What Band 7 means in Task 1
Task 1 Academic assesses how clearly you describe visuals without opinion. Band 7 needs a clear overview, logical grouping, accurate comparisons, and a range of precise vocabulary with mostly accurate grammar. Keep it factual and objective. Do not explain causes or give advice.

Key jargon in plain English

• Overview: a one or two sentence summary of the main patterns.
• Trend: how a value changes over time.
• Outlier: a value that is much higher or lower than the rest.
• Data group: items that belong together for comparison.
• Process diagram: a flow of stages that shows how something is made or changes.

Timing, length, and structure
Spend 20 minutes total. Try 3-15-2: 3 minutes plan, 15 write, 2 check. Target 170 to 190 words. Use four paragraphs:

1. Intro: paraphrase the task.
2. Overview: the big picture only.
3. Body A: the strongest pattern with two focused comparisons.
4. Body B: remaining key features and one outlier or exception.

Language that scores
Use comparison verbs and adverbs: rise, fall, peak, remain stable, slightly, sharply, roughly, by contrast, whereas. Use ranges rather than exact decimals unless the chart highlights precision. Prefer small, round numbers when you can.

Example 1 - Line graph model with annotations
Prompt: The line graph shows the percentage of households with home internet in three countries between 2000 and 2020.

Intro
The line graph compares home internet access in Country A, Country B, and Country C from 2000 to 2020. [Paraphrase]

Overview
Overall, access rose in all three countries, with Country A leading throughout, while Country C lagged early but closed the gap after 2012. [Overview - main trend and ranking]

Body A
At the start, Country A already served roughly 35 percent of households, about double Country B and triple Country C. [Grouped comparison] By 2010, A climbed to around 70 percent and peaked near 90 percent in 2020. [Trend plus peak] Country B followed a similar but slower path, rising from about 18 to just over 75 percent by the end. [Parallel trend]

Body B
Country C grew more modestly until 2010, staying below 25 percent, but accelerated afterwards to reach roughly 70 percent in 2020. [Late surge] Notably, the gap between A and C narrowed from about 25 percentage points in 2000 to around 20 points by 2020. [Gap statement] [No causes or opinions]

Why this is Band 7 friendly
Clear overview, grouped comparisons, restrained numbers, and a closing gap statement show control.

Example 2 - Process diagram model with annotations
Prompt: The diagram shows how tap water is treated before it reaches homes.

Intro
The diagram illustrates the stages in purifying water for domestic use. [Paraphrase]

Overview
In general, raw water passes through filtration and chemical treatment before distribution to storage tanks and households. [Overview - start to finish]

Body A
First, intake screens block large debris before water flows into a settling basin where heavier particles sink. [Stage order] The liquid then passes through sand filters to remove smaller solids. [Technical but clear]

Body B
Next, disinfectant is added to eliminate microorganisms, and the water rests in a contact tank to ensure the dose is effective. [Purpose language] Finally, the treated water is pumped to a main reservoir and then piped to homes. [End state] Optional quality checks may occur at several points. [Cautious hedge]

Why this is Band 7 friendly
It names stages, uses process verbs, gives purposes briefly, and avoids speculation.

Mini case - Nadia in Rangpur
Nadia wrote 120 to 140 words with no overview and too many numbers. She switched to the 3-15-2 routine and a four line skeleton: paraphrase, overview, two grouped comparisons. After 10 practice tasks, her average length reached 178 words, she limited numbers to one or two per body, and she added a gap statement or rank line in every essay. Her mock moved from 6.0 to 7.0.

Measurable tips

• Overview rule: write it in 2 lines, no figures.
• Number limit: max 3 numeric mentions per body paragraph.
• Comparison quota: at least 2 grouped comparisons overall.
• Word target: 170 to 190.
• Time boxes: 3 plan, 15 write, 2 check.

Common mistakes

• Explaining reasons or solutions. Task 1 is description only.
• Copying the task wording. Paraphrase with synonyms and structure change.
• Listing every small change. Group and compare instead.
• Decimal overload. Use approximate language unless precision is the point.
• Missing units. Always state time, measure, or percent.

Edge cases and how to handle them

• Mixed visuals table plus bar chart: introduce both, then compare by one dimension at a time.
• No time axis pie charts or one year bar charts: avoid trend words like increase, use higher than or accounts for.
• Unequal intervals 1999, 2003, 2015: mention the exact years and avoid claims like steady unless shown.
• Maps: use orientation language such as to the north, adjacent to, replaced by.
• Processes with loops: say the cycle repeats and show the condition for repetition.

Tips and tricks

• Write the overview before details so you do not forget it.
• Build a mini bank of comparison chunks: by contrast, in the same period, a similar pattern, the largest share, a narrow gap.
• Read axes and keys twice during planning to avoid unit errors.
• Use one relative clause and one participle phrase per answer to vary grammar naturally.

To avoid

• First person or opinion words like I think.
• Causal speculations such as because people prefer.
• Long lists of tiny figures.
• Overusing connectors in every sentence.

Glossary
Overview: top level summary of patterns.
Trend: direction of change over time.
Outlier: value far from the rest.
Data group: items you compare together.
Process stage: one step in a sequence.

Next steps
Pick two charts today. For each, write a 4 line plan, a 2 line overview, and a 180 word response. Track word count, number of comparisons, and numeric mentions. Reduce numeric mentions to 3 or fewer without losing clarity.

1. Actionable closing - Case study then lessons

Case study - Arif’s rainfall bar chart
Arif kept writing 230 words with many decimals and no overview. He tried a 20 minute sprint on a monthly rainfall bar chart. He drafted an overview first that named the wettest months and the dry season. He grouped months into dry, rising, peak, and falling phases. He cut numbers to three: highest month, lowest month, and annual total. His score on a rubric rose from 6.0 to 7.0 in one week.

Lessons you can apply now

• Plan the overview first and keep it number free.
• Group before you count. Decide pairs or phases, then pick two to compare.
• Limit yourself to three numbers that anchor the story.
• Add one gap or rank sentence to show comparison skill.
• Finish with a quick unit check for axes, time, and percentage.