Analysing the visual and writing the introduction
Use a two-minute analysis (what, where, when, units, categories) to read any visual correctly, then write a one-sentence introduction that paraphrases the prompt accurately and naturally.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Analyse any Task 1 visual in about two minutes: what, where, when, units and categories
- Identify units correctly and choose ‘the number of’, ‘the proportion of’ or ‘the amount of’ accordingly
- Paraphrase the prompt with a suitable reporting verb, a reworded topic and a natural time phrase
- Avoid the most common introduction errors: ‘given’, ‘below’, ‘illustrates about’, ‘between … to’ and copied wording
- Write an introduction followed by a short two-sentence overview
Why analyse before you write?
Under time pressure, most candidates glance at the chart and start writing. That is how these errors happen:
- reporting percentages as numbers (“30 people” instead of “30% of people”);
- missing the units (thousands, millions, tonnes, kilowatt-hours);
- using the wrong tense because they did not notice that some figures are projections;
- describing change when the chart shows a single year, or static comparison when it shows a trend;
- forgetting a category that appears only in the key (legend).
Two minutes of careful reading prevents all of them. Ask five questions, in this order.
The two-minute analysis: five questions
- 1
WHAT is measured?
Read the title and the axis labels, not just the bars. Spending on food? The number of students? The proportion of households? This becomes the core of your introduction.
- 2
WHERE or WHO?
Which country, city, group, age range or gender? Urban and rural areas, three countries, men and women aged 18–30. If there are only two or three places, you can name them.
- 3
WHEN?
One year, two years, or a period? Past dates mean past simple for the details. Data up to the present can use the present perfect. Future dates mean projection language (is expected to). A single year means comparison, not change.
- 4
What UNITS?
%, numbers, thousands, millions, tonnes, US$, hours per week? Percentages are proportions of a group; plain numbers are counts; uncountable things (water, money, energy) are amounts. Write the unit next to the chart before you start.
- 5
Which CATEGORIES?
How many bars, lines, slices or rows, and what are they called? Check the key. Then note your first impressions: the biggest, the smallest, the general direction, anything surprising. These notes become your overview.
Year
- Urban
- Rural
| Year | Urban | Rural |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 8% | 2% |
| 2014 | 19% | 6% |
| 2016 | 33% | 14% |
| 2018 | 47% | 26% |
| 2020 | 61% | 41% |
| 2022 | 72% | 55% |
Two-minute analysis notes
| Question | Answer from the visual |
|---|---|
| WHAT? | adults using mobile banking, as a percentage of all adults |
| WHERE / WHO? | urban vs rural areas of one country |
| WHEN? | 2012–2022, every two years: all past, so past simple; a period, so trend language |
| UNITS? | % of adults: ‘the proportion of adults’; changes are in percentage points |
| CATEGORIES? | two series, urban and rural, across six years |
| FIRST IMPRESSIONS | both rise in every period; urban always higher; rural grows much faster in relative terms |
Introduction written from the notes
The bar chart compares the proportions of adults in urban and rural parts of a country who used mobile banking services over the decade from 2012 to 2022.
- WHAT + UNITS togetherThe axis label ‘% of adults’ tells you this is a proportion. If your first sentence says ‘the number of adults’, you have misreported the data before you have even started.
- WHEN decides the tensesAll the years are in the past, so the details will use the past simple (rose, reached). The introduction verb stays in the present simple (the bar chart compares) because the chart exists now.
- CATEGORIES suggest the groupingTwo series and six years: you could write one body paragraph on urban and one on rural, or one on 2012–2016 and one on 2018–2022.
- FIRST IMPRESSIONS become the overview‘Both rose every period; urban always ahead’ is already half of your overview. Good analysis saves time later.
- Paraphrase choiceschart → bar chart (more precise); shows → compares (there are two groups); percentage → proportions; areas → parts; between 2012 and 2022 → over the decade from 2012 to 2022. ‘Mobile banking’ is kept because it is a technical term.
The introduction formula
The + [type of visual] + [reporting verb] + [what, paraphrased] + [where / who] + [when].
The bar chart + compares + the proportions of adults … who used mobile banking services + in urban and rural parts of a country + over the decade from 2012 to 2022.
1. Name the visual precisely. Line graph, bar chart, pie chart(s), table, diagram, map(s). If there are two visuals, mention both: The line graph … while the pie chart …
2. Choose a reporting verb that fits what the visual does.
- compares: two or more groups, places or years
- illustrates / shows / tracks how … changed: trends over time
- gives information about / presents data on: general use
- breaks down / provides a breakdown of: pie charts and tables
- illustrates the stages in / outlines how: processes
- illustrates how … has developed / changed: maps
The intro verb is in the present simple: the chart shows, even when the data are from 1990.
3. Paraphrase the topic with two or three changes, not ten. Three techniques work reliably:
- Change the grammar, the safest technique: the number of people who visited → how many people visited; the amount of money spent on food → how much was spent on food; the percentage of → what proportion of.
- Use a synonym for one or two words: people → adults / residents / commuters; use → rely on; areas → parts / regions.
- Expand or specify: in three countries → in Japan, Brazil and Kenya; from 2000 to 2020 → over a 20-year period starting in 2000.
4. Keep technical terms. Mobile banking, carbon dioxide emissions, GDP, renewable energy have no good synonyms. Changing them to phone money or CO2 smoke changes the meaning. Paraphrase the frame around the term, not the term itself.
Paraphrase toolkit for introductions
| In the prompt | Paraphrase options | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
The chart / graph shows | The bar chart compares / The line graph illustrates / The table gives information about / The pie charts break down | No ‘about’ after illustrate, show, describe, compare. ‘Gives information about’ is correct. |
the number of + plural noun | how many + noun; the figures for; the total number of | Countable nouns only: people, cars, tourists, students |
the proportion / percentage of | what proportion of; what percentage of; the share of | Use when the units are %. Never ‘the number of’ for % data. |
the amount of + uncountable noun | how much + noun; the quantity of; the volume of (liquids) | Uncountable nouns only: water, money, electricity, rice. Never ‘the amount of people’. |
people who use X | users of X; X users; those who use X | Keep the meaning: ‘users’ is not ‘owners’ or ‘buyers’. |
in three countries | in the UK, Brazil and Kenya; in three different nations | Naming two or three places is precise and natural. |
from 2000 to 2020 | between 2000 and 2020; over the two decades from 2000 to 2020; over a 20-year period starting in 2000 | Fixed pairs: from … to, between … and. Never ‘between 2000 to 2020’. |
in 2023 (one year) | in 2023; in the year 2023 | A single year means comparison, not change. Avoid ‘in the year of 2023’. |
by age group / by gender | broken down by age; according to gender; among men and women | Keep the categories accurate: ‘young people’ is not ‘16–24 year olds’ if 25–34 is also shown. |
how X is produced (process) | the stages in the production of X; how X is manufactured; the process by which X is made | Natural cycles use ‘the life cycle of’ or ‘the stages in’. |
changes to a town (maps) | how a town has developed; the transformation of a town; changes that took place in a town | Present perfect when the second map shows the present day. |
Check your understanding: analysis and paraphrase
6 questions- 1
A chart’s vertical axis is labelled “Visitors (thousands)”. The bar for 2020 reaches 350. How should you report it?
- 2
Which introduction sentence is grammatically correct?
- 3
Match each axis label to the best noun phrase for your introduction.
% of householdsNumber of tourists (millions)Rice produced (thousand tonnes)Average hours per week - 4
The table gives information the number of tourists who visited five cities in 2023.
- 5
Which analysis question tells you whether to use the past simple, the present perfect or projection language?
- 6
Choose THREE things your introduction must tell the reader.
Select 3.
Answer every question to check.
Ten introduction errors examiners see every day
| Error | Why it is wrong | Correct version |
|---|---|---|
The given chart shows… | ‘Given’ is common in South Asian textbooks but sounds unnatural in an English report. | The chart shows… / The bar chart illustrates… |
The chart below shows… | Your answer has nothing ‘below’ it. ‘Below’ belongs to the question paper, so it is a sign of copying. | The chart shows… |
The graph illustrates about the number of… | Illustrate, show, describe, compare and discuss take a direct object: no ‘about’. | The graph illustrates the number of… |
…between 2010 to 2020 | ‘Between … and’ and ‘from … to’ are fixed pairs. | between 2010 and 2020 / from 2010 to 2020 |
the amount of tourists | ‘Amount’ is for uncountable nouns. | the number of tourists |
the number of people who use internet (data in %) | Percentage data are proportions. ‘Internet’ also needs ‘the’. | the proportion of people who use the internet |
The pie charts shows… / The table show… | Subject–verb agreement: plural subject, plural verb. | The pie charts show… / The table shows… |
in the year of 2015 | Unnatural and unnecessary. | in 2015 |
The line graph showed… | The chart exists now, so the reporting verb is present simple. | The line graph shows / illustrates… |
The diagram elucidates the multitude of individuals… | Over-paraphrasing with rare words sounds unnatural and often changes the meaning. | The diagram shows how many people… |
Band 5 vs band 8 introduction (mobile banking chart)
Band 5 ✗
The given bar chart below shows about the percentage of adults who used mobile banking services in urban and rural areas of one country between 2012 to 2022.
Band 8 ✓
The bar chart compares the proportions of adults in urban and rural parts of a country who used mobile banking services over the decade from 2012 to 2022.
The band 5 sentence is the prompt with four errors added: ‘given’, ‘below’, ‘shows about’ and ‘between … to’. Apart from those additions it is copied, so it gives the examiner no evidence of vocabulary. The band 8 sentence keeps the meaning exactly but changes the verb (compares), the noun (proportions), the structure (adults … who used) and the time phrase (over the decade from … to …). It keeps the technical term ‘mobile banking’ unchanged.
1. Line graph Prompt: The graph below shows the amount of electricity produced from renewable sources in three countries between 1990 and 2020. → The line graph compares how much electricity was generated from renewable energy in three nations over the 30-year period from 1990 to 2020.
2. Pie charts Prompt: The pie charts below show the proportion of household spending on different categories in one country in 1980 and 2020. → The two pie charts illustrate how households in one country divided their expenditure among various categories in 1980 and in 2020.
3. Table Prompt: The table below gives information about the number of international tourists who visited five cities in 2023. → The table compares five cities in terms of how many overseas visitors they received in 2023.
4. Process diagram Prompt: The diagram below shows how bricks are manufactured for the building industry. → The diagram illustrates the stages in the production of bricks for use in construction.
5. Maps Prompt: The maps below show changes to a coastal village between 2000 and the present day. → The two maps illustrate how a seaside village has developed from 2000 to the present.
6. Two visuals Prompt: The line graph shows the population of a city from 1990 to 2020, and the bar chart shows the main types of housing in 2020. → The line graph tracks the population of a city over the three decades from 1990, while the bar chart breaks down its housing by type in 2020.
- Line graph‘The amount of electricity produced’ becomes the clause ‘how much electricity was generated’: a grammar change plus one synonym. ‘Renewable’ is a technical term, so it stays.
- Pie charts‘Two pie charts’ is precise. ‘Spending on different categories’ becomes ‘divided their expenditure among various categories’: noun to verb, plus a formal synonym.
- TableThe sentence is restructured around the cities (‘compares five cities in terms of…’). ‘International tourists’ becomes ‘overseas visitors’. The single year signals comparison, not change.
- Process‘How bricks are manufactured’ becomes ‘the stages in the production of bricks’, a clause turned into a noun phrase. ‘The building industry’ becomes ‘construction’.
- Maps‘Changes to’ becomes ‘how … has developed’. The present perfect fits because the second map shows the present day.
- Two visualsBoth visuals appear in one sentence linked by ‘while’. ‘Main types of housing’ becomes ‘breaks down its housing by type’.
From introduction to overview
In a full answer, the introduction is followed straight away by the overview: two sentences giving the main features, with no specific figures. Lesson 3 covers overviews in depth. For now, follow three rules:
- Start with Overall, so the examiner can find it instantly.
- Give two main features: the general direction, the biggest or smallest category, or the most striking change.
- Use no specific numbers. They belong in the detail paragraphs.
Here is the complete opening for the mobile banking chart:
The bar chart compares the proportions of adults in urban and rural parts of a country who used mobile banking services over the decade from 2012 to 2022.
Overall, mobile banking became steadily more common in both urban and rural areas, with usage rising in every period shown. Urban adults were consistently more likely to use these services than their rural counterparts, although rural usage grew much faster in relative terms.
Notice how the overview comes directly from the FIRST IMPRESSIONS line of the analysis notes. The two minutes of analysis have now produced the first two paragraphs of the answer.
Practice: the introduction workshop
12 questions- 1
Find and correct the mistake:
The bar chart illustrates about the percentage of adults who used mobile banking.
- 2
Find and correct the mistake:
The line graph shows the amount of tourists who visited Sylhet between 2010 and 2020.
- 3
Find and correct the mistake:
The table compares the number of students enrolled at three universities between 2015 to 2025.
- 4
Find and correct the mistake:
The pie charts shows how household income was spent in 1990 and 2020.
- 5
Find and correct the mistake:
The graph illustrates how the number of internet users in Bangladesh have changed since 2010.
- 6
Find and correct the mistake:
The diagram below illustrates the process of making paper from wood.
- 7
The line graph how the price of rice changed between 2015 and 2025.
- 8
Prompt: “the amount of water consumed per person”. Paraphrase: The table gives information about water was consumed per person in four cities.
- 9
The graph shows changes in rice production the 20-year period from 2000 to 2020.
- 10
The chart shows the % of each group. Introduction: The bar chart compares the of men and women in five age groups who exercised regularly.
- 11
Which is the best paraphrase of: “The chart below shows the number of people who visited three national parks in 2010, 2015 and 2020.”?
- 12
A line graph shows actual figures for 2010 and 2020 and projected figures for 2030. Which introduction is best?
Answer every question to check.
Writing Task 1 practice
50+ words · 7 minThe pie charts below show the main fuels used for cooking by households in one country in 2000 and 2020.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
For this exercise, write only the introduction (one sentence) and the overview (two sentences). Use the two-minute analysis first.
2000
2020
- Firewood
- Natural gas
- Kerosene
- Electricity
- LPG
- Other
| Category | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Firewood | 52% | 30% |
| Natural gas | 18% | 26% |
| Kerosene | 14% | 3% |
| Electricity | 6% | 12% |
| LPG | 4% | 24% |
| Other | 6% | 5% |
Self-check before submitting
- ☐ The introduction names the visual correctly: two pie charts
- ☐ It uses a reporting verb without ‘about’ (compare, illustrate, break down)
- ☐ It paraphrases ‘the main fuels used for cooking by households’ instead of copying it
- ☐ It uses ‘proportion’ or ‘percentage’, not ‘number’, because the data are in %
- ☐ It includes the place (one country) and both years
- ☐ No ‘given’ and no ‘below’
- ☐ The overview starts with ‘Overall,’ and gives two main features
- ☐ The overview contains no specific percentages
Final quiz: analysing and introducing
10 questions- 1
How long should a Task 1 introduction be?
- 2
Prompt: “The graph below shows the number of visitors to three cities from 2005 to 2025.” Candidate: “The line graph illustrates how many people visited three cities over the two decades between 2005 and 2025.”
The candidate has changed the unit of measurement from a number to a proportion.
- 3
Prompt: “The graph below shows the number of visitors to three cities from 2005 to 2025.” Candidate: “The line graph illustrates how many people visited three cities over the two decades between 2005 and 2025.”
The candidate’s introduction keeps the time period of the original prompt.
- 4
Find and correct the mistake:
The pie chart give information about the proportion of energy produced from five sources.
- 5
The diagram illustrates the in the production of chocolate.
- 6
Which question decides whether you need the language of change or the language of comparison?
- 7
Match each phrase from a prompt to a good paraphrase.
the number of people whothe proportion offrom 2000 to 2020how cement is madechanges to a village - 8
Put the parts of this introduction in the correct order.
Drag the cards (or use the arrows) into the correct order.
- 1how many international students
- 2The bar chart
- 3compares
- 4enrolled at four Canadian universities
- 5between 2015 and 2025.
- 9
Which sentence could follow the introduction as part of the overview of the mobile banking chart?
- 10
Find and correct the mistake:
In the year of 2020, 61% of urban adults used mobile banking.
Answer every question to check.
Key takeaways
Introduction vocabulary
Saved as flashcards with a free accountillustrate
verb/ˈɪləstreɪt/
To show or make something clear, especially by using a picture, chart or example.
চিত্র বা উদাহরণের মাধ্যমে দেখানো
The line graph illustrates how rice production changed between 2000 and 2020.
depict
verb/dɪˈpɪkt/
To represent or show something in a picture, diagram or map.
চিত্রিত করা
The two maps depict a coastal village before and after redevelopment.
proportion
noun/prəˈpɔːʃn/
A part or share of a whole, often expressed as a percentage.
অনুপাত, মোটের অংশ
The proportion of households using LPG rose sixfold between 2000 and 2020.
breakdown
noun/ˈbreɪkdaʊn/
A division of a total into its separate parts so that each can be seen.
বিভাজন, বিস্তারিত হিসাব
The table provides a breakdown of household spending by category.
interval
noun/ˈɪntəvl/
The period of time between two events or measurements.
সময়ের ব্যবধান
The data were collected at two-year intervals from 2012 to 2022.
expenditure
noun/ɪkˈspendɪtʃə(r)/
The total amount of money that a person, household or government spends.
ব্যয়, খরচ
Food accounted for almost half of household expenditure in 1980.
consumption
noun/kənˈsʌmpʃn/
The amount of something, such as energy, water or food, that is used or eaten.
ভোগ, ব্যবহারের পরিমাণ
Water consumption per person was highest in the largest of the four cities.
enrolment
noun/ɪnˈrəʊlmənt/
The act of officially joining a school, college or course, or the number of people who have done so. (American spelling: enrollment; both are accepted.)
ভর্তি, নিবন্ধন
Enrolment at the three universities rose steadily between 2015 and 2025.
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