Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Average monthly mobile contract costs in a European country during 2002

The chart below shows the average cost of monthly contracts for four diﬀerent mobile (cell phones) in a European country from January to September 2002, measured in Euros.

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

Average cost of monthly mobile contracts in a European country (Jan-Sep 2002) (Euros)

Domo
Lex
Sim TX
Alpha

View the data

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep
Domo	15	16	17	16	20	20	25	24	23
Lex	12	10	13	13	14	13	16	16	18
Sim TX	9	8	9	11	11	14	10	9	8
Alpha	5	5	6	7	6	5	10	13	25

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 expenditure for four different mobile phone contracts in a European country between January and September 2002, with figures measured in Euros.

Overall, Domo generally maintained the highest price point throughout the nine-month period, whereas Alpha saw a significant upward trend, particularly in the final three months. Conversely, Sim TX remained the most affordable option for the majority of the timeframe.

Domo began at 15 Euros in January and experienced fluctuations, peaking at 25 Euros in July before declining slightly to 23 Euros by September. Lex followed a similar, albeit lower, trajectory, starting at 12 Euros, dipping to 10 Euros in February, and eventually rising to 18 Euros by the end of the period.

Sim TX started at 9 Euros and remained relatively stable, reaching a high of 14 Euros in June before falling back to 8 Euros in September. In contrast, Alpha remained the cheapest contract for the first half of the year, hovering between 5 and 7 Euros. However, it underwent a sharp increase from 5 Euros in June to 25 Euros in September, overtaking all other providers to become the most expensive contract by the end of the period.

197 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
trajectory: the path followed by a trend over time
peaking: reaching the highest point of a numerical value
overtaking: becoming greater in value than another entity
hovering: remaining at or near a particular level
upward trend: a general direction of increasing numerical values

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While Domo consistently remained the most expensive option for most of the period, Alpha experienced a dramatic surge in costs towards the end of the third quarter.

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.