Homework · Day 1
Full Task 1 Report — Annual Sunshine Hours
What you'll do tonight
- Read the data summary below carefully (2 minutes).
- Plan briefly: which two trends will go in your overview? (2–3 minutes)
- Write a 150+ word report in 20 minutes — strict timing, just like the real test.
- Self-check against the band 8 model.
- Submit by email.
Task 1 prompt
Write at least 150 words.
| Month | London | New York | Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | ~50 | ~100 | ~200 |
| April | ~150 | ~190 | ~170 |
| July (peak for London & NY) | ~200 | ~250 | ~120 |
| June (low for Sydney) | ~190 | ~245 | ~100 |
| October | ~110 | ~170 | ~170 |
| December | ~50 | ~100 | ~200 |
| Annual total | ~1,000 hrs | ~2,000 hrs | ~2,500 hrs |
Pattern: London and New York follow similar curves (peak in summer, low in winter). Sydney is inverted (peak in Dec/Jan, low in June/July) because it's in the Southern Hemisphere.
Exercise 1 — Quick plan (2–3 minutes)
Which city had the most sunshine overall?
Which city had the least?
What's the biggest contrast between cities?
Which two cities share a similar pattern? Why?
Exercise 2 — Write your full 150+ word report
Use the writing box below. Your draft saves automatically — you can close the tab and come back. Set the 20-minute timer and write under realistic conditions.
Exercise 3 — Self-check
Before submitting, tick off each item.
- ☐ I wrote at least 150 words. →
- ☐ I have a paraphrased introduction (not a copy of the prompt). →
- ☐ I have a clear overview that starts with "Overall," and gives no specific numbers. →
- ☐ I have two body paragraphs grouping the data. →
- ☐ I made at least 2 comparisons between cities. →
- ☐ I gave no opinions ("unfortunately", "this is bad", etc). →
Exercise 4 — Compare with the Band 8 model
Only reveal after you've finished your own report.
Word count: ~170
The line graph compares the total annual sunshine hours in three cities — London, New York, and Sydney — over the course of a year.
Overall, Sydney received the highest amount of sunshine, particularly during its summer months, while London and New York exhibited similar patterns with peaks in mid-year and lower hours in winter, though New York generally had more sunshine than London.
In Sydney, sunshine hours started high at around 200 in January, dipped to a low of approximately 100 in June, and then rose steadily back to 200 by December, averaging about 2,500 hours annually. By contrast, London began with under 100 hours in January, climbed gradually to a peak of roughly 200 in July, and fell back to near 50 in December, resulting in the lowest total of around 1,000 hours per year.
New York's pattern mirrored London's but with higher figures, starting at about 100 hours in January, reaching a maximum of 250 in July, and declining to 100 by year-end, totaling approximately 2,000 hours.
What to notice:
- The overview captures the shape of the data — Sydney inverted vs London/NY similar — without naming a single number.
- Body 1 covers Sydney alone (the outlier); Body 2 groups London and New York together (similar pattern).
- Trend verbs: dipped, rose steadily, climbed gradually, fell back, reaching a maximum, declining. Notice the variety.
- Connectors: particularly, while, though, By contrast, mirrored. Makes the comparison work.
Free practice resources
Extra free practice for tonight — each link opens in a new tab. These are free online resources (no purchase needed); a few may ask you to create a free account.
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Writing Task 1: Bar Chart →
IELTS Liz
Bar chart structure + selecting main features. ~20 min, free.
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Model Bar Chart, Band 9 →
IELTS Liz
Band-9 model showing intro + overview. ~15 min, free.
Ready to submit?
Use the "Submit by email" button inside your writing box. It will attach your name, the subject "Writing Day 1 — Task 1 Sunshine", and your essay text.
Homework like this is part of every class day. Enrolled students submit it and get it marked with feedback before the next session.
Enroll to join tomorrow's class →