Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

A line graph illustrating the monthly gold sales in Dubai during 2002

The graph below gives information about Dubai's gold sales in 2002.

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

Dubai Gold Sales 2002 (Millions of Dirhams)

View the data

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Gold Sales	200	225	350	250	200	160	120	210	120	180	180	190

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.

Band 8 sample answer

The line graph illustrates the monthly gold sales in Dubai throughout 2002, measured in millions of Dirhams. Overall, the data reveals a volatile trend, with sales reaching a notable peak in the first quarter before experiencing several sharp declines and recoveries for the remainder of the year.

In January, sales stood at 200 million Dirhams, rising steadily to 225 million in February. This was followed by a dramatic surge to a yearly high of 350 million Dirhams in March. Subsequently, sales figures began a downward trajectory, falling to 250 million in April, 200 million in May, and 160 million in June. The downward trend continued into July, where sales reached a low of 120 million Dirhams.

August saw a sudden recovery, with sales climbing back to 210 million Dirhams, before plummeting again to 120 million in September, matching the July low. From October onwards, the market stabilised somewhat, with sales rising to 180 million Dirhams, remaining flat through November, and ending the year at 190 million Dirhams in December. Despite the volatility, the final month's figures remained slightly below the initial January levels.

183 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

How to write about 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.

fluctuations: irregular rising and falling in number or amount
peaking: reaching the highest point of a value
downward trajectory: a path or trend that is moving downwards
plummeting: falling or dropping straight down at high speed
stabilised: becoming unlikely to change or fluctuate significantly
volatility: tendency to change rapidly and unpredictably in value

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

Overall, gold sales in Dubai experienced significant fluctuations throughout the year, peaking in March and hitting their lowest points in July and September.

How long should an IELTS Task 1 answer be?

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 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.