IELTS Writing Task 1: the overview is key

Look at the writing task 1 band descriptors for “task achievement”, and you’ll see the following points:

Band 5 = no clear overview
Band 6 = presents an overview
Band 7 = presents a clear overview

So, if you want a high score, your overview needs to be good. This is why I recommend a separate overview paragraph with two sentences.

Look at the bar chart below, and try writing a 2-sentence overview:
– One sentence that compares the two months (the blue and green bars).
– One sentence describing the overall trend by age group.
mm

The chart below shows figures for attendances at hospital emergency care departments in Northern Ireland by age group in December 2016 and December 2017.

Attendances at emergency care departments per 1000-population