IELTS Writing Task 1
Line Graphs — From Structure to Polished Language
1. What Task 1 Actually Tests
You are given a chart, graph, table, diagram, or map and asked to describe it — not give your
opinion. This guide focuses on the Academic version, specifically line graphs, which show trends
over time.
2. The 4-Part Structure
Every strong Task 1 response follows this skeleton:
Section Purpose Length
1. Introduction Paraphrase the question 1 sentence
2. Overview State the 2–3 biggest trends/features (no numbers) 2–3 sentences
3. Body Paragraph 1 Detail group of data #1 3–4 sentences
4. Body Paragraph 2 Detail group of data #2 3–4 sentences
Total length: 150+ words, written in about 20 minutes.
3. Paraphrasing the Question (Introduction)
Never copy the question wording. Swap words using synonyms and reorder the sentence.
Question: The graph below shows the number of tourists visiting a museum from 2000 to 2020.
Weak (too close to original): The graph shows the number of tourists visiting a museum from 2000
to 2020.
Good paraphrase:
"The line graph illustrates how many tourists visited a museum over a twenty-year period, between
2000 and 2020."
Technique: change verb (shows → illustrates / depicts / presents), change noun phrasing (the
number of tourists → how many tourists), and restructure word order.
4. Vocabulary for Movement
This is where most learners plateau at Band 6 — repeating "increased" and "decreased" throughout.
Build a range of language, organized by strength and speed of change.
Direction Verbs Nouns
Big rise soared, rocketed, surged, shot up a surge, a sharp rise, a dramatic increase
Steady rise rose, climbed, increased steadily a steady increase, a gradual rise
Small rise edged up, crept up, inched up a slight increase, a marginal rise
Big fall plummeted, plunged, slumped a sharp decline, a dramatic fall
Steady fall declined, dropped, fell steadily a steady decline
Small fall dipped slightly, eased a slight dip, a marginal decrease
No change remained stable, stayed constant, leveled off, plateaued
stability, a plateau
Fluctuation fluctuated, varied fluctuation, volatility
Pair these with adverbs/adjectives for precision: sharply, dramatically, steadily, gradually, slightly,
marginally, considerably, significantly
5. Grammar Patterns (Sentence Variety)
Don't just write "X increased." Mix these structures:
1. Verb + adverb:
"The number of visitors increased steadily from 2000 to 2010."
2. There + noun phrase:
"There was a steady increase in the number of visitors between 2000 and 2010."
3. Comparative:
"Visitor numbers were considerably higher in 2020 than in 2000."
4. Linking two data points:
"While museum visits rose sharply in the first decade, they declined just as quickly in the second."
6. Describing Specific Numbers
Use these to anchor your description to data points:
• At the start: began at, started at, stood at
• At the end: ended at, finished at, reached
• Peak: peaked at, reached a peak of, hit its highest point at
• Lowest: reached a low of, bottomed out at
• Approximation: approximately, around, roughly, just under/over
Example combining everything:
"Visitor numbers began at approximately 2,000 in 2000 and climbed steadily to peak at around
8,000 in 2015, before plummeting sharply to just 3,000 by 2020."
7. Sample Question
The line graph below shows the number of visitors (in thousands) to three different museums in a city
between 2000 and 2020.
Figure: Visitor numbers to the City Museum, Art Gallery, and Science Centre, 2000–2020.
8. Model Answer
Introduction (paraphrase)
The line graph illustrates visitor numbers, measured in thousands, at three museums in a city over
a twenty-year period from 2000 to 2020.
Overview (key trends, no numbers)
Overall, while the Art Gallery's visitor numbers remained largely stable throughout the period, the
City Museum experienced strong growth before a slight downturn, and the Science Centre saw a
remarkable surge that allowed it to overtake the other two venues by the end of the period.
Body Paragraph 1
In 2000, the City Museum started with around 20,000 visitors and climbed steadily over the
following fifteen years, reaching a peak of 60,000 in 2015. After this point, however, numbers
dipped slightly, ending the period at approximately 55,000. The Art Gallery, by contrast, attracted a
fairly consistent 30,000 to 35,000 visitors per year, with only marginal fluctuation and no clear
upward or downward trend.
Body Paragraph 2
The Science Centre showed the most dramatic change. Starting from a low base of just 10,000
visitors in 2000, numbers grew only gradually until 2010, after which they soared, eventually
reaching 70,000 by 2020. This sharp rise meant the Science Centre overtook both the City
Museum and the Art Gallery to become the most visited of the three venues.
Total length: ~190 words — comfortably over the 150-word minimum.
9. What to Notice
• The Overview has zero numbers — just the shape of trends. This is the most common mistake
test-takers make.
• Each body paragraph groups data logically (here: by similarity of trend), not chart-by-chart.
• Vocabulary variety: climbed, dipped, soared, grew gradually — no repeated words.
• Numbers always support a trend word; they never stand alone.
Next step: practice writing your own response to the graph above, then get it corrected.