IELTS Academic Writing
Part One- Describing Data- Line Graphs
Lesson Plan
Students play a speaking bingo game that gives them the trends language
they need for this writing task.
Part of Exam: Academic Writing Part One- task where they have to describe
data given to them in graph form. This lesson is designed for line graphs, but
also provides useful language for other forms such as bar charts.
Language/ Skill Practised: Language of trends. Simple Past and Present
Perfect. Speaking and Writing.
Materials: One copy of Worksheet page one (cut up into pack of cards) per
pair of students, plus one for teacher. One copy of Worksheet page two per
student.
One copy of exam task with line graphs per student.
Due to the use of graphs, this class is much easier with an OHP or
PowerPoint, especially checking the answers in Part Two below.
Time: 35 to 50 minutes
Preparation: You might want to do this class after you have already done
some work on planning writing, as it is obviously important for this task but is
not included in the lesson plan. Alternatively, you could use the homework as
a diagnostic task to see how much work they need on planning.
You might want to change the language used on page two of the Worksheet
(e.g. the use of the word ‘production’) to match the exam task you use in Part
Four below.
Procedure:
Part One: Trends Bingo-Whole Class
• Explain to the class that you are all going to play Bingo, and ask
students who know the game to explain the rules.
• Give out one pack of cards from Worksheet page 1 per two students.
Ask them to shuffle it and deal out six cards each. The spare card
stays on the table face down.
• Pick cards from your pack and describe them to the class- either in
your own words or reading off Worksheet page two. Describe each one
at least twice. When students have heard all six of their cards
described they should shout “Bingo!”
• When any of the students in the class shout “Bingo”, ask them to
describe their ‘winning’ cards back to you and the class. Don’t correct
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2003
Taken from the exams section in www.onestopenglish.com
grammar or vocabulary at this stage, but draw the graphs they describe
to you on the board as they speak. If it turns out they didn’t have the
right cards, repeat this stage with any other students who shouted
Bingo at the same time. Otherwise, continue the game.
• When you have a winning student, congratulate them and give out the
trend sentences on Worksheet page two.
Part Two: Trends language
• Ask the pairs of students to match the 13 sentences on Worksheet
page two to the 13 cards.
• Check the answers as a class. You will need to have the graphs on the
board to do this.
• Ask students to turn over the graphs so they can’t see them and to
draw rough graphs for each of the sentences on the Worksheet in the
boxes given next to them. Allow them to look at the graphs to check if
they need to.
• Variation/ Extension: If you think your class need a bit more help
before the speaking stage, ask them to go through the sentences on
Worksheet page 2, underlining the verbs, nouns, adjectives and
adverbs used to describe trends.
Part Three: Bingo- Groupwork
• Redivide the class into groups of three, each with one pack of graph
cards from Part One above. Nominate a ‘Bingo master’ in each group.
Ask the ‘Bingo master’ to deal out the cards to the other two players as
above.
• Ask the Bingo masters to fold their Worksheet page two so that they
can only see the graphs they have drawn and not the sentences. They
should now play the game as in Part One above, but from the
descriptions of the graphs that the Bingo masters give.
• Let them start playing. Allow Bingo Masters to look at the sentences if
they get really stuck describing a particular graph. Monitor for use of
trends language and Present Perfect/ Simple Past.
• Possible extension: Change roles and repeat.
• When all the groups have played at least one full game, stop the class
and go through the errors you heard.
Part Four: Exam Task
• Give out the photocopies of the exam task and ask the students to
describe the information shown in their groups of three. Feedback as a
class.
• Ask students to do the writing exam task at home for homework
(reading the instructions carefully, of course).
• Possible extension: In the next class, ask students to read each
other’s pieces of writing and discuss if they agree with what they’ve
written (facts rather than use of language).
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2003
Taken from the exams section in www.onestopenglish.com
