International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a 2 hours 45 minutes test which intends to gauge your proficiency in English language in four important skills such as Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. To get a good 8 band in the test you need to perform exceedingly well in all the four skills. This article encompasses useful strategies for test-takers to approach the writing task 1 of the IELTS writing module confidently.

The writing task1 presents a question in bold letters followed by diagrams, graphs or charts. In other words, it presents data in pictorial form and expects you to comprehend the data and then to interpret these data in a report form. The maximum time given in writing task 1 is 20 minutes and the maximum word limit is 150 words. Though an excess of 10 to 20 words is permitted the use of a single word less than what is prescribed may invite severe penalty. You must follow these three important steps while approaching the writing task 1.

Introduction: First, go through the question provided in bold letters and clearly understand the ideas present in it. Then, rewrite the same question in your own words. This is called paraphrasing or topical sentence. On an average use 20 to 25 words in your topical sentence.

Body: Body forms the most important part of your writing. In this part, try to identify the relevant characteristics present in the diagrams, charts or graphs. After that make necessary comparisons between the different characteristic features and write these comparisons neatly following correct grammatical structures. Remember that you have to be very keen while highlighting the comparison because sometimes a single pictorial form may contain more than four to five different comparisons in it. You must be very specific and incorporate every key information in your writing.

Conclusion: Last, you have to conclude your writing by using phrases like "in my opinion", "according to me", "to conclude", "to sum up" etc.

Your score in writing task 1 entirely depends on your ability to produce a well-framed essay covering all important criteria. Today, a lot of books and practice sets are available to help you score well in IELTS. But you must be able to locate the best of these materials. However, we strongly suggest you to go through the guidelines and training provided by Manhattan Review India. Manhattan Review India is a premier test prep company that continuously prepares strategies and success tips to its test-takers to topple their scores in IELTS. Based on Hyderabad and having its head quarter in New York, Manhattan Review India has been providing world class training to test-takers to crack complicated tests like the GMAT, GRE, SAT, TOEFL and IELTS. Equipped with expert faculty, comprehensive study materials and state of the art infrastructure, Manhattan Review India has been making the dreams of thousands of its test-takers come true every year.