Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Trends in three categories of crime in Newport city center 2003-2012

The chart below shows the changes that took place in three different areas of crime in Newport city center from 2003-2012.

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

Changes in three different areas of crime in Newport city center from 2003-2012 (Number of Incidents)

Burglary
Car Theft
Robbery (theft from the person)

View the data

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Burglary	3,400	3,700	3,100	2,600	1,600	1,200	1,400	1,300	1,500	1,300
Car Theft	2,700	2,800	2,750	2,100	2,250	2,100	2,300	2,600	2,500	2,300
Robbery (theft from the person)	700	800	850	600	550	500	650	700	600	650

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 fluctuations in the number of incidents for three specific types of crime—burglary, car theft, and robbery—in Newport city center between 2003 and 2012.

Overall, burglary saw a substantial downward trend, whereas car theft remained relatively high throughout the decade. Robbery consistently maintained the lowest number of incidents among the three categories.

In 2003, burglary was the most frequent crime at 3,400 incidents, peaking at 3,700 in 2004 before declining sharply to a low of 1,200 in 2008. Although it fluctuated slightly thereafter, it ended the period at 1,300. Conversely, car theft began at 2,700 incidents and remained the most common crime from 2006 onwards, despite a dip to 2,100 in 2006 and 2008. It reached a peak of 2,800 in 2004 and concluded at 2,300 in 2012.

Robbery (theft from the person) started at 700 incidents and reached its highest point of 850 in 2005. Following this, it experienced a gradual decline, hitting a low of 500 in 2008. For the remainder of the period, robbery figures remained stable, fluctuating between 600 and 700 incidents, ultimately finishing at 650 in 2012.

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.

fluctuations: irregular rising and falling in number or amount
substantial: of considerable importance, size, or worth
downward trend: a general direction in which something is decreasing
prevalent: widespread in a particular area at a time
consistently: in every case or on every occasion
concluded: brought or came to an end

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While burglary experienced a significant overall decline, car theft remained the most prevalent crime for most of the period, and robbery consistently recorded the lowest figures.

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.