IELTS Writing Task 1: Cashless Payments

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How to Use This Lesson

For the Teacher

Guide learners through the 40-minute lesson step by step, allowing 15 minutes for warm-up drills and 20 minutes for drafting.

Use the built-in AI grading tool to evaluate reports instantly across the four standard writing criteria.

For the Learner

Complete the vocabulary and sentence-matching exercises in Module 1 first to refresh your reporting language.

Study the table in Module 2, write your full response in the box, and compare your work with the model in Module 3.

Module 1 • Warm-up

Describing Library Visitors

Practise key reporting words and sentence structures using figures about public library attendance.

Part A: Word Forms

Choose the grammatically correct form to complete each library report sentence.

1. The library recorded a steady ___ in the number of student visitors during exam week.

____ rise ____ rising ____ risen

2. A significant ___ of weekend visitors borrowed science books rather than fiction.

____ proportion ____ proportional ____ proportionally

3. Registration numbers grew ___ over the six-month reading challenge.

____ steady ____ steadily ____ steadiness

4. Daily room bookings showed considerable ___ between Mondays and Saturdays.

____ fluctuate ____ fluctuating ____ fluctuation

5. Morning visits decreased ___ after the library adjusted its opening hours to 10 AM.

____ sharp ____ sharply ____ sharpness

Part B: Data Collocations

Pick the single word that naturally fits the sentence to describe figures.

6. Weekend visitor numbers ___ a peak of 1,200 people on the final Saturday of the term.

____ reached ____ met ____ arrived

7. Young adult readers ___ for roughly a third of all catalog searches.

____ accounted ____ stood ____ totaled

8. Attendance figures for the local history archive ___ stable across the four years.

____ remained ____ kept ____ went

9. The proportion of visitors holding a library card ___ at 74% at the start of the survey.

____ stood ____ put ____ went

10. The children's department ___ a noticeable increase in loans during the summer holidays.

____ saw ____ watched ____ looked

Part C: Common Phrases for Figures

Type the exact phrase from the word bank into the blank space.

Word Bank:

over the period shown the vast majority of a steady rise in in comparison with a sharp drop in

11. Total visitors to the main study hall doubled [ ___ ] from 2012 to 2020.

____ (Type phrase here...)

12. [ ___ ] visitors preferred physical books rather than audiobooks in 2015.

____ (Type phrase here...)

13. The library experienced [ ___ ] computer workstation usage as more students joined during the academic year.

____ (Type phrase here...)

14. Weekend visits were remarkably high [ ___ ] weekday attendance.

____ (Type phrase here...)

15. The facility witnessed [ ___ ] printed newspaper readers after digital tablets arrived.

____ (Type phrase here...)

Part D: Paraphrasing

Select the sentence that expresses the original statement with the same meaning in different words.

Original sentence: "About 75% of library users preferred quiet study rooms in 2021."

____ a. Exactly three-quarters of visitors booked study rooms in 2021. ____ b. Approximately three-quarters of people visiting the library chose quiet study rooms in 2021. ____ c. Quiet study rooms were used by roughly half the library members in 2021.

Original sentence: "The proportion of young readers borrowing fiction fell from 50% to 25%."

____ a. Fiction borrowing among young visitors halved over the period. ____ b. Young visitors borrowed twice as many fiction books as before. ____ c. The number of fiction loans among young adults remained largely unchanged.

Original sentence: "The library experienced a three-fold increase in e-book checkouts between 2018 and 2022."

____ a. E-book checkouts increased by three percent from 2018 to 2022. ____ b. Checkouts of electronic books rose slightly across the four-year span. ____ c. The number of borrowed e-books tripled over the four-year interval.

Module 2 • The Task

Payment Methods in Town Shops

Read the task prompt and table carefully, review the checklist, and write your report below.

Official Task Prompt

The table shows the percentage of all payments made by four methods in the shops of one town in 2010, 2018 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Payment method	2010	2018	2025
Cash	62	40	14
Debit card	24	36	30
Credit card	12	18	16
Phone or watch	2	6	40

(Figures are fictional.)

Essential Report Checklist

✓ An overview

✓ Key features

✓ Comparisons

✓ Accurate figures

✓ At least 150 words

Your Task 1 Report

Draft your full response in the box below. Click submit when ready to get instant feedback on Task Achievement, Coherence, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Accuracy.

____ (Write your introductory sentence, overview paragraph, and detailed body paragraphs here (minimum 150 words)...)

Module 3 • Model Answer

Model Answer & Useful Phrases

Read the sample report and study why each highlighted phrase makes the description clear and precise.

Sample Report (158 words)

Band 8.5+ Style

The table illustrates how shoppers in one town paid for their purchases across three years: 2010, 2018, and 2025.

Overall, cash experienced a continuous and steep decline, while digital payments using a phone or watch expanded dramatically. By 2025, cash had become the least used method.

In 2010, cash was the dominant payment method, accounting for 62% of all transactions. However, this figure fell sharply to 40% in 2018, before dropping to just 14% by 2025. In stark contrast, payments made by phone or watch stood at only 2% initially, but tripled to 6% in 2018. After that, they jumped to 40% in 2025.

Meanwhile, card options showed moderate fluctuations. Debit card usage rose from 24% to peak at 36% in 2018, before dipping slightly to 30% in 2025. Similarly, credit cards increased from 12% to 18% in 2018, and then settled at 16% at the end of the period.

Why These Phrases Work

accounting for

Shows the exact share of a total naturally, so you do not repeat "was 62%".

fell sharply

Describes a quick, substantial drop (62% down to 40%) in two clear words.

In stark contrast

Tells the reader that the next sentence moves from a huge fall to a huge rise.

stood at

A smooth, formal phrase to state an opening figure without sounding repetitive.

tripled

Exact mathematical phrasing: 2% multiplied by three gives 6% precisely.

peak at

Identifies the highest number reached in the middle year before it dropped down.

dipping slightly

Highlights a small downward step (36% to 30%) with precise moderation.

settled at

Neatly rounds off a trend when a figure finishes close to its previous level.

How to Use This Lesson

Describing Library Visitors

Part A: Word Forms

Part B: Data Collocations

Part C: Common Phrases for Figures

Part D: Paraphrasing

Payment Methods in Town Shops

Essential Report Checklist

Model Answer & Useful Phrases

Sample Report (158 words)

Why These Phrases Work

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