How to structure your introduction?
The introduction should begin by talking about what the graph/bar/table talks about. Ideally, you need to begin with one or two sentences that state what the IELTS writing task 1 shows. You can do this by paraphrasing the title of the graph and by making sure you put in a time frame if there is one.
The question says:
The line graph below shows changes in the amount and type of fast food consumed by Australian teenagers from 1975 to 2000.
And you can paraphrase the question by saying:
The line graph given here compares the fast food consumption for a period of 25 years between 1975 and 2000, of teenagers in Australia.
In this way, you have managed to say the same thing as the title, but in a different way.
The sentence following this can be a small overview stating what the main trend(s) in the graph are. You don’t have to provide in-depth details as this statement will only cover a description of what is happening overall.
For example, continuing with the same information used above, the second statement in your answer could be:
Overall, the consumption of fish and chips declined over the period, whereas the amount of pizza and hamburgers that were eaten increased.
This covers the main changes that took place over the whole period.
If you noticed, the example here used words and phrases like “the graph given here” and “declined”, “increased” and so on. The usage of such words in the introduction is as important as structuring the introduction correctly is.
So, let us now learn such words too!
What kind of vocabulary to use in the introduction?
Introductory phrases:
- The graph / table shows / indicates / illustrates / reveals / represents…
- It is clear from the graph / table…
- It can be seen from the graph / table…
- As the graph / table shows,…
- As can be seen from the graph / table,…
- As is shown by the graph / table,…
- As is illustrated by the graph / table,…
- From the graph / table it is clear….
A word of Caution
1. Avoid using phrases like “We can see from the graph…”
2. The phrase according to generally means that the information has come from another person or source, therefore avoid using phrases like “according to the graph….”
Hence, both the structuring and the kind of vocabulary used in the introduction are important because these will pave the way for the rest of your answer. This is the part where the examiner will start the assessment of your writing skills and therefore you need to make sure it is written in the best possible way and as per the IELTS norms.