IELTS Line Graph Model (Band Score 9)

This model line graph for IELTS is estimated at band score 9. The model answer below is for IELTS writing task 1 academic paper. Use this sample writing as a template for structure, key features and language for any IELTS line graph. There are also some tips given below to guide you and help you understand how to describe this type of graph.

IELTS Line Graph Sample Task

The graph below shows the consumption of 3 spreads from 1981 to 2007.

IELTS Line Graph Answer

The line graph illustrates the amount of three kinds of spreads (margarine, low fat and reduced spreads and butter) which were consumed over 26 years from 1981 to 2007. Units are measured in grams.

Overall, the consumption of margarine and butter decreased over the period given, while for low fat and reduced spreads, it rose.  At the start of the period, butter was the most popular spread, which was replaced by margarine from 1991 to 2001, and following that low fat and reduced spreads became the most widely used spread in the final years.

With regards to the amount of butter used, it began at around 140 grams and then peaked at 160 grams in 1986 before falling dramatically to about 50 grams in the last year. Likewise, approximately 90 grams of margarine was eaten in the first year after which the figure fluctuated slightly and dropped to a low of 40 grams in 2007.

On the other hand, the consumption of low fats and reduced spreads only started in 1996 at about 10 grams. This figure, which reached a high of just over 80 grams 5 years later, fell slightly in the final years to approximately 70 grams in 2007.

Tips for Line Graphs

  1. Paraphrase the line graph information for your introduction.
  2. Add axis information to your introduction if needed, such as categories.
  3. Put main trends and any other key features in an overall statement. The overview is the most important statement in your writing task 1.
  4. Make sure each body paragraph sentence has numbers and dates to support it. This is vital. Ensure all data is accurate.
  5. Use a range of linking words. Try not to repeat them.
  6. Aim for around 180 words for writing task 1.

Structure of Line Graph

The Line graph should follow the following structure :

  1. Introduction (Paraphrase the given statement in your own words 
  2. Overview (Highlighting the key feature i.e. High and low points in the graph)
  3. Body Paragraph 1 (Briefly describing the some categories of graph)
  4. Body Paragraph 2 (Briefly describing the second Map)i

Write 2, 3 or 4 key feature in an overview

Use variety of sentence structure to write graph for example: Combination of Simple, Complex and compound sentences, Active and Passive sentences to get a higher band score than just writing simple sentences.

 

Line Graph Tense

 

Tense to  be used: 

  • Past Tense (if graph is about the years that have already passed)
  • Present or Past Tense: if no time period is mentioned
  • Past, Present and future Tense: if graph is about past, present and future projections
  • Do Paraphrasing using Synonyms : Example housing area = residential area.

Line Graph Vocabulary #1

IncreaseDecreaseNo Change
jump / a jumpdropremain static
move upwardplummetwas unchanged
rocket(ed)plungeremained steady
shot updeclineprevailed consistency
soara fallstayed uniform
surgea reductionlevelled out
increasea downward trendstabilized
risedipremain stable
an upward trendslumpconstant
go upgo down 
climbedcollapse 

Line Graph Vocabulary #2

Using fractions instead of percentages help getting high scores as it prevents repetition and gives more variations. The below chart shows most common Percentages to Fraction Conversion

80%four-fifths
75%three-quarters
70%seven in ten
65%two-thirds
60%three-fifths
55%more than half
50%half
45%more than two fifths
40%two-fifths
35%more than a third
30%less than a third
25%a quarter
20%a  fifth
15%less than a fifth
10%one in ten
5%one in twenty
3%small proportion
1%negligible proportion

Line Graph 7 bands Sample Answers

1. The graph below gives information about the technology that households in one US city used for watching television between 2004 and 2014.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. 

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

MODEL ANSWER:

The line graph illustrates the number of households using 4 various means to watch T.V. in a city in the US over a ten-year period (2004-2014).

Generally speaking, the number of households that utilized the Internet and satellite to watch television grew over the decade, whereas the figures for’ “broadcast” as well as “cable” categories noticeably declined within that time. It is also apparent that by far the biggest change was noted in the ‘Internet” category.

Focusing on the figures for cable technology and broadcasting to watch TV. the number of households that used the former grew from around 90,000 in 2004 to about 110,000 up until 2008, before steadily declining to approximately 60,000 at the end of the span. Similarly, although the count for households which utilized broadcasting to watch television was slightly higher than that for cable in the first year, it had gradually fallen from approximately 100,000 to an estimated low of 20,000 by 2014.

The trends of using the Internet and satellite technology were different. The number of houses that used the Internet grew from negligible 10,000 to a peak of just under 200,000 over the ten-year period. However, the rate of growth in satellite use was less dramatic; its figures rose from about 70,000 to around 110,000 in the final year.

2.The graph  below shows the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

MODEL ANSWER:

The line graph details the total number of tourists, as well as where they stayed, going to a given Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017. Overall, total tourists rose considerably, and those staying on cruise ships increased in particular, overtaking staying on the island itself, which underwent a more moderate increase.

Visitors residing on the island during their travels began the period at about .75 million, about 500,000 above those on cruise ships. From there, the numbers for the former climbed quickly to 1.5 million by 2013, a full million higher than the latter at the same time. Then those on the island were relatively steady until the end of the time surveyed, while cruise ship passengers rose steadily, surpassing the former figure midway through 2015 and reaching a peak in 2017 of 2 million.

The progressive patterns for visitors on cruise ships and the island were reflected in substantial gains for overall visitors, which started at 1 million in 2010, grew consistently to 2.7 million in 2015 before plateauing through 2016 and then increasing sharply to 3.5 million by the end of the period.

3. The graphs below show the number of men and women in full and part-time employment in Australia between 1973 and 1993.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

MODEL ANSWER:

The graphs illustrate changes in the amount of male and female workers who have had full and part-time job in Australia over a twenty-year period since 1973. The information is given for 6 age groups.

Overall, there was a little percentage of men and women of the youngest and oldest generations in full-time employment. The situation was reversed for part-time employment, except the oldest group whose percentage was still the least. The number of men who have full-time jobs decreased over the period given, others had reversed changes. The exception was the percentage of female teenagers in full-time and male retired in part-time employment that decreased over 20 years.

With regards to men over 20 and under 60, more 90% of them had a full-time job in 1973, which was about 10% higher than in 1993. Thus, less 5% of them were in part-time employment in the beginning of the period, and the percentage rose insignificantly.

As concerning women, the percentage of those in full-time employment fluctuated rapidly among different ages from almost 60% in group 25-29 to just above zero in group over 65. The number of women between 20 and 60 engaged in part-time work was from 10% to 20% in 1973 and from 20% to 35% in 1993.

4.The chart below shows the changes that took place in three different areas of crime in Panama city from 2010 to 2019.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

MODEL ANSWER:

The given line chart illustrates the changes in different areas of crime held in the city of Panama from 2010 to 2019.After analyzing it can be seen that the number of crimes in car theft and robbery did not decline much with little fluctuation over the period, while in the case of burglary we can clearly notice the number of cases decreased significantly over the decade.

According to the given data, the number of robbery incidents was around 700 in 2010, which increased to the highest number of cases, that is 1000 in 2 years, then faced constant reduction and hit the lowest number of 500 cases by 2015. It faced a rise of around 300 occurrences in 2017, then again dropped to the second-lowest point by 200 cases and reached around 600 cases in 2019. Likewise, in the car theft misdeed, the number was around 2800 in 2010, which remained almost constant till 2012 and fell off to 2000 cases in 2013. The incidence of catheters remained almost constant till 2015 and faced an increase in number and reached more than 2500 cases by 2017 facing some swing till 2019 and rise nearly 2900.

Turning toward the rest of the data, the offense of burglary was the highest among the three crimes with almost 3400 cases in 2010 and marked at its highest point in 2011 with around 3700 incidents. The number of cases declined drastically by hitting its lowest number of cases in 2015 with 1008 gain increased in 2016 by more than 500 cases and swung a little by reaching around 1300 cases in 2019.

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