💬 “Less is more—don’t clutter your report with numbers or details that don’t support your main message.”
🧠 Why This Tip Matters
The IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 is a summary task, not a full report. You’re expected to:
- Analyze 📊
- Prioritize ⏫
- Summarize effectively ✍️
Including every tiny number or minor fluctuation shows lack of focus and poor task achievement, especially if you’re aiming for Band 8+.
⚠️ What Counts as Irrelevant?
| ❌ Irrelevant | ✅ Relevant |
|---|---|
| Every data point or label | Major changes and trends |
| Repeating the same idea | New comparisons or contrasts |
| Obvious details | Surprising or significant features |
| Personal assumptions | Objective, visual facts only |
🧾 Example: Line Graph Prompt
“The graph below shows the number of visitors to three national parks from 2010 to 2020.”
❌ Ineffective Response:
“In 2010, Yellowstone had 450,000 visitors. In 2011, it had 455,000. In 2012, it had 458,000…”
✅ Effective Response:
“Yellowstone National Park saw a steady but slow increase in visitors over the decade, in contrast to Yosemite, which experienced a sharp surge after 2015.”
✅ Why this works:
It summarizes the trend, compares with another park, and avoids a data dump.
🧠 Tip Breakdown
✅ DO:
- Choose only the most notable data points
- Summarize trends or patterns instead of listing all figures
- Focus on highs, lows, turning points, and overall movement
🚫 DON’T:
- Describe every small year-to-year change
- Mention values that don’t change significantly
- Add personal observations or interpretations
💡 Phrases to Keep Your Focus
- “The most noticeable change was…”
- “A significant trend can be seen in…”
- “The highest/lowest value was recorded in…”
- “There was minimal variation in…”
🎯 Practice Challenge
📊 Prompt: “The pie charts show the percentage of water usage by different sectors in six regions.”
❌ Avoid:
“In South America, domestic use was 15%, agricultural use was 71%, and industrial use was 14%…”
✅ Try This:
“Agricultural use dominated in all regions except Europe and North America, where industrial consumption took the lead.”
✨ Final Thought
📢 “Don’t be a statistician. Be a summarizer. The examiner wants clarity, not clutter.”
Stay focused, stay precise, and your writing will shine ✨.