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An IELTS Task 1 template that scores Band 7 on Coherence

3 min read · writing · task-1 · templates · band-7

Academic Task 1 is the part of IELTS Writing where a template helps the most. You have 20 minutes, the prompt is always the same shape ("summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features"), and the criteria reward exactly the kind of structure a template gives you.

Below is the template I recommend after looking at thousands of Task 1 essays graded by BandCheck. It's four paragraphs, 150-170 words, and designed to score Band 7+ on Coherence & Cohesion and Task Achievement.

The four-paragraph spine

  1. Introduction (1 sentence) — paraphrase the prompt.
  2. Overview (2 sentences) — name the 2-3 most striking patterns.
  3. Body 1 (3-4 sentences) — the first half of the data.
  4. Body 2 (3-4 sentences) — the second half, contrasted.

That's it. No conclusion. Task 1 doesn't need one — the overview already does that work.

Paragraph 1: Introduction (paraphrase the prompt)

Take the prompt and rewrite it. Change the verb, change a noun, change the order if you can.

Original prompt: "The chart below shows the percentage of households with internet access in five European countries between 2000 and 2020."

Paraphrase: "The bar chart illustrates the proportion of homes with internet access across five European countries over a two-decade period from 2000 to 2020."

Three changes: chart → bar chart, percentage → proportion, households → homes. That's enough. Don't over-engineer.

Paragraph 2: Overview (the most important paragraph)

The overview is what examiners look for first. It's two sentences that summarise the most striking patterns, not specific numbers.

Template (two sentences):

Overall, [the most striking pattern]. Furthermore, [the second-most striking pattern].

Filled in:

Overall, internet access rose substantially in all five countries over the period. Furthermore, while Sweden and the Netherlands reached near-saturation by 2015, the southern European countries trailed by roughly a decade.

Two patterns named, no numbers. The body paragraphs will carry the numbers.

Paragraph 3: Body 1 (the first half of the data)

Pick a natural division: top vs bottom, fastest vs slowest, beginning vs end. Cover that group with specific figures.

Template (3-4 sentences):

Starting with [the higher / earlier / faster group], [country A] rose from X% in 2000 to Y% by 2020, while [country B] followed a similar trajectory, reaching Z% by the end of the period. By contrast, [country C], which started at the same level, plateaued at around N% from 2015 onwards.

Note: every sentence has a number. Examiners count specific data references — vagueness hurts Task Achievement.

Paragraph 4: Body 2 (the other half, contrasted)

Same structure, but cover the rest. Use one strong contrast linker to join it to Body 1:

The southern European countries, by contrast, started from a noticeably lower baseline. [Country D] grew from X% in 2000 to Y% by 2020, while [country E] climbed from N% to M% over the same stretch — both substantial gains, but ending below the levels [country A] reached a decade earlier.

The phrase "by contrast" does load-bearing work: it tells the examiner this paragraph is the other side of the comparison.

Language for trends

Stock these and you'll cover most charts:

Going up: rose, climbed, grew, increased, surged (sharp), crept up (slow).

Going down: fell, dropped, declined, plummeted (sharp), edged down (slow).

Stable: plateaued, held steady, remained constant, levelled off.

Volatility: fluctuated, oscillated, swung between X and Y.

Adverbs of pace: sharply, steeply, gradually, slowly, dramatically, substantially, modestly.

Adverbs of certainty: roughly, approximately, just over, just under, nearly.

A Band 7 writer mixes verb + adverb: "climbed sharply," "edged down modestly," "grew steadily." Five of those in a Task 1 essay is the target.

Maps and processes (small variations)

For maps, replace the trend language with spatial language: "To the north of...", "Adjacent to...", "Bordered on the east by..." Body paragraphs split by time period (before/after) instead of groups.

For processes, body paragraphs split by stages of the process. Use sequencing: "The first stage involves...", "This is followed by...", "At this point...", "Finally..."

The four-paragraph spine still works.

Common pitfalls

  • No overview → automatic ceiling at Band 5 on Task Achievement. Always write the overview.
  • Numbers in the overview → save numbers for the body. The overview is for patterns, not data.
  • Subjective language → "It is amazing that..." / "This is bad for..." — never. Task 1 is descriptive, not evaluative.
  • More than 170 words → you're spending time you need for Task 2, which is worth twice as much.

Grade your Task 1

Paste your Task 1 essay into BandCheck — it gives you a per-criterion breakdown with the specific overview / data / language issues flagged: t.me/bandcheck_bot.