Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Sales trends for three book categories from 2002 to 2006: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 line graph question with a Band 8 sample answer, the chart redrawn with its data, the vocabulary that lifts the report and how to write about line graphs.
  • 188 words
  • Line graphs
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The graph below shows the sales of children's books, adult fiction, and educational books between 2002 and 2006 in one country.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The sales of three different kinds of books between 2002 and 2006 (Million dollars)
02040608010020022003200420052006
  • Children's books
  • Adult fiction
  • Educational books
View the data
20022003200420052006
Children's books3342444656
Adult fiction4537403330
Educational books2532262533

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8188 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The line graph illustrates the sales performance of children's books, adult fiction, and educational books in a specific country between 2002 and 2006, with figures measured in million dollars.

Overall, children's books saw a consistent rise in popularity, eventually overtaking other categories. Conversely, adult fiction experienced a downward trend over the five-year period, while educational books fluctuated but generally remained the lowest-selling category.

In 2002, adult fiction was the most popular, with sales at 45 million dollars, followed by children's books at 33 million and educational books at 25 million. By 2003, children's books surged to 42 million, surpassing adult fiction, which fell to 37 million. Throughout the remainder of the period, children's books maintained a steady growth, reaching a peak of 56 million dollars in 2006.

In contrast, adult fiction sales were volatile, dipping to 33 million in 2005 before ending the period at 30 million dollars. Educational books showed a similar pattern of instability; after rising to 32 million in 2003, they dropped to 25 million in 2005, before recovering slightly to 33 million in 2006, finally matching the initial 2002 sales figure of children's books.

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Line graphs

How to write about line graphs: tips and vocabulary

  • →Overview first: the overall direction of each line and which was highest.
  • →Group lines that move together instead of describing each one in turn.
  • →Give the start and end figures plus the peak or low point, not every value.
  • surged

    increased suddenly and powerfully in a short time

  • downward trend

    a general direction in which something is decreasing

  • overtaking

    becoming greater in amount or degree than another

  • fluctuated

    rose and fell irregularly in number or amount

  • volatile

    liable to change rapidly and unpredictably for worse

  • peak

    the highest point or value reached by something

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

While children's books experienced a significant upward trend to become the top-selling category, adult fiction sales declined overall, and educational books remained the least popular throughout the period.

How many words and how long for IELTS Writing Task 1?+

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How is IELTS Writing Task 1 scored?+

On four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A clear overview of the main features is what most separates Band 6 from Band 7 and above.

How do I describe line graphs?+

Overview first: the overall direction of each line and which was highest. Group lines that move together instead of describing each one in turn. Give the start and end figures plus the peak or low point, not every value.

Keep practising

More line graphs

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