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In IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, you have 20 minutes to describe a chart, graph, or table. Most students struggle not because they don't understand the data, but because they lack the specific vocabulary to describe trends accurately. After 17 years of teaching, I’ve distilled the "must-have" vocabulary and the structure that consistently earns Band 7+.   The 3-Part Structure for Task 1:   1        Introduction (1 sentence): Paraphrase the prompt. If the prompt says "The graph shows the number of people visiting Morocco," your introduction should say "The line graph illustrates the volume of tourists who traveled to Morocco between [Year] and [Year]." 2        Overview (2 sentences): This is the most important part. Identify the two most obvious trends. Do not use numbers here. Example: "Overall, the number of visitors increased significantly over the period, while the amount spent per visitor saw a sl...

Fluency at work isn't about knowing 20,000 words — it's about having the right phrases ready for the moments that matter: the meeting, the email, the client call. Below are twenty phrases I teach professionals worldwide, organized by the situation you'll actually face. Each one replaces a weaker alternative that non-native speakers tend to use.   Starting and leading meetings   1        "Let's kick things off." (replaces "I want to start...") 2        "The purpose of this meeting is..." — state it in one sentence. 3        "Let's move on to the next item on the agenda." 4        "I'd like to hand over to [name]." — the polite way to pass the floor. 5        "Let's wrap this up." — ending a meeting decisively.   Agreeing and disagreeing professionally   6        "I ...