3.1 Level 3 Review3.2 Temporal Chart Analysis 13.3 Temporal Chart Analysis 2

Level 4 IELTS Writing Task 1

Temporal Charts 3a

Level 4 Writing 2

3.1 Level 3 Review

Organic Vegetable Production by Main Sources Worldwide

Pro

duct

ion

(in th

ousa

nds

of to

ns)

0

23

45

68

90

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

IndiaUSASouth America

1. What do you remember from Level 3 about writing a report about a temporal line graph?

2. What kind of vocabulary did you learn to describe trends?

3. You learned two types of sentences in Level 3 to describe a trend/change in time:

i. Subject + verb + adverb………ii. There was + “a/an” adjective + noun………

4. Can you write a sentence with each style now by looking at the line graph above?

Remember: It is very rare that an IELTS Task 1 temporal graph will be exactly like the graph you studied in Level 3. Sometimes you will have more lines and sometimes you will have a table with two or more points in time. However, you can still use all that you learned in Level 3 to help you write about all temporal graphs. Follow the steps below to write about all temporal graphs:

Steps before Writing

1. Overview: Find the overall trends shown in the table or chart. (increase/decrease) 2. Compare the overall trends and find the similarities and differences.

a. A and B increased (same), C decreased (different) b. A increased dramatically, but B increased slightly (different)

3. Find the highest and lowest figures in the given time period. 4. Organize your report with the above information into paragraphs.

Level 4 Writing 3

3.1 Level 3 Review - Model Report

Look at the model report below and answer the following questions:

1. What are the similarities and differences to what you learned in Level 3? 2. What is the overview sentence and what information does it give? 3. Which two steps from the previous page help you to organize the body paragraphs? 4. Are all of the changes in each line described? 5. What are some complex sentences and what information do they give?

Organic Vegetable Production by Main Sources Worldwide

Pro

duct

ion

(in th

ousa

nds

of

tons

)

0

23

45

68

90

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

IndiaUSASouth America

The line graph shows the amount of organic vegetables produced from three main sources worldwide between 1980 and 2015. Overall, the organic vegetable production from India and South America increased, while that production in the USA decreased.

Looking at the amount of organic vegetables produced from South America, we see that it rose over the period. It stood at 5,000 tons in 1980, and then the figure slowly climbed to 15,000 tons in 2005. After that, it rose dramatically to 80,000 tons in 2015, which was the highest amount in the 35 years.

Similarly, the quantity of organic vegetables which came from India went up during that time. In 1980, it began at 0. However, it rapidly increased to a peak of 80,000 tons in 2000. This was the highest amount of organic vegetables produced in all three locations that year.

Unlike South America and India, there was a drop in the organic vegetables produced in the USA. That figure started at 60,000 tons in 1980, which was the highest of all three sources that year. Then, it fluctuated downwards for the next 35 years. Finally, it fell to 45,000 tons in 2015, which was the lowest amount of production that year of the three sources.

Level 4 Writing 4

3.1 - Vocabulary Review

Nouns Present tense verbs

Past tense verbs

Adverbs Adjectives

START POINT

- begin at began at - -

- stand at stood at - -

- start at started at - -

UPrise rise to rose to rapidly rapid

increase increase to increased to dramatically dramatic

climb climb to climbed to sharply sharp

- go up to went up to gradually gradual

DOWNfall fall to fell to steadily steady

decrease decrease to decreased to moderately moderate

decline decline to declined to slowly slow

drop drop to dropped to slightly slight

- go down went down to

SAME- remain constant

atremained constant at

- -

- stay the same at

stayed the same at

- -

no change does not change at

did not change at

- -

UP and DOWN

fluctuation fluctuates at fluctuated upwards downwards

upward downward

peak peaks at peaked at - -

plateau plateaus at plateaued at - -

Introductory Verbs Others

show around just over / just under

illustrate approximately slightly more than / slightly less than

indicate about

Level 4 Writing 5

Common sentence structures and phrases

Fill in each gap with appropriate words or phrases like prepositions, conjunctions, relative pronouns, and introductory words, and so on.

1 From 1999 ___________ 2016, there was an increase in the number of car accidents.

2 Between 2015 ___________ 2017, prices of Smart phones dropped.

3 In 2012 the number decreased ______6000.

4 Looking____the number of new homes, we see ____they increased over the years

5 They started ___________ 750 thousand in 2012.

6 There was a drop ____attendance during the month of Ramadan.

7 Overall, prices for consumer goods went up, _______ prices for petrol went down.

8 Next, from 1998 to 2016, home prices rose _____ an average of $25,000.

9 Gas production ________ at 20,000 barrels in 2011.

10 *_____________, the unemployed women participated in more social activities with friends.(*Trend: employed women participated in fewer social activities than unemployed women)

11 Write some synonyms for the verb “decrease”:_______________________________

12 Now put the verbs you used above in the past tense:_____________________

13 *____________, Brazil also had an increase in pollution from 2014 to 2017.

(*Trend: China and Brazil both had increases in pollution from 2014-2017)

14 Toyota’s profits reached 2 billion in 2016, __________ was the highest in total profits out of all companies that year.

15. In 2014, __________ __________ a sharp decline in the _________ of forest fires.

Level 4 Writing 6

3.2 - Temporal Chart Analysis 1

1 What is the overall trend for the number of suggestions about product variety?

2 What is the overall trend for the number of suggestions about customer service?

3 What is the overall trend for the number of suggestions about speed of delivery?

4 What is the overall trend for the number of suggestions about price?

5 What are the similarities and differences in these trends?

6 Which category begins with the lowest number and finishes with the highest and vice versa?

7 How many paragraphs do you think you should write for this report: 2? 3? 4?

8 If you just wrote two body paragraphs for this report, what information would you put in them?

Steps before Writing1. Overview: Find the overall trends shown in the table or chart. (increase/decrease) 2. Compare the overall trends and find the similarities and differences.

a. A and B increased (same), C decreased (different) b. A increased dramatically, but B increased slightly (different)

3. Find the highest and lowest figures in the given time period. 4. Organize your report with the above information into paragraphs.

Types of Suggestions for Improvement for a Website

0

25

50

75

100

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Product VarietySpeed of DeliveryPriceCustomer Service

Level 4 Writing 7

3.2 Temporal Graph Analysis

Introduction: Sentence 1=overview (Don’t mention the names of the 4 suggestions) Sentence 2=General Trend

Body 1: general trend sentence to begin the paragraph

Body 2: comparison & general trend sentence to begin the paragraph

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body 3: general trend sentence to begin the paragraph

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Types of Suggestions for Improvement for a Website

0

25

50

75

100

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Product VarietySpeed of DeliveryPriceCustomer Service

Level 4 Writing 8

3.2 Model Report

1. What information from the line graph does the writer include in the report?

2. Why do you think the writer organized the report this way?

3. What verb tense is used in the report?

4. Find examples of sentences with “verb + adverb” and those with “adjective + noun”.

5. What reference words like “this”, “that”, “these”, etc. does the writer use to refer to previously mentioned information?

6. Does the writer “Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.”?

Types of Suggestions for Improvement for a Website

0

25

50

75

100

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Product VarietySpeed of DeliveryPriceCustomer Service

The line graph shows four types of suggestions for improvement to a website from 1990 to 2015. Overall, the number of suggestions to improve product variety, customer service, and speed of delivery increased, while the number of suggestions about prices decreased.

Looking at suggestions for product variety, we see they started at 20 in 1990. Then, there was a dramatic rise in them from 1990 to 2005, when they reached a peak of just under a hundred. This was the highest number of suggestions in any category in any of the years. After 2005, product variety suggestions fell to approximately 70 in 2015.

Similar to product variety suggestions, customer service suggestions and speed of delivery suggestions also rose over the period, but less dramatically. Customer service suggestions started at 21 in 1990 and increased gradually to 49 in 2015. Speed of delivery suggestions began at 55, and then declined to 40 in 1995. After that, those suggestions fluctuated up and down and finished at around 62 in 2015.

Unlike the number of suggestions for product variety, customer service, and speed of delivery, there was an overall drop in the number of suggestions about price. In 1990 they started at 80 and then fell steadily for the next 25 years. In 2015 these suggestions were around 18, which the lowest number of any suggestion that year and in any of the other years.

Level 4 Writing 9

The chart below illustrates the amount of different kinds of water used in one Middle Eastern city.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

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Writing Practice

Level 4 Writing 10

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Level 4 Writing 11

3.3 Temporal Chart Analysis 2

You can use the same steps for writing about a variety of temporal graph types.

1 Look at the charts below and the table on the following page. Do they have the same information? Would you write the same report for each one?

2 Think about the steps below and mark/label the charts with the most important features.

1

2

Steps before Writing1. Overview: Find the overall trends shown in the table or chart. (increase/decrease) 2. Compare the overall trends and find the similarities and differences.

a. A and B increased (same), C decreased (different) b. A increased dramatically, but B increased slightly (different)

3. Find the highest and lowest figures in the given time period. 4. Organize your report with the above information into paragraphs.

Sales of Bread (in millions of dollars)

0

2.3

4.5

6.8

9

Egypt S. Africa Ghana Kenya Tunisia

20002010

Sales of Milk (in millions of dollars)

0

2.3

4.5

6.8

9

Egypt S. Africa Ghana Kenya Tunisia

20002010

Sales of Milk (in millions of dollars)

0

2.3

4.5

6.8

9

2000 2010

EgyptS. AfricaGhanaKenyaTunisia

Sales of Bread (in millions of dollars)

0

2.3

4.5

6.8

9

2000 2010

EgyptS. AfricaGhanaKenyaTunisia

Level 4 Writing 12

3.3 Temporal Graph Analysis & Comparison

1 What type of charts are they and what do they show?

2 What is the overall trend for sales of bread in each country?

3 What is the overall trend for sales of milk in each country?

4 Is it easier to write a body paragraph for each country or one body paragraph for bread and another body paragraph for milk?

5 In which countries did sales of bread increase sharply and in which did it increase only slightly?

6 Which country had the highest sales of bread in 2010?

7 If you were writing one body paragraph about sales of bread, which country would you write about first? Which one would be second, and which three would you describe together?

8 For sales of milk, in which three countries did sales rise and in which two countries did sales fall?

9 Which country had the lowest sales of milk in 2010?

10 Write two sentences for the Task 1 introduction about the two tables above: _____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3Sales of Bread

(in millions of dollars)Sales of Milk

(in millions of dollars)

2000 2010 2000 2010

Egypt 1.5 2.2 Egypt 2 4.5

S.Africa 2.5 6 S.Africa 1 5.5

Ghana 1.8 8 Ghana 1.6 6

Kenya 1.7 2 Kenya 1.7 0.9

Tunisia 0.8 1 Tunisia 2 1.1

Level 4 Writing 13

3.3 Temporal Charts - Report Structure

Complete the model report by filling in the gaps with words from the boxes.

Overall and show However

Looking at the largest increase we see that the second largest slightly from to

respectively but Like bread sales, also On the other hand

The tables _____ sales of bread and milk in five African countries in 2000 and 2010 in

millions of dollars._______, bread sales increased in all the countries, ______ milk sales rose in

Egypt, South Africa and Ghana. __________, milk sales decreased in Kenya and Tunisia.

___________ the bread sales in these countries, ______ sales rose for them all. Ghana saw _____________ in sales, which went from 1.8 to 8 million dollars. South Africa had ___________ increase from 2.5 to 6 million dollars. Bread sales only increased __________ in the other three countries. They went from 1.5 ____ 2.2 million dollars in Egypt, from 1.7 to 2 million in Kenya, and _____ 0.8 to 1 million in Tunisia.

_______, sales of milk _____ went up in three of the countries, ___ there was a decline

in the other two countries. Egypt, South Africa and Ghana all saw their milk sales rise from 2, 1,

and 1.6 million dollars to 4.5, 5.5, and 6 million ________. __________, sales of milk decreased

in Kenya and Tunisia, which went from approximately 2 million to 1 million euros from 2005 to

2015.

Sales of Bread (in millions of dollars)

Sales of Milk (in millions of dollars)

2000 2010 2000 2010

Egypt 1.5 2.2 Egypt 2 4.5

S.Africa 2.5 6 S.Africa 1 5.5

Ghana 1.8 8 Ghana 1.6 6

Kenya 1.7 2 Kenya 1.7 0.9

Tunisia 0.8 1 Tunisia 2 1.1

Level 4 Writing 14

3.3 Model Report

Below is a model report for the tables given. Look at the model and compare it to what you learned in Level 3.

Remember: You cannot fit all temporal Task 1 charts and tables into a 4-paragraph report like the one you studied in Level 3. However, if you follow the steps, you will identify the trends, the similarities and differences and the highest/lowest numbers, and with this information you will able to decide how to organize your report.

The tables show sales of bread and milk in five African countries in 2000 and 2010 in millions of dollars. Overall, bread sales increased in all the countries, and milk sales rose in Egypt, South Africa and Ghana. However, milk sales decreased in Kenya and Tunisia.

Looking at the bread sales in these countries, we see that sales rose for them all. Ghana saw the largest increase in sales, which went from 1.8 to 8 million dollars. South Africa had the second largest increase from 2.5 to 6 million dollars. Bread sales only increased slightly in the other three countries. They went from 1.5 to 2.2 million dollars in Egypt, from 1.7 to 2 million in Kenya, and from 0.8 to 1 million in Tunisia.

Like bread sales, sales of milk also went up in three of the countries, but there was a

decline in the other two countries. Egypt, South Africa and Ghana all saw their milk sales rise

from 2, 1, and 1.6 million dollars to 4.5, 5.5, and 6 million respectively. On the other hand, sales

of milk decreased in Kenya and Tunisia, which went from approximately 2 million to 1 million

dollars from 2005 to 2015.

Sales of Bread (in millions of dollars)

Sales of Milk (in millions of dollars)

2000 2010 2000 2010

Egypt 1.5 2.2 Egypt 2 4.5

S.Africa 2.5 6 S.Africa 1 5.5

Ghana 1.8 8 Ghana 1.6 6

Kenya 1.7 2 Kenya 1.7 0.9

Tunisia 0.8 1 Tunisia 2 1.1

Level 4 Writing 15

The charts below show women in government and management positions for the years 1990 and 2015.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Writing Practice

Level 4 Writing 16

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Level 4 Writing 17

Business Major Graduates in Companies (in thousands)

0

1.8

3.5

5.3

7

Canada South Korea Lebanon Spain Kenya

19802000

Business Major Graduates with New Businesses (in thousands)

0

1.8

3.5

5.3

7

Canada South Korea Lebanon Spain Kenya

19802000

The charts below show business major graduates in companies and business major graduates with new businesses for the years 1980 and 2000.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Writing Practice

Level 4 Writing 18

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