Linking Words for Writing Task 1
Candidates have to support the points made by them in Task 1. One can use these words to inform the examiner of the additional ideas:
- In addition
- Not only…but also
- Also
- Moreover
- And
- As well as
- Furthermore
Listing Candidates can make use of listings to organize their ideas sequentially. These connectors can be implemented:
- Firstly
- Secondly
- Thirdly
- Fourthly
- Finally, lastly, or last but not the least
Highlighting Key Features These connectors can be used when one needs to explain the result of something:
- Specifically
- Especially
- In particular
- Particularly
- Obviously
- Clearly
- Of course
Consequences When candidates want to explain the result of something, these linking devices are somewhat helpful:
- As a result
- Therefore
- Thus
- Consequently
- For this reason
- So
- Hence
Causes and reasons In task 1, one must provide reasons for a particular statement, and using these can be beneficial:
- Due to
- Because
- Owing to
- As
- Since
Vocabulary for Describing Trends
In IELTS Writing Task 1, candidates are given a graph. Depending on the graph, they are supposed to write a report of 150 words. However, one must know task one vocabulary to achieve a high band score. It is given below for easier understanding:
- Fluctuation
- Growth
- Slump
- Variation
- Upsurge
- Uplift
- Rocketed
- Soar
- Peak
- Marginal
- Minor Small
- Modest
- Over the next three days
- Three days
- The following three days
- From this to that
- Between this and that
- At the beginning of the period
- At the end of the period
- The first year
- The last year
- Over the period
- Levels off
- Peaks at
- It hits a high of
- It hits a low of
- Plateaus
- Dips
- Steep
- Sharp
- High
- Low
- Extreme
- Slow
- Summarises
Vocabulary for Describing Increase and Decrease
Candidates can follow the possible pairings for increase and decrease:
- Noun phrase + verb + adverb
- There + be + noun + in + noun phrase
These phrases can be implemented:
- Rises
- Increases
- Decreases
- Declines
- Plummets
- Plunges
- Drops
- Falls
- Goes up
- Surge
- Rocketed
- Went down
- Fell
- Growth
In addition, many of the above words in the list can be paired together and are ideal to use while expressing increase or decrease.
- Verb + Adverb
- Adjective + Noun
- Noun + Noun
- Those with ‘have’ or ‘take’
- Adverb + Adjective
- Verb + Noun
For instance, while describing writing task 1, one can write:
- ‘Unemployment increased significantly.’
- ‘It rose steeply.’
- Jumped significantly
- It fluctuated slightly
- The rates dropped dramatically
- The prices dipped sharply
- There was a dramatic improvement
- A steady rise in oil prices
- It was a slight fluctuation
- A steep drop
- There was a sharp decline
- There was a rapid rise
Vocabulary for Making Comparisons
For writing task 1, candidates must make comparisons. It is always best to practice them so that one’s score can improve:
- Surpasses
- Equals
- More than
- Less than
- Greatest
- Least
- Lesser
- Smaller
- Larger
- Greater
Vocabulary for Summaries
It is essential to present an overview in Writing Task 1. One must present a summary with the main details to meet the criterion of Task Achievement. However, the candidate must hold a stronghold over task one vocabulary, which is underlined below:
- As is observed
- It can be seen that
- At the first glance
- It is evident from the chart
- Generally speaking
- In general
- Overall
- A glance at the graph reveals that
Which Tenses Should Be Used?
It is crucial to use the proper tense to achieve a good score on the IELTS. That is why one must use the below-mentioned tenses while attempting Writing Task 1:
- Present simple- This can be used when candidates want to describe something taking place in the present.
- Past tense- When the dates are given in the past, this tense must convey the meaning. For example, men enjoyed about 45 hours of leisure time.
- Future tense– This is applicable when one needs to predict something. For instance, life expectancy is expected to surge in almost every country.
- Past perfect– Generally, this tense defines the former years. For example, the price of oil rose.
Vocabulary for Approximation and Fractions
Candidates are expected to use a wide range of vocabulary as they are marked on the lexical resource criterion:
- One-tenth
- One quarter
- Half
- Three quarters
- Around
- Just over
- Roughly
- Nearly
- Around
- Approximately
- Less than
- More than
- Equal to