that… This takes us to the heart of the matter This was one of the most important reasons why… Two questions especially interest me. The first of these is… Two types of x need to be distinguished: The one is… The other kind is… Yet the important point to note is that… Presenting a contrasting point in a new sentence or paragraph ● In contrast to this,….. ● Whilst…. , …….. ● Furthermore… ● On the other hand… ● However,… ● A further point/reason is that… ● Although…. ● In addition to these points, it could be argued that… ● In spite of this…
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. At the same time it could be argued that… For one thing it could be argued that… Indeed, it might be argued that… It is interesting to speculate on what would happen if… It is tempting to pose another question. It may well be asked how… It might be argued that… Nor is it entirely fanciful to suggest that… Of course it could be argued that… Still, there is no denying that… This is not to say that there are not… Though it may seem a stretch to compare x with y… How can we explain x? More controversial is the question as to whether… One way to answer this question is to try to see if… The crucial question may therefore be… The question remains… What are the arguments on the other side? What sort of picture do these considerations allow us to construct? Why for example did x happen? Concluding All things considered then… Events show us that… Finally, Hence the paradox that… How can we account for…? If one considers x it becomes clear that… In any case it seems clear that… In general, however… In short,… In the final analysis this may be the best explanation of all. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that… It seems clear that… It seems not implausible to link x with y Judged by this criteria… Judged by this measure… More generally it seems hard to deny that… Nothing can detract from the central fact that…
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The most popular explanation remains that… To put it simply… To sum up: What is really remarkable is that… to introduce a final point in a paragraph or essay ○ Despite arguments/evidence to the contrary, I would argue that…. ○ On balance, it can be argued that…. ○ As a result…. ○ Further questions that could be addressed concern whether….. ○ This raises the further areas of investigation such as…
Important Note: Replace “ I” with “ one” and “it”
The impersonal ‘it’ An objective or neutral tone is good news in academic writing. The
impersonal ‘it’ can be used in order to take the focus off yourself (recommended!).
For example, a phrase such as ‘I would argue that’ could be replaced by ‘It can be argued that…’
Recommendation: Learn a few of the following phrases to use at sentence and paragraph beginnings.
EXAMPLE 1
It can be argued that… It is important to recognize that…
It is only to be expected that…
It is also worth noting that…
It is likely that… It is possible that…
It is anticipated that… It is not clear whether… It is significant that…It is assumed that… It is not surprising then,
that…It is sometimes suggested that…
It is clear that… It is not surprising to find that…
It is unlikely that…
It is difficult to see… It is not unreasonable to suggest that…
It is worth pointing out that…
It is essential, therefore, that…
It is not, however, simply a matter of…
It may seem surprising to say that…
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It is evident that… It is noteworthy that… It seems that…It is for this reason that… It is now clear that… It would seem clear that…It is important to note that…
It is often argued that…
One If you want to create an objective or neutral tone, then avoid using the
pronoun ‘I’. Using the pronoun ‘one’ is a possibility. EXAMPLES OF COMMON PHRASES
one could envisage one might expect one need only turn toone could argue that one might ask The question one seeks to
answer isone could seriously question
one must remember
Writing that is clear and enjoyable to read offers the reader a sense of purpose and direction. Using ‘signpost’ phrases to introduce new sentences and paragraphs such as those suggested below also helps you as a writer to stay on track.
Starters for the beginning of essays, sections or paragraphs
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IELTS Writing, Task 1 - Graph Description
• Understanding and correctly interpreting graphs
• Describing graphs using comparative forms
• Describing graphs using noun phrases
1 IELTS Writing Task 1: Overview and Typical Problems
1.1 Overview
IELTS writing Task One requires you to describe a graph, chart, table or diagram.
• You must write at least 150 words, and should allow about 20 minutes.
• Usually some kind of statistical information is represented in graphic form, and you must translate this into a readable text.
• Occasionally candidates will be asked to describe a process which is illustrated by a labelled diagram (such as the process of making cheese, or how a central-heating system works).
1.2 Typical Student Problems
• Not Understanding the Data (I) - Not Reading the Labels: Students do not correctly understand the data in the charts: often they do not carefully read the labels (e.g. student writes ‘250 people were unemployed in London in 1982' , when they should write ‘250 thousand people were unemployed in London in 1982' )
• Not Understanding the Data (II) - Not Applying Common Sense to your Interpretations: Students do not apply their common sense to the interpretation of data in the charts (e.g., in the example above, common sense should tell us that it was impossible that only 250 people were unemployed in London in 1982; we should then analyse the chart carefully to find a more satisfactory interpretation).
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• Just ‘Listing' the Data: Students simply ‘list' data from charts or graphs without trying to indicate what is more or less significant . You should look for the more important or interesting data, and present it first (for example large differences or changes).
• Not ‘Translating' Note Form to Grammatical English: Students often write the labels or titles directly as they appear in the chart. However, these are usually in ‘note form', so need to be changed into grammatically correct English in your writing. For example, in a chart describing the life expectancy of smokers and non-smokers, one label may be ‘Non-Smoking' - meaning ‘non-smoking people '. It would therefore be ungrammatical to say ‘the average life-expectancy of non-smoking in the UK was 72' ; we need to change the label to a form such as ‘the average life-expectancy of non-smokers in the UK was 72' .
• Incorrect Use of Noun Phrases: When we describe data in charts we have to use noun phrases, such as ‘the number of white unemployed people', or ‘the percentage of male non-smokers in the UK '. Correct use of such forms often presents difficulty for students.
2 Understanding and Correctly Interpreting Graphs
2.1 Task: Graph Interpretation
Look at Graphs A, B & C and then answer the questions which follow:
Graph A
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Useful language for IELTS: Writing Task 1
In this post I’d like to look at language that is very useful for describing how something falls or rises, a very common feature of almost all types of IELTS Writing Task 1. As can be seen below, in order to get Band 6 (which is what a lot of students are aiming for), the student needs to at least ATTEMPT to use less common vocabulary.
From IELTS Assessment criteria (Public version) available here. Underline mine.
Band 7 and up requires the student to use less common lexical items and to show an awareness of collocation. As a result, it is important to show students some synonyms of verbs and nouns such as ‘rise’ and ‘fall’, as well as the respective adverbs and adjectives which collocate with them.
Write two sentences on the board (IDEA: use a model you’ve recently analysed, or one of the tasks the student has written):
1. The sales grew substantially.2. There was a substantial growth in sales.
Ask students to brainstorm other words which can be used to replace the underlined ones. Then get them to brainstorm synonyms for the words in bold.
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Below are two charts which show various possible synonyms for sentences 1 and 2.
While you’re looking at them, I also wanted to highlight some practical considerations:
1. Point out the differences in structure2. Apart from DIP all the nouns and verbs can collocate with all the adjectives and adverbs.3. Elicit the differences in use between the prepositions BY, TO and AT (students tend to
confuse them a lot)4. You might want to elicit which adjectives/adverbs mean:
a lot a little bit quickly slowly
Here are the charts:
1. Subject + verb + adverb
2. There + be + +adjective + noun + IN
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