Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Trends in rural to urban migration for three selected countries

The chart below shows the movement of people from rural to urban areas in three countries and predictions for future years.

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

People moving from rural to urban areas (millions)

Iran
Indonesia
Russia

View the data

	2000	2005	2010	2015	2020	2025
Iran	7	9	35	50	76	95
Indonesia	10	15	20	25	30	30
Russia	15	30	43	70	78	87

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 people migrating from rural to urban areas in Iran, Indonesia, and Russia between 2000 and 2025. Overall, it is clear that all three nations experienced growth in urban migration, with Iran and Russia showing the most dramatic increases, while Indonesia’s growth remained relatively modest.

In 2000, Russia had the highest number of people moving to urban areas at 15 million, followed by Indonesia at 10 million and Iran at 7 million. By 2015, Russia’s figures surged to 70 million, significantly outpacing the others. Iran also saw a sharp rise, climbing from 9 million in 2005 to 50 million in 2015. In contrast, Indonesia’s growth was steady, reaching 25 million by 2015.

Looking at the projections for 2025, Iran is expected to reach 95 million, overtaking Russia, which is predicted to reach 87 million. Indonesia, however, shows a plateauing trend, remaining constant at 30 million from 2020 to 2025. While Russia maintained a lead for the majority of the period, Iran’s rapid acceleration after 2005 marks it as the country with the most significant shift in urban migration patterns.

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.

surged: increased very quickly and by a large amount
plateauing: reaching a state of little or no change
outpacing: growing or moving faster than someone or something
modest: relatively moderate or limited in size or amount
acceleration: a process of becoming faster or more frequent
projections: estimates or forecasts of a future situation

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While Russia and Iran show significant upward trends in urban migration, Indonesia experiences a much more gradual increase that levels off by 2020.

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.