Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

British parents' sports spending and children's sports participation from 2008 to 2014

The first chart below gives information about the money spent by British parents on their children's sports between 2008 and 2014. The second chart shows the number of children who participated in three sports in Britain over the same time period.

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

Average monthly spend on children's sports (pounds)

View the data

	2008	2010	2012	2014
Spending	20	24	28	32

Participation in three different sports (millions)

Football
Athletics
Swimming

View the data

	2008	2010	2012	2014
Football	8.2	8.1	9	9.1
Athletics	0.5	0.6	4.8	4.5
Swimming	1.8	2.2	3	3.8

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 provided charts illustrate the average monthly expenditure by British parents on children's sports and the participation levels in three specific sports between 2008 and 2014.

Overall, there was a consistent upward trend in financial spending on sports. Regarding participation, football maintained the highest figures throughout the period, whereas athletics experienced a dramatic increase followed by a slight decline, and swimming showed steady growth.

In 2008, parents spent £20 per month on children's sports. This figure increased steadily over the six-year period, reaching £24 in 2010, £28 in 2012, and culminating at £32 by 2014.

Regarding participation, football began at 8.2 million children in 2008, dipped slightly to 8.1 million in 2010, before rising to 9.1 million by 2014. Athletics saw the most volatile trend; it started as the least popular sport with only 0.5 million participants in 2008. However, it surged to 4.8 million by 2012, before settling at 4.5 million in 2014. Conversely, swimming participation grew consistently from 1.8 million in 2008 to 3.8 million by the end of the period, remaining consistently higher than athletics until 2011.

180 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.

expenditure: The total amount of money spent on something
upward trend: A general direction in which something is increasing
culminating: Reaching a climax or the highest point of
volatile: Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably for worse
surged: Increased suddenly and powerfully in a short time
consistently: In every case or on every occasion without fail

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While monthly expenditure on children's sports rose steadily throughout the period, participation trends varied significantly across the three sports, with football remaining the most popular despite a sharp surge in athletics.

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.