IELTS Writing · Guide

IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph: structure, language and common traps

A line graph shows how one or more things change over time, and you write a short report of at least 150 words selecting and comparing the main features. It tests whether you can see the overall pattern, support it with accurate figures and use a range of language for change. It does not test opinion or explanation of why the changes happened.

About Writing practice

Format

Task 1 of Academic Writing: about 20 minutes of the 60, a minimum of 150 words, and one third of the Writing mark because Task 2 counts twice as much.
A line graph usually has two to four lines and a time span of years, months or decades. Axes and units must be read carefully: percentages, thousands and millions are easy to mix up.
Marked on four equally weighted criteria: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
The report must contain an overview of the main trends. Without one, Task Achievement is limited, however accurate the detail.
On computer you type the answer with a live word count. A response under 150 words is penalised, and there is no maximum, but about 160 to 190 words is a sensible target.

Strategy

Spend two or three minutes reading the title, both axes, the units, the time span and the key. Write down in a few words what is measured and over what period.
Look for the big picture before the details: for each line, is the trend up, down, stable or fluctuating from start to end? Which line is highest, lowest, most changed? Do any lines cross?
Write the introduction as one sentence in your own words. 'The graph shows the percentage of households with broadband' becomes 'The line graph compares broadband ownership among households in three countries between 2005 and 2020.'
Write an overview of two sentences giving the main trends and one key comparison, with few or no figures: 'Overall, ownership rose in every country, and Korea remained the highest throughout.'
Group the lines into two body paragraphs by trend or by period, for example lines that rose against lines that fell, or the first decade and the second. Give start, end and turning-point figures for each.
Use accurate, varied language for change and add a number or time to each statement: 'rose steadily from 20% to 45%', 'peaked at 60% in 2012, before falling back to 38%', 'remained stable at around 30%'.
Choose tenses by the dates: past simple for past years, present or 'is predicted to' for projected years. If both are in one graph, change tense at the point the data changes.
Use the last minutes to check units, tense and figures, then count words. Cut a sentence rather than rushing the overview.

Common traps

Describing every year or every data point in turn. This produces a list, runs over the time, and hides the main trends that the examiner is looking for.
Leaving out the overview, or writing one that only repeats the introduction. The overview must state the main changes in the data.
Giving reasons, such as 'because of new technology'. Task 1 asks you to report what is shown, and unsupported explanations are not information from the graph.
Confusing 'to' and 'by'. 'Rose to 40%' gives the new figure; 'rose by 40%' gives the size of the rise.
Using the wrong tense for the time frame, such as past simple for years in the future.
Misreading the scale, for example describing a rise from 2 to 4 million as 'a dramatic increase' when the graph is in tens of millions.

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Practice on PrepFreely is always a complete section, so you meet this question type in the same place and proportion as on test day. Random sections never repeat until you've done them all. Every answer is explained.

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FAQ

Which tense should I use?

It depends on the dates on the graph. Past simple for finished past periods, 'will' or 'is predicted to' for future years, and present simple if there is no date. A graph can use more than one.

Do I need to include every number?

No. Select the main features, such as start, end, peaks, lows and crossing points, and support them with figures. Reporting every point is a common reason for weak answers.

Where should the overview go?

Most candidates put it straight after the introduction, which guarantees the examiner sees it. Some put it at the end, and either position is accepted as long as it is clear and separate.

Can I explain why the trend happened?

No. You should report and compare what the data shows and avoid explanations, opinions and predictions that are not part of the graph.

What happens if I write fewer than 150 words?

It is penalised, because the answer is unlikely to cover the main features fully. Aim for about 160 to 190 words.

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