Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Trends in the percentage of tourists visiting four Brighton attractions

The line graph below shows the percentage of tourists to England who visited four different attractions in Brighton.

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

Percentage of tourists to England who visited Brighton attractions (%)

Art Gallery
Pavilion
Pier
Festival

View the data

	1980	1985	1990	1995	2000	2005	2010
Art Gallery	22	37	20	22	20	15	8
Pavilion	24	28	40	48	35	33	31
Pier	10	15	9	13	12	15	22
Festival	30	27	26	25	27	27	27

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 proportion of tourists visiting four distinct attractions in Brighton between 1980 and 2010. Overall, the Pavilion emerged as the most visited site for the majority of the period, despite a mid-period peak, whereas the Art Gallery experienced a downward trend after an initial surge. The Festival remained relatively stable throughout the three decades.

In 1980, the Festival was the most popular attraction at 30%, followed by the Pavilion at 24% and the Art Gallery at 22%. The Pavilion saw a dramatic rise, peaking at 48% in 1995 before gradually declining to 31% by 2010. Conversely, the Art Gallery spiked to 37% in 1985 but subsequently plummeted, finishing the period as the least visited attraction at just 8%.

The Pier began as the least popular site at 10% in 1980. Its popularity fluctuated, hitting a low of 9% in 1990, before recovering to reach 22% by 2010, matching the Art Gallery's initial 1980 level. Meanwhile, the Festival maintained a consistent performance, hovering between 25% and 30% throughout the entire timeframe, ending at 27% in 2010.

179 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.

proportion: a part or share of a total amount
fluctuated: rose and fell irregularly in number or amount
plummeted: fell or dropped straight down at high speed
peaking: reaching the highest point of value or level
stable: not likely to change or fail suddenly
downward trend: a general direction in which something is decreasing

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

The Pavilion experienced the most significant growth and remained the most popular attraction for most of the period, while the Art Gallery saw a notable decline in popularity.

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.