Words / B1

OHV-uh-vyoo/ˈəʊvəvjuː/

An overview is a general picture without detail: give an overview; an overview of the trends; a brief overview. Outline is often the skeleton you write first; overview is what the reader gets in a summary paragraph. IELTS Academic Task 1 needs an overview of the main trends, not every number. Do not copy every figure into the overview — select the biggest patterns.

Meaning

A general description of a subject without going into detail.

Examples

• “The first paragraph should give an overview of the main trends in the chart.”
• “Start Task 1 with an overview of the highest and lowest figures.”
• “The handbook opens with an overview of the safety rules.”

Good to know

give / provide an overview of. IELTS Task 1: overview of main trends. Skeleton notes: outline. Not a list of every number.

Near in meaning

summary

New