IELTS Research Reports

The cognitive processes of taking IELTS Academic Writing Task 1This short test preparation training also seemed to clarify a confusion that the participants had about asimilar type of writing tasks in the College English Test in China which in fact required test takers toexplain why a particular phenomenon depicted in a graph happened. The explanations by ParticipantsW and Q on their previous experiences shed light on why these students always had a strong tendencyto interpret the data when doing IELTS AWT1 tasks.Extract 28In AWT1 tasks, no matter what kind of graphs or diagrams, you are only asked to describe.However, in the Chinese tests, you are given a picture or a graph, you are not only askedto describe some kind of information at surface level, however, the most important part isto find out and write about the intended message and meaning. However, in AWT1 tasks,you are only asked to describe…. in CET and Gaokao (Note: Chinese university entranceexamination) composition writing, you only use 20-30 words max to describe the graphs orpictures, but the following analyses are more important. (Participant W)Extract 29In essays, normally we present and describe a problem briefly and what follows is moreimportant, you interpret and give some arguments and provides solutions to the problem. Itis normally this kind of pattern for argumentative essays. This is the kind of training we havereceived since secondary education. (Participant Q)However useful the short test preparation training may have been to help the participants focuson describing rather than interpreting the graphs, we still noticed in think-aloud protocols thatinterpretations still feature, maybe as a natural process of understanding the graphs. As ParticipantT commented, although interpretations may not be totally avoidable, she would not include theinterpretations in her actual writings.Extract 30Before the training, I always had the desire to interpret the reasons, e.g. why is there anincrease, why is there a decrease? After the training, I had to curb my desire of interpreting,but I still quite naturally, very naturally, or unconsciously try to interpret, though I will notinclude my interpretations in my writings, as I understand this is not what the task requires,this is not what the markers would be looking for, I have to refrain from writing too much, ithas to be within 150 words. I don’t need to bother anything not required. (Participant T)Data were also collected from the participants about their views on the research project and the shorttraining (Appendix 6 Student evaluation questionnaire). Table 6 reports the descriptive statistics oftheir evaluation on the overall training, learning support, handout, content, teaching quality, and theirlearning from the training and their own contribution. As can be seen from Table 6, the participantsoverall had very positive comments on the research project and the training provided.IELTS Research Reports Volume 11405