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Line graphs are a common type of chart used in IELTS Writing Task 1 and are a more accessible format to analyse than other chart types. However, many students may not know how to describe or explain line graphs during the IELTS Writing test. 

To properly analyse this type of chart, you just need to follow five steps: 

  • Analyse the task

  • Write the introduction

  • Write the overview

  • Write body 1 and 2

  • Check your essay

Read on to find out more details for each of these steps so you can understand how to describe a line graph in IELTS better!

1. Overview of IELTS Writing Task 1: line graphs

To effectively describe a line graph for the IELTS Writing test that adheres to the highest standards, a thorough understanding of this question type is essential:

1.1. Understanding the line graph format

A line graph consists of one or more lines representing the changes in a specific object over time. Each object is represented by a corresponding line. Unlike other chart types in IELTS Writing Task 1, line graphs always show changes over time. Therefore, you need to consider the time frame to use the appropriate verb tense.

When deciphering a line graph; there's only one way to do it effectively: read from left to right along the time axis for each line representing each entity to identify their changing trends.

There are two types of line graphs:

  • Less than three lines: This type rarely appears in IELTS Writing Task 1. For this type, we need to compare two lines with each other in conjunction with the time factor to clearly identify the trend of increase or decrease, maintenance, or fluctuation of the subjects. It can be said that this is the easiest type of IELTS line graph sample.

E.g. The line graph illustrates the language choices of 13-year-old students at a school in England from the year 2000 to the present.

  • Multiple line graphs: Since 2017, IELTS tests have frequently included line graphs with more than three lines.

E.g. The line graph, which includes more than three lines, illustrates the annual revenue of four coffee shops in New York over the past year.

1.2. Knowing the task requirements for IELTS Writing Task 1

Accurately analysing the question requirements is a prerequisite for constructing the right approach to describing a line graph for IELTS Writing Task 1. You need to analyse the task and write your comments as objectively as possible based on the information provided in the chart. The length of the essay is about 150 words and needs to be completed within 20 minutes.

You should focus on describing the changing trends of each category using appropriate and accurate vocabulary and structures. When writing, you need to select important information to ensure the essay is short, easy to read, and manageable. Avoid including all of the figures from the chart, and only pick out the key figures or data to best illustrate your point.

2. Sample IELTS Writing Task 1 line graph question

To effectively understand the process, let's delve into a specific example:

Step 1: Analyse the task

Analysing the line graph task prompt for IELTS Writing Task 1 is crucial to ensuring you're on the right track. To thoroughly understand the prompt, simply answer the following five questions:

  • Topic - What is the subject of the graph? - Average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person

  • Place - Where was the data for the graph collected? - In four countries: United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Portugal

  • Number of factors: How many factors are mentioned in the graph? - Four factors are mentioned

  • Time - When was the data for the graph collected? - From 1967 to 2007, covering five time points

Taking the current moment as the reference point, you must determine whether it's the present, past, or future tense to write. If it's the past, use simple past tense; if it's the future, express it with future tense or present tense; if it's a continuous change from the past to the future, use present or present perfect to describe.

In this example, all the time points are before 2022. Therefore, we will use the past tense to describe the trends and changes depicted in the graph.

  • Unit of measurement - What is the unit of measurement for the data in the graph? - In metric tonnes,

Step 2: Write the introduction  

You need to paraphrase the prompt to boost your IELTS Writing score, avoiding direct copying. There are typically two ways to do this:

Method 1: Utilise synonymous phrases, occasionally incorporating antonyms as well.

Examples: 

  • Show = compare = illustrate

  • From… to = between… and… = over a period of… years starting from…

Method 2: Utilise synonymous phrases, occasionally incorporating antonyms as well

Example: Convert active sentences to passive or vice versa.

In the example above, the prompt is: The line graph below shows the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, and Portugal from 1967 to 2007.

→ Introduce: The line graph illustrates the amounts of CO2 emitted by each person in four countries over a period of 40 years starting from 1967.

Step 3: Write overview

You need to identify the two most prominent points on the line graph in order to write a general sentence, and you can choose from the following ideas:

  • General trend characteristics: What are the trends of the lines like: increasing, decreasing, or relatively stable?

  • Outstanding changes: Identify the lines with the most significant increases and decreases. Additionally, determine which line represents the highest and lowest data points. Strive to uncover the graph's most unique feature to make a lasting impression on the examiner.

  • Take notice that in this section, you should not include specific numerical data. That will be addressed in the Body section that follows.

  • This is a very important part of the essay, so if you don't write an Overview, you will only receive half of the points for the entire essay. However, you should only write about 1-2 sentences on this part to avoid wasting time: Sentence 1 will describe feature 1. Sentence 2 will describe feature 2 and often begin a sentence with words like "In addition/Furthermore,...".

  • Common Vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 1 line graph questions:

  • “Looking at the chart/ It is clear that… / Obviously,.../ It is obvious that… / As can be seen from the graph/chart.”: put this phrase at the beginning of the paragraph to make it easy for the reader to identify this is the Overview section.

  • Use words describing trends such as increase, rise, climb, oscillate, decrease, decline, dwindle, or unchanged. If all the figures follow the same trend of increasing or decreasing, you can use a structure like “the numbers/ percentages/ amounts of A, B, C and D increase/ decrease over the period shown”.

  • The structure “While + clause” is often used to describe contrasting trends. For example, “While the numbers/percentages of A and B decrease, the figures for C and D increase.”

  • Use the superlative structure to indicate the highest figure on the chart.

  • Or describe the change of the line with the greatest difference between the highest first point and the highest last point (the line with the largest variation on the chart).

→ In the example above, you can write the overview section as follows:

As can be seen from the graph, each Swedish or UK person released less CO2 over the period researched, but CO2 emissions in Italy and Portugal showed a rise. UK citizens are responsible for the most CO2 emissions of all time.

Read more: The importance of “overview” sentences in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1.

Step 4: Select ideas and write Body 1 & Body 2 sections

Write about 4-5 sentences for each body. Based on the number of lines in the line graph, we have two ways to select ideas for the body paragraphs, forming two paragraphs as follows:

Method 1: Apply this method to essays with three or fewer lines and essays with more than three lines. Group them into two-time frames for comparison. The advantage of this method is that we can compare the entities within the same time frame.

  • Body 1: Compare within the period from the beginning to the middle. 

Describe the data of the entities from the initial year until the middle period when there are significant changes (such as changes in the direction of the line, sharp increase, decreasing while currently rising, etc.). Please describe from the highest figure to the lowest figure.

  • Body 2: Compare the period from the middle -  to the end 

You need to emphasise the trend changes of the lines in detail when describing a line graph for IELTS Writing Task 1 in order to get a high band score.

Method 2: It's advisable to group the trends into two for description. This is a good choice for charts with many lines, as it helps avoid confusion.

  • Body 1: Group the lines with the same increasing trend to describe from the beginning to the end.

  • Body 2: Group the lines with the same decreasing or stable trend for description.

The Body is considered the most essential part of the IELTS Writing Task 1 essay. It is the essence of the essay, where the examiners evaluate much of what you express on paper.

In this section, you apply all skills from analysis to synthesis, vocabulary, and the ability to use grammatical structures accurately and logically and "smooth" sentences to ensure that the writing is cohesive, coherent, and transparent. Therefore, you should regularly improve your vocabulary and necessary skills to achieve a high band score.

In the example above, with a chart of more than 3 lines, we can choose method 1 for how to explain line graphs in IELTS.

  • Body 1: In 1967, a UK citizen generated about 11 tonnes of CO2, followed by 9 tonnes in Sweden. For comparison, each Italian emits more than 4 tonnes, about three times more than the Portuguese.

  • Body 2: From then on, the average CO2 emissions in the UK gradually fell below 9 tonnes while the figure in Sweden, after increasing by 1 tonne in the first decade, also fell moderately to less than 6 tonnes at the end of the decade. In contrast, each person in Italy emits more CO2, which increased to almost 8 tonnes in 2007, compared with an equally significant increase of about 6 tonnes in Portugal.

Step 5: Complete the essay and check your work

After applying the various methods of describing line charts in IELTS Writing Task 1 and producing complete sections, you need to merge those sections and check the entire essay.

Common mistakes to watch out for include:

  • Avoid including personal opinions in your essay; only describe what the chart presents. Injecting personal opinions can lead to speculative writing, even misinformation.

  • Ensure the Overview provides necessary information and highlights the most significant points in the chart.

  • Describe each line in detail. Over-descriptive writing may obscure the comparative aspect between entities, and readers may need a comprehensive view of the chart. Focus not only on describing each entity's increase or decrease but also on comparing their differences. Learn to combine these two aspects to clarify both the trends and relationships between entities.

  • Avoid overcrowding sentences with excessive time frames and locations, as it can confuse readers and fail to demonstrate logical thinking. Such writing will receive low marks.

The misuse of tenses is a standard error in essays, often due to candidates' subjective assumptions about the use of tenses, particularly in line graph essays where past tense is presumed to be the default. Learn more about proper grammar for IELTS to avoid making such mistakes.

3. Some notes on grammar and vocabulary:

Regularly enrich your vocabulary and grammar structures to avoid repetition within the same essay. This is the most important aspect of English in general and IELTS Writing in particular. You can do so by learning vocabulary for common IELTS topics.

In a line graph essay for IELTS Writing Task 1, your vocabulary should mainly focus on describing changes or trends in increase or decrease, fluctuation, or stability, so it's relatively straightforward. You can categorise vocabulary into groups such as:

Vocabulary group indicating an upward trend

  • Rose to/ A rise

  • Increased to/ An increase

  • Went up to/ Growth

  • Climbed to/ An upward trend

Vocabulary group indicating a downward trend 

  • Fell to/ A decrease

  • Declined to/ A decline

  • Decreased to/ A fall

  • Dipped to/ A drop

  • Went down to/ A reduction

  • Slumped to

  • Reduced to

Vocabulary group indicating stability 

  • Levelled out at/ A levelling out

  • Did not change/ No change

  • Remained stable at

  • Remained steady at

  • Stayed constant at

  • Maintained the same level

Vocabulary group indicating the relative change

  • Just under

  • Well under

  • Roughly

  • Approximately

Vocabulary group indicating the fluctuation

  • Fluctuated around

  • Peaked at/ Reached a peak of

  • Plateaued at

  • Stood at

Article - IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph - Paragraph 3 - IMG 4 - Vietnam

Some vocabulary in the line graph essay format:

Furthermore, you should use adjectives and adverbs to emphasise the changes or trends of the entities in the line graph. Note that you should use the correct word type, such as adjectives modifying nouns or adverbs modifying verbs.

Read more: Summarising vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 1

4. Sample IELTS Writing Task 1 line graph question

Based on the suggestions about describing line graphs in IELTS Writing Task 1 above, why don't you try your hand at the following two tasks:

Task 1: The graph below shows the quantities of goods transported in the UK from 1974 to 2002 by four different modes of transport.

Article - IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph - Paragraph 4 - IMG 5 - Vietnam

The line graph illustrates the transportation of goods in the UK from 1974 to 2002.

Sample:

The line graph provides information about how cargo was conveyed by four types of transportation in the United Kingdom over 28 years starting from 1974.

Looking at the chart, goods sent by all delivery forms increased except for railways, which fluctuated.

Thanks to roads and pipelines, the majority of goods were transported by road in 1974, with about 70 million tons. This gradually increased to about 80 million tons over the next 20 years, increasing significantly to nearly 100 tons in 2002. In contrast, there were only about 7 million in 1974. The pipeline was the lowest, and it increased to about 22 million in 1994. This number remained until the end of the period.

Cargo transported by waterway and rail each amounted to about 40 million tons in 1974. After 1978, freight transhipment by rail reached about 58 million tons in 1982 and then stabilised for the next 20 years. follow. During the same period rail freight dropped to about 25 million tons. By 2002, tonnage by boat had grown to 60 million and rail to just over 40 million.

Task 2: The line graph below shows information from a 2008 report about energy consumption in the USA, with projections from 1980 until 2030.

Article - IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph - Paragraph 4 - IMG 6 - Vietnam

The line graph depicts energy consumption in the United States from 1980 to 2030.

Sample:

The line graph compares the consumption of six kinds of energy in the USA between 1980 and 2030.

More fossil fuels are used than renewable energy sources. Energy consumption has generally increased over the time period presented.

In 1980, the amount of petroleum consumed was 35 million billion units, nearly double that of natural gas at 25 million billion units. At that time, the coal burned was slightly less, at just over 15 million units. Meanwhile, natural energy consumption is about the same, at less than 5 million units each.

In 2030, more gasoline is expected to be burned, and consumption remains at the forefront at less than 50 million billion units. Although some variation over time is shown, the amount of coal used is predicted to be more than that of natural gas, with about 30 and 25 million units burned respectively. For renewable energy sources, it is predicted that its number will increase by a minimum of just under 5 million units and hydroelectricity will record the lowest energy consumption by 2030.

The line graph format frequently appears in the Writing Task 1 section of the IELTS test, so make sure to thoroughly learn how to approach this type of task to achieve the highest band score possible. Hopefully, this article on "Guide to Writing Line Graphs in IELTS", and its tips for analysing and describing line graphs for IELTS, are helpful to you in your preparation and pursuit of success in the IELTS test.

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