How to Start Your IELTS Writing Task 1 (Without Memorizing)

Hey there, welcome back to IELTS on Fire – your daily five-minute boost for real IELTS success. I’m Teacher Phil, and today we’re cracking one of the most common worries in Writing Task 1: how to start your answer with confidence, without memorizing boring and obvious templates.

If you want to boost your score fast, this one’s for you. Paraphrasing the question in your own words is a small tweak that makes a big difference.

IELTS TIP

Imagine you open your Writing Task 1 and see a bar chart or line graph. The question might say:

'The graph shows the number of tourists from 2000 to 2020.'

A lot of students just copy this sentence, but examiners are looking for your own language. So, how do you paraphrase it naturally?

MODEL OR DEMO RESPONSE

Here’s how I would start my introduction, aiming for that Band 7 style:

'The chart illustrates how many tourists visited each year between 2000 and 2020.'

Notice I changed ‘shows’ to ‘illustrates,’ ‘the number of tourists’ to ‘how many tourists,’ and ‘from 2000 to 2020’ became ‘between 2000 and 2020.’

Let me break it down even further…"

TEACHING & ANALYSIS

First, structure. In Task 1, your introduction should do two things:

1. Paraphrase the question in your own words
2. Avoid personal opinions or details – keep it simple and factual

Here are three useful phrases you can steal for your next Writing Task 1:

• 'The chart illustrates…'
• 'According to the data…'
• 'The graph compares…'

Why do these work?

They sound natural, and they show examiners you can use a range of vocabulary. Also, words like ‘illustrates’ or ‘compares’ are native-level choices. Swapping ‘shows’ for ‘illustrates’ or ‘compares’ is a quick upgrade.

So, what does that mean for you?

Don’t just repeat the question. Mix up the vocabulary and change the sentence structure. Even small changes count.

QUICK PRACTICE CHALLENGE

Ready for a quick challenge? Pause the podcast and try this:

Take the sentence:

‘The graph shows the number of tourists from 2000 to 2020.’

Now, paraphrase it in your own words. Use a phrase like 'The chart illustrates…' or 'According to the data…'

Aim for one clear, simple sentence. Give yourself one minute.

Remember, your fluency isn’t born – it’s built. Let’s build it together.

Alright, that’s it for today’s IELTS on Fire. Try paraphrasing a few more Task 1 questions in your own words this week. We’ll dig into how to summarize key features next time.

Keep practicing and come back tomorrow. Let’s set your English on fire.