Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Trends in three different crime categories in Panama City 2010-2019

The chart below shows the changes that took place in three different areas of crime in Panama City from 2010 to 2019.

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

The changing rates of crime in Panama City, 2010 - 2019 (number of incidents)

burglary
car theft
robbery

View the data

	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
burglary	3,400	3,700	3,150	2,650	1,650	1,050	1,450	1,400	1,500	1,350
car theft	2,800	2,850	2,800	2,100	2,200	2,150	2,250	2,650	2,500	2,750
robbery	700	850	900	750	650	500	650	800	600	700

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 types of crime—burglary, car theft, and robbery—in Panama City between 2010 and 2019.

Overall, burglary saw a dramatic downward trend after an initial peak, whereas car theft remained the second most common crime for most of the period, and robbery consistently recorded the lowest figures.

In 2010, burglary was the most prevalent crime at 3,400 incidents, peaking at 3,700 in 2011 before plummeting to a low of 1,050 in 2015. Although it recovered slightly to 1,500 in 2018, it ended the period at 1,350. Conversely, car theft began at 2,800 in 2010, dipped to 2,100 in 2013, and then fluctuated between 2,150 and 2,750 for the remainder of the decade, eventually overtaking burglary as the most frequent crime from 2014 onwards.

Robbery followed a much lower trajectory, starting at 700 incidents in 2010. It reached a peak of 900 in 2012 before falling to its lowest point of 500 in 2015. Following this, the number of robbery incidents experienced minor variations, finishing the period at 700 in 2019, which was identical to its starting level.

188 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 numbers or amounts
prevalent: widespread or common at a particular time
plummeting: falling or dropping straight down at high speed
trajectory: the path followed by a development or trend
overtaking: becoming greater or more successful than something else
identical: being exactly the same in every single detail

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While burglary experienced a significant overall decline, car theft remained relatively stable with fluctuations, and robbery consistently stayed as the least frequent crime throughout the decade.

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.