Academic Writing Task 1 · line graph

Visitor numbers for four international museums from 1980 to 2015

The graph shows the number of visitors to four international museums between 1980 and 2015.

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

Number of visitors to four international museums (millions)

Louvre
Vatican Museums
London Science Museum
Shenzhen Museum

View the data

	1980	1985	1990	1995	2000	2005	2010	2015
Louvre	7.8	8	8.8	9	8.4	8.6	8.9	9.5
Vatican Museums	4.8	5.1	5.7	6.8	7.4	8	8.7	9.2
London Science Museum	4.1	4.1	3.2	3.1	2.9	2.6	2.5	2.2
Shenzhen Museum	3.8	3.5	3.3	3.2	3	3.4	3.6	3.8

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 trends in visitor numbers for four international museums—the Louvre, Vatican Museums, London Science Museum, and Shenzhen Museum—between 1980 and 2015.

Overall, the Louvre and the Vatican Museums showed a clear upward trend, with the former remaining the most popular throughout the period. Conversely, the London Science Museum experienced a steady decline, while the Shenzhen Museum remained relatively stable with minor fluctuations.

In 1980, the Louvre led with 7.8 million visitors, rising to a peak of 9.5 million by 2015. The Vatican Museums started at 4.8 million and saw consistent growth, eventually reaching 9.2 million by the end of the period, nearly catching up to the Louvre. Both institutions experienced their most rapid growth phases between 1990 and 2015.

In contrast, the London Science Museum began with 4.1 million visitors in 1980, but this figure steadily decreased to 2.2 million by 2015. The Shenzhen Museum followed a similar downward trajectory initially, falling from 3.8 million in 1980 to 3.0 million in 2000. However, it recovered slightly thereafter, returning to its starting level of 3.8 million visitors by 2015, remaining the least visited museum for most of the period.

192 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.

upward trend: a general direction in which something is increasing
steady decline: a continuous and gradual decrease in a value
fluctuations: irregular rising and falling in number or amount
trajectory: the path followed by a development over time
peak: the highest point or value reached by something
stable: not likely to change or fail suddenly

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

The Louvre and Vatican Museums experienced significant growth in visitor numbers over the period, whereas the London Science Museum and Shenzhen Museum saw overall declines or stagnation.

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.