Sometimes, looking at a graph can seem quite intimidating. There’s a lot of information to take in, and it can be quite hard to make sense of it all. The thing to do here is to stay composed. Don’t panic and let the information overwhelm you. Take a moment just to look at everything in a calm and logical fashion, and work out exactly what the graph is showing. Once you’ve done that, your answer shouldn’t be too difficult. All you have to do is summarise exactly what you see in the graph, in 150 words or more.

So, how should we look at the above graph? The first thing that should stand out for you is that the graph shows the relationship between the months of the year and the number of shoplifting incidents that occurred, in the countries of Scotland, Ireland and England. Your first line should explain this.

FOR EXAMPLE:
‘The graph shows a correlation between the time of the year and the number of shoplifting incidents that occur in the countries of Scotland, Ireland and England.’

Now that you’ve summarised the main point of the graph, you can move onto the actual data. When we look at this graph, we can clearly see that there are more shoplifting incidents occurring from January-March, and October-December, than there are from April-June and July-September. Therefore, logic would dictate that more shoplifting incidents are occurring during the colder months of the year.

Once you’ve established this, you just need to work out the numbers behind the increase/decrease, and then summarise this.

LIKE SO:
‘By looking at this graph, we can see a clear indication that more shoplifting incidents occur during the ‘colder’ months of the year than during the hotter months. To demonstrate this, the graph shows that from January to March (in all three countries) there were 95 shoplifting incidents in total. This was followed by a marked decrease, with only 135 incidents occurring over the next 6 months. It is worth noting that there was an increase in shoplifting incidents from July till September, compared to April till June, but this was quite a minor leap.’

In the above we’ve covered the first 9 months of the year. Now we can close our summary by detailing the final 3 months of the year:

‘Following this, and moving into the Autumn, we saw a large increase in the number of incidents – with 135 incidents occurring over the next 3 months, from October till December.’

If we put this altogether, we have a concise, accurate and 150+ word summary of the graph in question.

FINAL STRUCTURED ANSWER:
‘The graph shows a correlation between the time of the year and the number of shoplifting incidents that occur in the countries of Scotland, Ireland and England. By looking at this graph, we can see a clear indication that more shoplifting incidents occur during the ‘colder’ months of the year than during the hotter months. To demonstrate this, the graph shows that from January to March (in all three countries) there were 95 shoplifting incidents in total. This was followed by a marked decrease, with only 135 incidents occurring over the next 6 months. It is worth noting that there was an increase in shoplifting incidents from July till September, compared to April till June, but this was quite a minor leap.

Following this, and moving into the Autumn, we saw a large increase in the number of incidents – with 135 incidents occurring over the next 3 months, from October till December.’

If you’ve ever written an essay, you might be familiar with the general structure of how to approach a question like this. However, in the IELTS Task 2, you have a limited amount of time and words. This means that you need to be short and concise with what you are saying. In a normal essay, you might take the time to acknowledge counter arguments and alternative points of view. Since you’ve only got 250 words (or slightly more) for this task, it’s advised that you focus on just arguing for or against the topic. While you can of course make passing reference to other points of view, keep these brief, and above all stay focused on the argument that you are trying to make. Remember that you are trying to be persuasive, and highlight that your point of view is the correct one.

There are two structural approaches that you can take to an essay, and in this book we have provided you with examples of both. Below is an example of how to write in plain and simple language:

This aptly named way of writing an essay is exactly what it sounds like. You start out by responding to the statement.

FOR EXAMPLE:
‘I agree with the statement. I believe that technology is harmful to human interaction. The reasons that I believe this are as follows.’

Here you have clearly laid out your viewpoint, and now you can move onto the main body of the essay. The difference between this and a longer essay is again, the time and number of words that you have. Whilst in a longer essay you might start out by talking about different forms of technology, definitions of the word harmful, and other such speculation – in the IELTS essay it’s better to get straight to the point. 250 words is not a huge amount.

Following this, the main body of the essay should be pretty simple. Write one to three reasons why you agree (or disagree) with the statement.

FOR EXAMPLE:
‘Firstly, I believe that…’

‘Secondly, we must consider that…’

‘Thirdly, it is important to recognise that…’

Finally, we have the conclusion. In your conclusion, above all you should basically summarise the main point of the essay. For example: ‘In conclusion, I feel that technology is harmful to human interaction, because it has a sustained impact on the way we behave face-to-face.’