IELTS Writing Task 1
The chart below shows the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Summarising Information
Main Features
- 93-year period of time
- Overall trend: increase in ownership until 2001 – then decreases
- Overall trend: decrease in renting until 2001 – then increases
- High and low points for each category in 1918 & 2001
- Final 10 year-period shows change in trend for first time
IELTS Writing Task 1 Sample Answer
The bar chart depicts the profile of home ownership and renting by residents in England and Wales over a ninety-three-year period between 1918 and 2011.
Notably, the overall trend was one of a gradual and steady increase in home ownership and an almost inverse decrease in renting by people. In 1918, approximately twenty-three per cent of people owned their own homes and seventy-seven per cent of people rented.
By 1971, this had changed, and an equal number of households owned or rented their homes. The overall trend continued and by 2001, the percentage of homeowners had risen to approximately sixty-nine per cent and the percentage of people renting had fallen to just thirty-one per cent.
However, from 2001 onwards, there was a reverse of the previous trend and by 2011 the number of people owning their own homes had fallen slightly to sixty-four per cent and the number of people renting had risen to thirty-six per cent.
[156 words]Language Analysis
Introduction and Overview
- The bar chart depicts...
- The profile of home ownership and renting...
- Over a ninety-three-year period between...
Describing the overall trend
- The overall trend was one of a gradual and steady increase...
Describing Starting Point
- In 1918...
- Approximately twenty-three per cent of people owned their own homes...
- Seventy-seven per cent of people rented...
Describing Change Over Time
- By 1971...
- This had changed...
- An equal number of households owned or rented their homes...
- By 2001...
- The percentage of homeowners had risen...
- The percentage of people renting had fallen...
Highlighting Specific Time Periods
- From 2001 onwards...
- By 2011...
Comparing and Contrasting
- Comparing percentages between different years: "The percentage of homeowners had risen to approximately sixty-nine per cent and the percentage of people renting had fallen to just thirty-one per cent."
Noting changes in trends
- However, from 2001 onwards, there was a reverse of the previous trend...
Describing the inverse relationship
- Notably, the overall trend was one of a gradual and steady increase in home ownership and an almost inverse decrease in renting by people.
Using Prepositions and Structures
- By [year]: Indicates a specific point in time when the change occurred.
- From [year] onwards: Indicates the starting point of a continuous change.
- By [year], [something] had [past participle]: Describes an action completed before a specific point in the past.
- To [percentage]: Indicates the endpoint of a change or trend.
Language Complexity
- Advanced vocabulary: "inverse decrease", "gradual and steady increase"
- Complex sentence structures: "By [year], [something] had [past participle]..."
- Analytical language: "Notably", "However", "Overall trend", "Reverse of the previous trend"
These examples provide a framework for describing changes in information, utilizing appropriate prepositions, structures, and language.