The line graph gives information about the usage of Facebook and Twitter in Australia

by Liz

An IELTS line graph and bar chart model answer with examiner comments. Describing two charts together for IELTS writing task 1 academic paper is easy when you know how. Dual charts like the one below are very common in IELTS Writing Task 1 and appear each year. (last updated in Oct 2021).

IELTS Line Graph & Bar Chart

The line graph shows visits to and from the UK from 1979 to 1999. The bar chart shows the most popular countries visited by UK residents in 1999.

Source: IELTS Cambridge English Test Books

Line Graph & Bar Chart Model Answer

The line graph illustrates the number of UK residents going abroad from the UK and overseas residents visiting the UK between 1979 and 1999, while the bar chart gives information about how many UK residents travelled to five of the most popular countries in 1999. Units are measured in millions of people.

Overall, there was an increase in the number of visits to and from the UK and there were more visits abroad by UK residents than visits to the UK by overseas residents over the period given. Furthermore, the most popular country to visit by UK residents was France in 1999.

The number of UK residents visiting overseas  began at just under 15 million in 1979 and rose significantly to reach over 50 million in 1999. Around 10 million overseas residents visited the UK in the first year before climbing steadily to just under 30 million by the final year.

In 1999, France was visited by over 10 million UK residents, followed by Spain at approximately 9 million. The USA and Greece had about 4 million and 3 million visitors respectively. The least popular country visited was Turkey which had only about 2 million UK residents going there.

Examiner Comments

This IELTS writing task 1 report describing both a chart and a graph is organised into logical paragraphs. The introduction introduces both charts and the overview contains the key features of both chart. Detail in the body paragraphs is supported by data. The right language is used for the line graph and there are a range of sentence structures used throughout.

Paraphrasing

• shows = illustrates / gives information about
• the number = how many
• visits abroad by UK residents = UK residents going abroad = UK residents travelling to…
• from 1979 to 1999 = between 1979 and 1999 = over the period given
• rose = climbed
• about = approximately = around

Recommended

IELTS Writing Task 1: Tips, Lessons and Model Answers

Develop your IELTS skills with tips, model answers, lessons, free videos and more.

This blog teaches you how to plan and write an IELTS academic test report for part 1 of the IELTS test.

Note: about this task
The report is produced in 2010 so we can establish that all data before this point has actually occurred and everything after this date is a projection.

Model answer with the future predictions underlined
 The line graph shows five different sources of energy consumption in Australia from 1980 to 2030.  Overall, it can be seen that there is an upward trend for all types of energy during the period from 1980 to 2010, and this trend is predicted to continue to 2030.                                            

The main source of energy was oil. In 1980, approximately 35 billion units of oil were used, and the consumption experienced a steady growth to about 45 billion units by 2010. The usage is projected to continue to rise and hit 50 billion by 2030. 

The next highest sources of energy were natural gas and coal with 20 billion units and approximately 16 billion units, respectively, in 1980. The usage of coal and gas were the same by 2010, with each accounting for about 25 billion units. They are both expected to consistently climb and end at roughly 35 billion and 28 billion units, respectively. 

The minor energy sources were nuclear and solar energy, which both started at below 5 billion units in 1980, and increased to roughly 8 billion and 6 billion units, respectively, by 2010.They are expected to reach about 10 billion and 8 billion units, respectively, in 2030. 

[199 words]

Steps to complete the model task

1. Read and underline key vocabulary in the question and write words with the same or related meaning.

1. Check whether the data is about percentages or numbers.

It’s about numbers, and note that the units are in billions.   

1. Brainstorm key points for the answer (there should be about 10 key points that should be mentioned for each task)

1 = start number for oil 2= end number for oil, before the forecast 3= forecasted end number for oil 4 =start number for coal and natural gas 5= end number for coal and natural gas, before the forecast 6= forecasted end number for coal and natural gas 7 =start number for nuclear and solar energy 8= end number for nuclear and solar energy, before the forecast

9= forecasted end number for nuclear and solar energy

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

 The line graph show internet users as percentage of population.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Submit Task For Review ($15)

Write at least 150 Words.

Model Answer:

The line graph compares the percentage of people who used the Internet in three countries –the USA, Canada and Mexico, between 1999 and 2009, a ten-year period. Overall, Mexico had the lowest proportion of internet users in its population, while Canada experienced the fastest growth in internet usage. It is also noticeable the proportion of people who use the internet in each country increased throughout the period shown.

Submit Task For Review ($15)

In 1999, the proportion of people who used the Internet was highest in the USA at around 20%. This figure was significantly higher than those of Mexico and Canada, in which levels of internet users stood at 10% and 5% respectively. In 2005, Internet usage in both the USA and Canada rose to around 70% of the population, while the figure for Mexico reached just over 25%.

By 2009, almost 100% of Canadians were using the Internet, the greatest figure for that year followed by the USA at 80%. Mexicos’ figure was the lowest with less than half of the population using the Internet.

Missing feature - In 2002 Canada overtakes America and stay above until the rest of the period

Total Words: 175

Task Achievement: 7

Coherence & Cohesion: 8

Lexical resources: 8

Grammar: 7

Overall Score: Band 7.5

For unlimited feedback with detailed corrections for speaking and writing tasks, sign up for IELTS Twenty20 Online Course today!

Study 20 minutes a day for 20 days and Ace the IELTS exam.