Check the high-value Task 1 things fast
Your report is nearly done and a few minutes are left. You cannot re-read every word, so do not try. Instead, run a fast, fixed check on the things that carry the most marks in Task 1. Most are quick to fix, and one of them, the overview, can lift your whole score. Here is the check to run before you finish.
The quick Task 1 check
✓My introduction paraphrases the title in my own words, it does not copy it.
✓I have a clear overview that names the main trend or the main contrast.
✓My overview has no specific numbers, only the big picture.
✓I gave no opinion. Task 1 is a factual report, unlike Task 2.
✓I wrote at least 150 words (the official minimum).
✓My body paragraphs group related data and include specific figures.
✓I made comparisons, I did not describe the data item by item.
✓I did not add a conclusion.
✓My tenses match the time period in the chart.
3 quick catches you can fix in seconds
A copied first sentence
✕The graph shows the number of cars sold in three countries between 2000 and 2010.
✓The line graph gives the yearly car sales in three countries over one decade.
Copying the title word for word does not count as your own English. Change the key words (number becomes yearly, shows becomes gives, between 2000 and 2010 becomes over one decade). It takes seconds and protects your Lexical Resource score.
A missing overview sentence
✕You jump straight from the introduction into the numbers, with no big picture.
✓Add one line: "Overall, sales rose in all three countries, but the fastest growth was in Japan."
The overview is the biggest thing in Task 1. Add one sentence that names the main trend or contrast, with no numbers. This single line can be the difference between a low and a high Task Achievement score.
A wrong tense
✕The chart shows the data in 2005, so sales rise sharply.
✓The chart showed the data for 2005, so sales rose sharply.
Past years need past tenses, a process needs the present simple. Mixing them is easy to miss and quick to fix. Scan your verbs against the time in the chart before you finish.
Why the overview check matters most
Of everything on the list, check the overview first. A Task 1 report with lots of accurate numbers but no overview cannot reach a high Task Achievement score, because the overview is what the examiner is looking for. It is one or two sentences that name the big picture: the main trend, the biggest feature, or the main contrast, with no specific numbers. If yours is missing or is just a list of figures, fixing it is the best-value change you can make with the time you have left. Do that one first, then run down the rest of the list.
Read next
Keep going with the series: 6 mistakes that lower your score and how to write a strong overview.
Build the habit before test day
This check only helps if it is automatic, so practice it now. Write a full Task 1 report in VoyaLang, then run your quick check before you look at the feedback. See how many of your own catches match what the tool finds, and learn the Task 1 mistakes you keep repeating. Create a free account and check your next one in about a minute.
