Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Average Daily Hours Spent by Children Watching Television from 1950 to 2010

The graph below shows the number of hours per day on average that children spent watching television between 1950 and 2010.

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

Children's Television Viewing (Hours/day)

View the data

	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990	2000	2010
Hours/day	0.3	0.7	1.6	3.8	3.8	3.9	3.5

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 average number of hours children spent watching television daily over a sixty-year period, from 1950 to 2010.

Overall, it is clear that there was a substantial increase in television consumption among children for the majority of the period, peaking in the mid-1990s before experiencing a gradual decrease by the end of the timeframe.

In 1950, children watched television for an average of only 0.3 hours per day. This figure rose steadily to 0.7 hours by 1960 and continued to climb significantly, reaching 1.6 hours by 1970. The most dramatic growth occurred during the 1970s, with the daily average surging to 3.8 hours by 1980. This level remained relatively stable throughout the 1980s, with a minor fluctuation, before reaching a peak of approximately 3.9 hours in the mid-1990s.

Following this peak, the trend reversed. By 2000, the average daily viewing time had slightly decreased to 3.9 hours, and it continued to fall to 3.5 hours by 2010. Despite this final decline, the amount of time children spent watching television remained significantly higher in 2010 than it had been at the start of the period in 1950.

190 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.

substantial: of considerable importance, size, or worth
surging: rising suddenly and powerfully
fluctuation: an irregular rising and falling in number
peak: the highest point of a numerical value
reversed: moved in the opposite direction
gradual: taking place or progressing slowly

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

The graph illustrates a significant upward trend in children's daily television viewing between 1950 and 1995, followed by a slight decline towards 2010.

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.