APIEIELTS Writing Task 1: Research Data Analysis
Particle physics and big science
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
📋 How to use this lesson
Teacher: This 40-minute module builds data-description skills. Check vocabulary and grammar exercises during class discussion.
Learner: First, complete the vocabulary and collocation exercises. Next, practice paraphrasing to prepare for your report.
Getting ready to describe data by looking at a city bicycle hire scheme.
Part A: Word Forms
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the word in brackets.
1. Daily rentals showed notable ____ between Monday and Friday. [fluctuate]
2. A large ____ of total bike hires took place during the morning rush hour. [proportionate]
3. Casual user numbers grew ____ on Saturday afternoon. [significant]
4. Weekday commuter trips remained relatively ____ from Tuesday through Thursday. [stabilise]
5. Sunday evening recorded a sharp ____ in active rentals. [reduce]
Part B: Data Collocations
Choose the best option to complete each sentence.
1. Morning dock usage experienced a ________ rise between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM.
2. There was a ________ difference between weekday commuter journeys and weekend leisure hires.
3. City centre bike availability reached its ________ point at 5:30 PM on Friday.
4. Daily hires followed an upward ________ throughout the early spring months.
5. Demand for electric bikes saw a ________ decline when heavy rain hit on Wednesday.
Part C: Common Phrases for Figures
Fill in the blanks using the words from the bank below.
Word Bank
1. Member journeys ____ for roughly 68% of total weekday trips.
2. Total bike hires ____ at approximately 12,000 throughout Thursday morning.
3. User numbers ____ at 15,400 hires at 2:00 PM on Saturday, then fell steadily.
4. Casual riders ____ nearly one-third of all journeys over the weekend.
5. Sunday hires were modest ____ with Saturday's record total.
Part D: Paraphrasing Practice
Choose the sentence that says the same thing in different words.
Original sentence
The number of rented bicycles fell sharply on Sunday evening.
Original sentence
Bicycle use among annual pass holders stayed almost unchanged between Tuesday and Thursday.
Original sentence
Saturday hires were twice as high as the total recorded on Monday.
Time to practice writing your report.
Writing Task 1
The table shows the percentage of visiting researchers at one large physics laboratory who came from four world regions in 2005 and in 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Visiting Researchers by Region of Origin (2005 vs 2025)
| Region | 2005 (%) | 2025 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 52 | 41 |
| North America | 24 | 22 |
| Asia | 14 | 25 |
| Other regions | 10 | 12 |
(Figures are fictional.)
☑️ What every Task 1 report needs
Review this general checklist before you start writing:
- ✓ An overview highlighting the general trends or most noticeable patterns
- ✓ Key features selected and grouped logically across paragraphs
- ✓ Relevant comparisons made between categories and time points
- ✓ Accurate figures cited directly to support each description
- ✓ A length of at least 150 words
Your Report
Minimum 150 wordsReview a model answer to see how a high-scoring report is structured.
📑 Model Report
Length: 173 wordsThe table details the proportion of visiting researchers at a large physics laboratory across four geographical regions in 2005 and 2025. Overall, while European scientists accounted for the largest share in both years, their predominance diminished noticeably. Conversely, the proportion of visitors from Asia experienced substantial growth, overtaking North America to become the second most prominent group.
In 2005, just over half of the visiting physicists originated from Europe, standing at 52%. By 2025, however, this figure had fallen by 11 percentage points to 41%. In stark contrast, researchers from Asia made up only 14% of the total in 2005, but this figure climbed steeply to reach a quarter (25%) two decades later, a rise of 11 percentage points.
Meanwhile, the share of researchers traveling from North America recorded a slight decline, dipping from 24% to 22% over the same period. Lastly, individuals arriving from other regions formed a modest minority; their percentage edged upward from 10% in 2005 to 12% in 2025, consistently representing the lowest proportion across the two observed years.
💡 Useful Phrases & Why This Works
Here is why each highlighted phrase makes the report clear, natural, and precise:
"accounted for the largest share"
Use this in your overview to identify the dominant category right away without repeating simple words like "was biggest".
"overtaking North America to become"
Use this phrase to link a change over time with a shift in ranking between two groups.
"just over half"
Use this everyday fraction phrase to turn a raw statistic (52%) into an easy-to-read proportion for the reader.
"by 11 percentage points"
Use this exact unit when subtracting one percentage from another (52% minus 41%) to keep your description precise.
"In stark contrast"
Use this linking phrase at the start of a sentence to emphasize two opposing directions in the data.
"climbed steeply"
Use this pair of words to show a fast, large rise without overstating it.
"recorded a slight decline"
Use this pair of words to report a small fall without overstating the change.
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