Writing Task 1: Mountain Railway Data
Mountain railways and scenic train journeys
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
How to use this lesson
TEACHER Instructions (35 Mins)
1. Use this 35-minute lesson to guide B1 students from sentence building to full Task 1 reporting.
2. Check answers automatically in Module 1 before letting students write independently in Module 2.
LEARNER Your Steps
1. Complete the four quick warm-up steps in Module 1 to practice data words.
2. Read the railway table in Module 2, check the writing steps, and write your report in the box.
Practice Data Words (Car Washing Topic)
Practice using data words with a daily routine example before writing your main report.
Sentence Pattern Example
"Although it was foggy, the view from the train was lovely."
A Word Forms (5 questions)
Choose the correct form of the word to complete each sentence about car washing data.
1. The number of dirty cars ______ every morning between 8 AM and 9 AM.
2. After midday, the speed of car ______ increased rapidly at the garage.
3. The garage recorded a steady ______ in overall vehicle cleaning activity.
4. By 5 PM, the total count of cleaned vehicles had ______ to fifty.
5. There was a small ______ in the number of staff washing cars.
B Collocations for Describing Data (5 questions)
Select the exact word that fits naturally in each sentence.
1. The number of washed sports cars ______ a peak of forty at 2 PM.
2. In the early morning, the figure ______ at five cars per hour.
3. Sedans ______ for half of all vehicles cleaned today.
4. Water usage ______ a sharp fall after 4 PM.
5. The car wash service ______ a growth of ten vehicles compared to yesterday.
C Common Phrases for Figures (5 questions)
Fill in the blanks using words from the Word Bank below.
1. The number of cars washed in the afternoon ________ twenty vehicles, down from forty in the morning.
Type the exact phrase from the word bank.
____2. Car cleaning prices ________ throughout the whole day.
Type the exact phrase from the word bank.
____3. The total count ________ five units between noon and 1 PM, so there were more cars at 1 PM.
Type the exact phrase from the word bank.
____4. More red cars were washed ________ blue cars.
Type the exact phrase from the word bank.
____5. The ________ shows that car washing is most popular in the morning.
Type the exact phrase from the word bank.
____D Paraphrase Sentences (3 questions)
Choose the sentence that says the same thing in different words.
Original Sentence:
"The number of cars washed increased sharply from 10 to 30."
Original Sentence:
"Fewer trucks were cleaned in the afternoon than in the morning."
Original Sentence:
"Car washing activity reached its highest point at noon."
Mountain Railway Passengers Report
Read the table below and write a short report describing the changes.
Writing Task Prompt
"The table shows the percentage of passengers who used one mountain railway in each season in 2005 and in 2023. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant."
Write at least 120 words.
Percentage of Mountain Railway Passengers by Season
| Season | 2005 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 | 25 |
| Summer | 50 | 35 |
| Autumn | 25 | 20 |
| Winter | 10 | 20 |
(Figures are fictional.)
Task 1 Report Checklist
Every successful Task 1 report needs to include the following elements:
Write Your Report
Compose your report in English based on the mountain railway table.
Model Answer & Key Writing Phrases
Read this sample answer to see how to organize your ideas clearly.
📝 Task 1 Model Answer
129 Words • Complete ReportThe table compares the proportion of passengers using a mountain railway across four seasons in 2005 and 2023.
Overall, summer accounted for the largest share of passengers in both years, despite experiencing a decrease. In contrast, passenger percentages in spring and winter increased, while autumn saw a slight drop.
In 2005, summer was the most popular season, standing at 50%. However, this figure fell by 15 percentage points to 35% in 2023. Similarly, the percentage of passengers traveling in autumn declined from 25% to 20%, representing a fall of 5 percentage points.
Conversely, spring and winter recorded growth over the period. The share of spring passengers rose by 10 percentage points, from 15% to 25%. Meanwhile, winter passenger usage doubled, increasing from 10% to 20% between 2005 and 2023.
Useful Phrases & Why They Work
Here are plain-English explanations of the 8 bold phrases used in the model report above:
"accounted for the largest share of"
"despite experiencing a decrease"
"In contrast"
"standing at 50%"
"fell by 15 percentage points"
"Conversely"
"recorded growth over the period"
"doubled, increasing from 10% to 20%"
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