Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Inquiries received by a city Tourist Information Office in 2011

The graph below shows the number of inquiries received by the Tourist Information Office in one city over a six-month period in 2011.

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

Number of inquiries received by the Tourist Information Office in 2011 (number of inquiries)

in person
by letter/email
by telephone

View the data

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
in person	450	600	800	1,300	1,550	1,900
by letter/email	750	700	700	550	350	350
by telephone	900	800	1,000	1,000	1,400	1,600

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 number of inquiries received by a city Tourist Information Office via three different methods—in person, by letter/email, and by telephone—between January and June 2011.

Overall, it is clear that in-person and telephone inquiries followed an upward trend, whereas the number of inquiries made by letter or email decreased significantly over the period. Notably, in-person visits became the most popular method of inquiry by the end of the six months.

In January, telephone inquiries were the most frequent at 900, followed by letter/email at 750, and in-person visits at 450. In-person inquiries grew steadily, reaching 800 by March and surging to 1,900 by June, making it the most common method. Similarly, telephone inquiries fluctuated initially, dipping to 800 in February before rising to 1,000 in March and April, and finally reaching 1,600 in June.

Conversely, inquiries by letter or email started at 750 in January and remained relatively stable until March at 700. Thereafter, this figure dropped consistently, falling to 550 in April and plateauing at 350 for the final two months of the period, representing the least used method by June.

186 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.

upward trend: a general direction in which something is increasing
decline: a gradual and continuous reduction in a value
surging: a sudden and powerful increase in a value
fluctuated: rising and falling irregularly in number or amount
plateauing: reaching a state of little or no change
conversely: introducing a statement that contrasts with the previous

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While in-person and telephone inquiries experienced significant growth over the six-month period, inquiries made by letter or email saw a steady decline.

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.