essay task 1 line graph

IELTS Writing Task 1 - Line Graph

Updated On Aug 05, 2024

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The article covers IELTS Writing Task 1 line graphs. It describes simple, multi-line, and compound line graphs, offering examples and sample answers. It emphasizes the importance of practice and provides tips for mastering line graph descriptions.

Table of Contents

• Line graph – An example:

Types of Line Graphs:

Tips for ielts writing task 1 line graph 2024, also check:.

IELTS Writing Prediction Questions for 2024

In IELTS Writing Task 1 of the IELTS Academic section, there will be a visual representation or a diagram on which you have to write a paragraph. One of these visual representations may be pie charts. The IELTS line graph shows how data changes over time. These line graphs will have 2 axes, one is X-axis and another is Y-axis. While the X-axis shows the time period and the Y-axis shows what is being measured.

The line graph highlights the trends when the data goes up and down. You should take only 20 minutes to complete this task and it should be a 150-word report. As a result, it is important for you to familiarize with the different types of IELTS line graphs as discussed in the next section of this article and practice them on a regular basis.

Line graph – An example:

Check out the IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph below to know how to identify them among the various types of other graphs given in IELTS Writing Task 1 .

There are three types of line graphs in IELTS exam . They are:

• Simple line graph
• Multiline graph (or) Polyline graph
• Compound line graph

Simple Line Graph:

Definition: These types of graphs have just a single line plotted on them.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information in the graph below. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Sample Answer

The given image depicts a line graph representing the trend in the occurrence of X disease in Someland from 1960 to 1995.

The line graph represents the presence of X disease in Someland in varying numbers at different time intervals until it is wiped out entirely from the place.

It is clear from the line graph that the number of people affected by X disease did not cross 100 between 1960 -1965. The number of affected individuals began rising after the year 1965 and reached 200 in 1970 and 500 in 1975 respectively. The occurrence of X disease remained stagnant between 1975-1980 at 500 affected individuals. After the year 1980, the number of cases took a downward trend, falling down to almost 350 in 1985 before being completely eradicated by the year 1990. The number of people affected by X disease in Someland has been zero from 1990 till 1995.

Multiline graph (or) Polyline graph Task 1:

Definition: They are commonly used for comparison. These types of graphs have more than one line. ( on the same axis).

The graph portrays the consumption of three kinds of spread, namely, Margarine, Lowfat and reduced spreads and butter, over 26 years, from 1981 to 2007.

It is evident that butter and margarine were the primary spreads used until the introduction of low-fat and reduced spreads.

The staple spread from the early 1980s till the early 1990s was butter. The consumption of margarine followed a fluctuating trend over the years, from 1981 to 1986. The consumption decreased but then rose till 1991 and remained stagnant till 1996 after which it started declining. The use of low-fat and reduced spread began from 1996 and rose sharply from the first year till 2001 after which its preference decreased.

With regards to quantity, butter peaked at about 160 grams after which it followed a downward trend. The quantity of Margarine was within 80-100 grams for 20 years till 2001 after which it fell to 40 grams in 2007. The number of low-fat spreads crossed 80 grams in 2001 after which its consumption quantity fell.

Compound line graph:

Definition: It is an advanced version of the multi-line graph. The area between two lines is shaded indicating the size of that part.

The given graph shows the frequency of three different kinds of vehicles, which are, vans, trucks and tricycles on a road at different times of the day.

It is clear from the graph that at any point in time, the number of vans on the road are the highest among the three vehicles, followed by trucks and then tricycles. The peak hour of vans and trucks falls between 2-3 pm.

The number of vans on the road increases from 1-2 pm till 2-3 pm and then gradually decreases. The number of trucks on the road remains the same till 2-3 pm after which their number also starts declining. The number of tricycles is highest at 1-2 pm and then it follows a downward trend all throughout the day.

The road in question is dominated by vans for most of the day and trucks are also quite frequent during the afternoon. The number of tricycles are less as compared to the other two types of vehicles.

• In the introduction part, you can paraphrase the question asked or the topic of the essay.
• When you explain the overall trend, identify the main feature and explain it.
• Ensure that each paragraph has examples that are percentages or numbers to support the sentence written as an explanation.
• You can look into the various lessons available on the line graph in order to answer the complex questions.
• The last tip is to practice as much as possible so that you get a good hold on what to write in the examination when questions become complex.
• You also need to use appropriate IELTS Writing Task 1 line graph vocabulary like suitable verbs, nouns, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions related to time.

Writing the exam without practicing is a waste because you will not be able to understand anything in the exam. It may become complex and test-takers may skip the question which in turn will reduce your IELTS band score .

Here are the 10 examples for the IELTS Writing Line Graph Task 1 2024:

• Tips to Improve IELTS Writing Skills
• IELTS Writing recent actual test
• IELTS Writing Answer sheet
• IELTS map vocabulary
• IELTS 2024 Study Plan for 1 month (30 Days) / 15 Days / 7 Days

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a line graph?

Is there a dedicated vocabulary for line graph?

What is trend in a graph?

What is the structure used to describe a line graph?

Is conclusion required for writing task 1 – Line graph?

Practice IELTS Writing Task 1 based on report types

Effective IELTS Essay Connectors for Writing Task 2 & Task 1

Janet had been an IELTS Trainer before she dived into the field of Content Writing. During her days of being a Trainer, Janet had written essays and sample answers which got her students an 8+ band in the IELTS Test. Her contributions to our articles have been engaging and simple to help the students understand and grasp the information with ease. Janet, born and brought up in California, had no idea about the IELTS until she moved to study in Canada. Her peers leaned to her for help as her first language was English.

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IELTS writing task 1: Line graph and model answer

Ielts academic writing task 1: c02 emissions line graph.

Updated: January 2023

Line graphs are very common in IELTS academic task 1 writing. In this lesson, we will look at a Model Answer for CO2 emissions for 4 European countries and an analysis.

This line graph comes from Cambridge IELTS 11 academic. Use only official IELTS material when doing practice tests as there is a lot of fake IELTS material out there on the web.

See a lesson on the grammar used in this type of task click here

Model Answer

The graph illustrates the average output of carbon dioxide in metric tonnes for each individual in four European countries over a forty year period.

Overall, C02 output per individual in the UK and Sweden began the highest but witnessed a decline toward the end of the period. Conversely, Italy and Portugal began with relatively low emissions and indicated large increases by the end of the timeframe.

In 1967, the UK showed the highest proportion of carbon emissions at around 11 metric tonnes per person; however, this figure declined steadily ending at approximately 9 metric tonnes for each individual. Sweden’s output started at just over 8 metric tonnes, this then rose to a peak of approximately 11 tonnes in 1977 and then witnessed a sharp decline to approximately half of that by 2007.

In contrast, Portugal in 1967 had the lowest output at just over 1 tonne per person. Over the next four decades, this increased sharply ending at over 5 metric tonnes. Italy demonstrated a similar rising pattern, beginning at a little over 4 metric tonnes and levelling off at nearly 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide for each person by 2007.

Keep your report at under 190 words. I have seen many task 1 reports with over 200 words which is far too long. Remember that you only have 20 minutes to write this. For task 1 academic it’s a good idea to aim for about 170 to 190 words to cover the task well . 150 words is considered the minimum but there is no penalty for going under this. However, you don’t get a higher band score for writing a very long report.

It is important to understand how the task is marked to give the examiner what they need for a higher band score.

Writing Task 1 is marked on 4 criteria:

• Task Achievement (accurately write about the information presented)
• Coherence and Cohesion (easy to understand, clear and logical)
• Grammatical range and accuracy (using the correct grammar to describe the trends, numbers, comparisons)
• Lexical Resource ( accurate clear vocabulary that is relevant to the task, good paraphrasing skills)

Grouping the information

You need to spend at least 3 minutes analysing the task and planning where to put the information. Grouping the information is crucial for a coherent logical response and a good band score in coherence cohesion.

The Introduction

I have paraphrased the task question here. You can use synonyms or you can change the grammatical structure of the sentences so that it retains the same meaning. Paraphrasing is not just about synonyms, you can re-arrange the sentences, this is a very important skill to practice.

The graph illustrates the average output of carbon dioxide in metric tonnes for each individual in four European countries over a forty-year period.

• shows = illustrates
• average carbon dioxide emissions = the average output of carbon dioxide
• per person = for each individual
• 1967 and 2007= over a forty-year period

I didn’t paraphrase the word ‘graph’ because a graph is always a graph, you can’t really paraphrase this word. I also wrote ‘ in four European countries’ instead of repeating the countries names.

The Overview

The overview is also an important feature in task 1 academic and your report must have one. The overview should not include any numbers, statistics or dates. Leave those details for the body paragraphs. You will need to look at the main trends of the graph and write briefly about those. Pick out the main trends and give a summary.

Overall, C02 output per individual in the UK and Sweden began the highest but witnessed a decline toward the end of the period. Conversely, Italy and Portugal started with relatively low emissions but saw considerable increases by the end of the timeframe.

I start with the word ‘Overall’ this is a good way to introduce the overview. I have picked out the two main trends here which are:

• The UK and Sweden = started high ended much lower.
• Italy and Portugal = started low ended much higher.

Key vocabulary:

• witnessed a decline
• toward the end of the period
• Conversely (shows contrast)
• relatively low
• saw considerable  increases
• by the end of the timeframe

Do not write a conclusion in writing task 1 academic. Never include an opinion, you must write factually.

Body Paragraphs

Now we can write in more detail about the graph and the trends. Also, remember to be selective and do not write about everything in the graph . Grouping the information is very important in this part of the task. Take the 2 main trends and separate them into 2 body paragraphs as below.

In 1967, the UK showed the highest proportion of carbon emissions at around 11 metric tonnes per person, however, this figure declined steadily ending at approximately 9 metric tonnes for each individual. Sweden’s output started at just over 8 metric tonnes, this then rose to a peak of approximately 11 tonnes in 1977 and then witnessed a sharp decline to approximately half of that by 2007.

In this body paragraph, I wrote about the 2 highest C02 outputs , which are the UK and Sweden and described how they declined in the 40 year period. I added more detail and numbers here, notice how I have used prepositions also (at, around, over, to, by) and most importantly you must use the language of approximation as there a no exact figures in the chart.

• the highest proportion of
• declined steadily
• rose to a peak
• output = emissions
• a sharp decline
• each individual = per person

In the next paragraph, I have written about the 2 lowest C02 outputs (Italy and Portugal) and described how they increased in the 40-year time-frame.

• In contrast (shows contrast)
• the lowest (superlative)
• increased sharply
• demonstrated a similar rising pattern
• beginning at …. levelling off at

Using the language of comparisons is useful in this kind of task, make sure you know how to use comparatives and superlatives, especially if you get a graph or bar chart with 2 or 3 trends.

Language of approximation

In the graph, there is no figure in between the lines so you will need to use approximation for a better band score in vocabulary. It is important to notice this as it is common in many IELTS graphs or charts.

around 11 metric tonnes.

Just over 8 tonnes of c02  emissions., just under 11 tonnes., a little more than 4 metric tonnes of c02 output., slightly higher than 4 metric tonnes., slightly less than., approximately 11 tonnes of co2., close to 11 tonnes., almost 11 tonnes..

Using more academic vocabulary

For a higher score in vocabulary use more academic vocabulary when describing the data. such as: ‘proportion, figure, accounted for, amounted to, totalling, stood at, comprising’

Example sentences:

• The proportion of C02 emissions stood at around 7 metric tonnes for Sweden in 1967.
• The figure for C02 output for Portugal totalled nearly 6 metric tonnes in 2007.
• The UK had the highest amount of emissions comprising nearly 11 metric tonnes in1967.
• C02 output for Italy accounted for just over 4 metric tonnes in 1967.

To see lessons on the vocabulary to use in writing task 1 click on the links below:

Writing task 1 vocabulary: ‘number, total, amount, figure, accounted for’

Writing task 1 academic vocabulary

Any questions?  post a comment below

3 thoughts on “IELTS writing task 1: Line graph and model answer”

THIS IS FROM MY MENTOR(HASAN.BD)[BODY1&2]

In 1967, the average CO2 emissions in the UK and Sweden were nearly 11 and 9 metric tonnes respectively. Sweden’s emissions rose significantly from about 9 metric tonnes in 1967 to approximately 10.5 metric tonnes in 1977, then dropped suddenly to around 5.5 metric tonnes, surpassed by Italy 1990 while the United kingdom’s emissions were decreasing gradually until reaching 9 metric tones in 2007, becoming one the highest emitters of CO2.

In early 1967, the average carbon emissions in Italy and Portugal were around 4 and 1.5 metric tones, respectively. CO2 Emissions in Italy rose significantly from around 4 to approximately 8 metric tonnes at the end of the period, exceeding Sweden’s emission in 1990 at around 7 metric tonne. Meanwhile, in Portugal, the country’s emissions grew steadily from around 1.5 to above 5 metric tonnes in 1997, before climbing slowly in the following years, meeting Sweden at the same lowest position.

[I MIGHT TRY TO SEND ITNRO & OVERVIEW OF THIS GRAPH]

Hello, I am Karim Muratov from Uzbekistan. I tried to study for IELTS at home so can you check my intoduction and overall. Thank you. The graph gives information about how many residents discharged CO2 in four countries from 1967 to 2007. Overall, it is clear that the UK made up the largest proportion of CO2, while Portugal accounted for the least share. Moreover, it is also worth mentioning that the difference between the biggest and the smallest was significant.

Hi, it’s a good attempt but the sentence ‘…how many residents discharged’ is not accurate, it would be better to say ‘..carbon output for the inhabitants of four European countries’ .

If you need corrections on writing take a look at the correction service at this link here: https://ieltsfocus.com/writing-correction-service/

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