Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Trends in Tourist Information Office Enquiries from January to June 2001

The graph below shows the number of inquiries to the tourist information office made by telephone, letter/email, and in person from January 2001 to June 2001.

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

Number of enquiries to Tourist Information Office (number of enquiries)

in person
by telephone
by email/letter

View the data

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
in person	400	600	850	900	1,100	1,200
by telephone	800	750	800	800	950	1,100
by email/letter	600	580	580	480	420	200

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 enquiries received by a tourist information office through three different channels—in person, by telephone, and by email or letter—between January and June 2001.

Overall, the data shows a clear divergence in communication preferences. Enquiries made in person and by telephone grew substantially, whereas written correspondence via email or letter became increasingly less popular throughout the first half of the year.

In January, telephone enquiries were the most frequent at 800, followed by email/letter at 600, and in-person visits at 400. However, in-person enquiries rose sharply, overtaking email/letter in February and telephone enquiries in March. By June, in-person visits reached a peak of 1,200. Similarly, telephone enquiries fluctuated initially but climbed steadily from 800 in March to 1,100 by the end of the period.

Conversely, the number of enquiries by email or letter remained relatively stable at approximately 600 until March, before experiencing a consistent downward trend. This figure dropped to 480 in April and continued to fall, reaching a low of 200 by June, which was the least used method of communication by the end of the six months.

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.

divergence: a situation where two or more things become different
substantially: to a great or significant extent or degree
fluctuated: rose and fell irregularly in number or amount
overtaking: catching up with and passing in quantity
downward trend: a general direction in which something is decreasing
consistent: acting or done in the same way over time

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

While in-person and telephone enquiries experienced an overall upward trend, the number of enquiries made by email or letter saw a significant decline over the six-month period.

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.