📑 How to Write the Introduction and Overview in IELTS Writing Task 1

The introduction and overview are two essential parts of a high-scoring IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 report. Together, they provide the foundation for your response and account for a large part of your coherence and task achievement score. This guide will show you how to write both sections clearly and effectively.

🔍 What’s the Difference Between Introduction and Overview?

• Introduction: Paraphrases the question. It tells the reader what the chart, graph, or diagram shows.
• Overview: Summarizes the most significant trends or features. It provides a general picture without going into detailed data.

✍️ How to Write the Introduction

📌 Step-by-Step:

1. Do not copy the task prompt exactly — paraphrase it.
2. Mention the type of visual (e.g., bar chart, line graph, pie chart).
3. Include what is being measured (e.g., percentages, number of people).
4. Mention the time period and location if given.

🧾 Sample Prompts and Introductions

Prompt: The bar chart shows the number of international students enrolled in engineering programs at three UK universities in 2020.

Introduction: The bar chart illustrates the number of overseas students studying engineering at three UK universities in the year 2020.

Prompt: The pie charts compare how a school allocated its annual budget in 2010 and 2020.

Introduction: The two pie charts present how a school’s yearly budget was distributed across various categories in 2010 and 2020.

📋 How to Write the Overview

📌 What to Include:

• Highest and lowest values
• Overall trends (increase, decrease, fluctuation, stability)
• Biggest differences or similarities
• Changes over time (if applicable)

🧾 Sample Overviews

Bar Chart Overview: Overall, University C had the highest enrollment, while University B had the lowest. Engineering attracted more students than science at all three institutions.

Pie Chart Overview: Overall, staff salaries accounted for the largest share of the budget in both years, while insurance spending increased notably in 2020.

Line Graph Overview: Overall, the British Museum saw a significant rise in visitors, whereas the Science Museum experienced a steady decline.

🧠 Useful Phrases for Overviews

• Overall, it is clear that...
• In general, the most noticeable trend is...
• It can be seen that...
• A striking feature is that...
• The most significant change is observed in...

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ❌ Skipping the overview (it’s required!)
• ❌ Including detailed numbers in the overview — that belongs in the body
• ❌ Copying the task description word-for-word
• ❌ Writing too much — 1 sentence for each part is often enough

🧪 Practice Prompts

• The line graph below shows the number of electric car sales in five countries between 2015 and 2020.
• The pie charts show how three different companies allocated their marketing budgets in 2010 and 2020.
• The bar chart compares the number of hours worked per week by men and women in seven countries.

Spending 2–3 minutes planning a solid introduction and overview can significantly improve the structure and quality of your IELTS Writing Task 1 response. With regular practice, paraphrasing and summarizing will become second nature, helping you write with clarity and purpose.

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