📈 IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Line Graphs Explained

Line graphs are a common visual prompt in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1. These graphs illustrate changes over time, making them ideal for testing your ability to describe trends, comparisons, and significant changes. This guide will teach you how to analyze line graphs, structure your response, and use the right vocabulary to write a strong academic report.

📌 What You’ll Learn in This Guide

• ✅ How to understand and analyze line graphs
• ✅ Structure of a complete report
• ✅ Vocabulary for trends and time-based data
• ✅ A strong sample answer for practice

🔍 Step 1: Understand the Graph

Before writing, take 1–2 minutes to analyze the line graph:

• What is being measured? (e.g., population, sales, temperature)
• What are the time periods?
• What units are used? (percentages, numbers, millions)
• What are the overall trends? (increase, decrease, fluctuations)

📐 Step 2: Use the Right Structure

A well-structured report should have 4 clear parts:

1️⃣ Introduction

Paraphrase the question. Mention what the graph shows and the time period.

2️⃣ Overview

Summarize the main trends. This should be a general summary — no specific data yet.

3️⃣ Body Paragraph 1

Describe the first half of the data in more detail, using accurate data and comparisons.

4️⃣ Body Paragraph 2

Describe the second half of the data or remaining groups. Focus on changes, peaks, lows, and patterns.

🗣️ Vocabulary for Line Graphs

• Increase: rise, grow, climb, surge, go up
• Decrease: fall, decline, drop, dip, go down
• Fluctuation: vary, fluctuate, remain unstable
• No change: remain steady, stay constant, plateau
• Adverbs: sharply, gradually, slightly, significantly, steadily
• Phrases: “reached a peak,” “hit a low,” “stood at,” “saw a steady increase”

📝 Sample Line Graph Report

Question: The line graph below shows the number of tourists visiting three different museums in London between 2000 and 2015.

Sample Answer:

Introduction: The line graph illustrates the number of visitors to the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum in London over a 15-year period from 2000 to 2015.

Overview: Overall, the British Museum saw the highest number of visitors by the end of the period, while the Science Museum experienced a steady decline. Visitor numbers for the Natural History Museum fluctuated.

Body Paragraph 1: In 2000, all three museums had similar visitor numbers, ranging from 6 to 7 million. The British Museum experienced a sharp increase from 6.2 million in 2000 to over 9 million by 2005, followed by a brief dip and then another rise to peak at 10 million in 2015.

Body Paragraph 2: Meanwhile, the Science Museum's visitors declined gradually throughout the period, dropping from 7 million to just over 4 million. The Natural History Museum saw ups and downs, with peaks in 2004 and 2010, but ended slightly below its starting point by 2015.

✅ What Makes This a Strong Sample?

• ✅ Paraphrased introduction and clear overview
• ✅ Organized body paragraphs with logical sequencing
• ✅ Accurate data reporting without listing everything
• ✅ Appropriate use of comparative and trend-based vocabulary

🧪 Practice Questions

• The line graph below shows the average monthly temperatures in three major cities from January to December.
• The graph shows changes in the number of international students in five countries between 2005 and 2020.
• The chart illustrates Internet usage by age group over a 10-year period.

To score well in IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic, you must accurately report data, use varied grammar and vocabulary, and write a logically structured response. Mastering line graphs is an essential first step to doing just that.

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