The overview is the most important sentence
An overview states the main trends or the biggest differences in one or two sentences, without figures. Reports without a clear overview are held back under Task Achievement, however accurate the details.
Find the overview in 60 seconds
Ask: what is the biggest change? What is highest and lowest? Do the lines or bars move together or apart? Your answers are the overview.
A four-paragraph structure
- Introduction: paraphrase what the visual shows (one sentence).
- Overview: the two or three main features, no numbers.
- Details 1: one group of features, with key figures and comparisons.
- Details 2: the other group of features.
Worked example
The table shows the percentage of people in one town who used each way of getting to work in 2005 and 2025.
| Travel to work | 2005 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Car | 62% | 48% |
| Bus | 20% | 18% |
| Bicycle | 6% | 17% |
| On foot | 12% | 17% |
Introduction and overview
The table compares how residents of a town travelled to work in 2005 and 2025. Overall, the car remained the most common way to commute, although its share fell considerably, while cycling and walking grew in popularity. Bus use changed little.
A detail paragraph
In 2005, almost two thirds of commuters (62%) drove to work, but by 2025 this had dropped to less than half (48%). Over the same period, the proportion who cycled nearly tripled, from 6% to 17%, matching the share who walked, which had risen from 12%.
Notice what the overview does: no numbers, only the big picture. And the details group the car with the two modes that grew, because that is the story of the table.
Processes and maps
- Processes: describe the stages in order, using sequencing words (first, next, after that) and often the passive (the beans are dried). The overview gives the number of stages and where the process starts and ends.
- Maps: compare the two dates. The overview says what changed most (for example, farmland replaced by housing); details describe locations with north of, next to, replaced by.
Questions
Should I give my opinion in Academic Task 1?+
No. Task 1 is a factual report. Describe and compare what the visual shows, without opinions or reasons that are not in the data.
Do I need to mention every number?+
No. Select the key figures that support the main features. Listing every number makes the report harder to follow and does not raise your score.
Where should the overview go?+
Either straight after the introduction or at the end. Putting it second makes sure you don't run out of time before writing it.
Do I need a conclusion in Task 1?+
Not a separate one. The overview does that job.