Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Mobile and fixed telephone subscription trends in four countries 2005-2015

The line graphs below show the subscriptions to mobile and fixed phone lines in four different countries between 2005 and 2015.

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

Mobile phone subscriptions per hundred people (subscriptions per hundred people)

Eritrea
India
UK
Uruguay

View the data

	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Eritrea	8	8	8	8	9	9	10	8	11	13	12
India	10	12	13	18	22	32	42	63	73	82	82
UK	102	117	122	123	123	127	125	125	127	127	127
Uruguay	37	65	87	102	123	138	143	152	162	152	152

Fixed telephone subscriptions per hundred people (subscriptions per hundred people)

Eritrea
India
UK
Uruguay

View the data

	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Eritrea	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3
India	5	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	3	3	3
UK	58	58	57	56	58	56	55	55	54	53	52
Uruguay	32	31	30	29	29	28	28	29	30	31	33

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 graphs illustrate the number of mobile and fixed telephone subscriptions per hundred people in Eritrea, India, the UK, and Uruguay between 2005 and 2015.

Overall, mobile phone usage saw significant growth in most countries, particularly in Uruguay and India, whereas fixed telephone subscriptions remained relatively stagnant or declined, with the UK maintaining the highest figures in this category throughout the period.

Regarding mobile subscriptions, the UK started at 102 per hundred people in 2005 and rose steadily to 127 by 2015. Uruguay showed the most dramatic growth, surging from 37 to 152 over the decade. India also experienced a notable upward trend, climbing from 10 to 82. In contrast, Eritrea remained consistently low, fluctuating slightly between 8 and 13 subscriptions.

In terms of fixed telephone lines, the UK began at 58 per hundred people and saw a gradual decline to 52 by 2015. Uruguay’s figures hovered between 28 and 33 throughout the period. India’s fixed subscriptions decreased from 5 to 3, while Eritrea remained at the bottom of the chart, starting at 1 and ending at 3 subscriptions per hundred people by 2015.

185 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.

stagnant: showing little or no activity or growth
surging: increasing suddenly and powerfully
fluctuating: rising and falling irregularly in number
notable: worthy of attention or striking
dramatic: sudden and striking in appearance or effect
illustrate: to provide a visual representation of data

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While mobile phone subscriptions generally increased across all four nations, fixed telephone line usage remained low or experienced a gradual 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.