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How to Write A High Band Task 1 Line Graph Report
Line graph is a line that connects individual data points that show quantitative variations over time. This is a very common question type for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1.
On this page, you will find a complete discussion on IELTS Task 1 Line Graph question. The discussion will proceed under the following 7 major steps:
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Analyse the question
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Identify the major features
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Remember the 4 paragraph structure
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Paraphrase the question sentence
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Write an Overview paragraph
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Write the Body paragraph 1
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Write the Body paragraph 2
Using the 7-step strategy in the IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 is a smart move that can greatly improve the standard of your IELTS writing.
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Example
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph below shows the production levels of main fuels in a European country from 1981 to 2000. Measured in tones.
Write at least 150 words.
Source: Cambridge English IELTS Past Papers
1. Analysing the Question
To answer the question effectively, we should identify three key aspects:
Topic words or keywords: These are the main themes or subjects in the question that we need to focus on.
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In this case, the topic words are related to the production levels of the primary fuels.
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Micro keywords: These are specific terms or details that can help us prepare a precise answer. For this question, the micro keywords are petroleum, coal, and natural gas, as well as the time period of 1981 to 2000.
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Action words: These are the words that tell us what we need to do to answer the question. In this case, the action word is "compare," which means we need to identify similarities and differences between the production levels of the three primary fuels.
Once we have identified these key aspects, we can then look for major features in the diagrams that will help us to answer the question. You can get more in-depth discussion on this part in the eBook.
2. Identifying the Major Features
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Petroleum production showed fluctuations but consistently remained the highest among the three primary fuels.
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Coal production experienced a gradual decline over time.
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Natural Gas production saw a sudden increase after a prolonged period of stagnation.
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At the end of the time period, only Natural Gas production showed an upward trend, while the other two fuels showed a decline.
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The units of measurement for production levels are in tonnes.
3. Recalling the Essay Structure
We can complete the essay using only 10 sentences! Yes, it is that much simple! Take a look how we place the 10 sentences in our 4 paragraph essay. However, if you want to learn how to write each paragraph most effectively, please check the eBook where you get step by step detailed demonstration on a high band task 1 writing.
1. Paraphrasing the Question Sentence
Paraphrase the question statement using just one or two sentences.
2. Overview Paragraph
Sentence 1: summary statement 1(preview of the essay without presenting data)
Sentence 2: summary statement 2 (more preview without presenting data)
3. Body Paragraph 1
Sentence 1: first major point
Sentence 2: second major point
Sentence 3: extension sentence 1 (compare/combine the major points stated above)
Sentence 4: extension sentence 2 (extension of the previous sentence, or adding an exceptional feature).
4. Body Paragraph 2
Sentence 1: exceptional feature
Sentence 2: extension of the exceptional feature
Sentence 3: final sentence (wrapping-up the whole essay, completely based on the discussion above, nothing new)
Let's develop the answer step by step applying the above-stated 4 paragraph essay structure.
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4. Paraphrasing the Question Sentence
In the first paragraph of our IELTS Task 1 essay, we aim to rephrase the question statement accurately without altering its meaning. This process is known as paraphrasing, and it requires a solid understanding of the relevant techniques that we have discussed in detail in the eBooks.
Crafting this paragraph flawlessly showcases to the examiner that you understand the question thoroughly.
Let's look at the actual question statement that we are using on this page:
"The graph below shows the production levels of main fuels in a European country from 1981 to 2000. Measured in tonnes."
We can paraphrase this statement as below:
"The diagram depicts the quantity of Petroleum, Coal, and Natural Gas produced in a country over two decades, from 1981 to 2000, measured in tonnes."
That's it, quite simple. Our first paragraph is complete, and you have already used 25 out of 150 words. Let's move to the next part of the essay, the Overview Paragraph.
5. Overview Paragraph
The second paragraph of our IELTS Writing Task 1 essay is known as the Overview, and it's the most crucial section. Without an Overview paragraph, you cannot score above band 5 in the IELTS Writing section. So, it's vital to give special attention to this part in the eBook.
An overview is a brief summary of the significant aspects that you'll discuss in the body paragraphs. It's not necessary to include any data in this section, just mention the obvious features you notice in the diagrams. The main objective of this paragraph is to give the readers a general idea about your essay.
Overview Paragraph Structure
Remember our Overview paragraph structure:
Sentence 1: summary statement 1(preview of the essay without presenting data)
Sentence 2: summary statement 2 (more preview without presenting data)
Let's form the paragraph:
Sentence 1(Summary Statement 1)
"Despite some fluctuations, Petroleum consistently maintained its position as the primary fuel produced throughout the given period, while Coal exhibited a gradual decrease."
Sentence 2(Summary Statement 2)
"In contrast, Natural Gas underwent a notable upsurge following a prolonged period of stagnant production levels."
Complete Overview Paragraph
"Despite some fluctuations, Petroleum consistently maintained its position as the primary fuel produced throughout the given period, while Coal exhibited a gradual decrease. In contrast, Natural Gas underwent a notable upsurge following a prolonged period of stagnant production levels."
Excellent, we've made good progress on our line graph Task 1 report. After paraphrasing the question in the first paragraph with 25 words, we've added 36 more words for the overview paragraph, completing two of our recommended four paragraph report. As a result, we're now halfway done and ready to tackle the first and second body paragraphs.
6. Body Paragraph 1
In the overview paragraph, we have given just a general statement of significant features, we haven't discussed any detail. Now it's time to explain them in the body paragraphs.
Body Paragraph 1 Structure
Remember our body paragraph 1 structure:
Sentence 1: first major point
Sentence 2: second major point
Sentence 3: extension sentence 1 (compare/combine the major points stated above)
Sentence 4: extension sentence 2 (extension of the previous sentence, or adding an exceptional feature).
Let's form the paragraph following the above-stated structure:
Sentence 1(First Major Point)
"Petroleum has consistently been the largest fuel source, despite fluctuations in its production levels."
Sentence 2(Second Major Point)
"In 1981, coal was the second-largest fuel production, with an annual output of 80 million tonnes."
Sentence 3(Extension Sentence 1)
"Over time, however, coal's production levels have witnessed a gradual decline, while petroleum's production levels have remained variable between 100 and 120 million tonnes."
Sentence 4(Extension Sentence 2)
"Eventually, by 2000, coal's production had reached its lowest point among the three major fuels."
Complete Body Paragraph 1
"Petroleum has consistently been the largest fuel source, despite fluctuations in its production levels. In 1981, coal was the second-largest fuel production, with an annual output of 80 million tonnes. Over time, however, coal's production levels have witnessed a gradual decline, while petroleum's production levels have remained variable between 100 and 120 million tonnes. Eventually, by 2000, coal's production had reached its lowest point among the three major fuels."
We're making great progress on our IELTS Task 1 essay, with 69 additional words added to the first body paragraph, bringing us to 75% completion. It's simple – we're just describing the main features we see in the diagrams.
So far, we've used 130 words out of the total 150 for our IELTS Task 1 essay. We just need to write at least 20 more words and one more paragraph to finish. That's awesome! Let's move on to the final paragraph, Body Paragraph 2.
7. Body Paragraph 2
The second body paragraph is the last one for our IELTS Task 1 essay and happens to be the easiest. It involves briefly stating other features in the first sentence, adding an overall comparison statement in the second sentence, and concluding with a final sentence summarizing the entire essay. We'll apply this structure to our second body paragraph.
Body Paragraph 2 Structure
Sentence 1: exceptional feature
Sentence 2: extension of the exceptional feature
Sentence 3: final sentence (wrapping-up the whole essay, completely based on the discussion above, nothing new)
Let's form the paragraph following the above-stated structure:
Sentence 1(Exceptional Feature)
"While coal production witnessed a steady decline, natural gas production never decreased throughout the entire period, despite starting in the third position in 1981 and maintaining a long stagnant production level."
Sentence 2(Extension of the Exceptional Feature)
"By surpassing coal at 50 million tonnes, natural gas experienced a sharp increase, ultimately becoming the only rising fuel by the end of the period."
Sentence 3(Final Sentence)
"Therefore, as for petroleum, it remained at the highest level of production without any significant fluctuations, and natural gas was the only fuel that demonstrated a positive trend over the entire period."
Complete Body Paragraph 2
"While coal production witnessed a steady decline, natural gas production never decreased throughout the entire period, despite starting in the third position in 1981 and maintaining a long stagnant production level. By surpassing coal at 50 million tonnes, natural gas experienced a sharp increase, ultimately becoming the only rising fuel by the end of the period. Therefore, as for petroleum, it remained at the highest level of production without any significant fluctuations, and natural gas was the only fuel that demonstrated a positive trend over the entire period."
We've added 58 more words to the previous 130, and just finished the final part of our 4 paragraph essay. That means we have completed an IELTS Task 1 essay with 188 words, which is absolutely okay. In fact, you should write somewhere between 170 and 220 words to give a smart description.
Well, now let's see how the complete response looks like:
The Task 1 Line Graph Band 9 Sample Report
"The diagram depicts the quantity of Petroleum, Coal, and Natural Gas produced in a country over two decades, from 1981 to 2000, measured in tonnes.
Despite some fluctuations, Petroleum consistently maintained its position as the primary fuel produced throughout the given period, while Coal exhibited a gradual decrease. In contrast, Natural Gas underwent a notable upsurge following a prolonged period of stagnant production levels.
Petroleum has consistently been the largest fuel source, despite fluctuations in its production levels. In 1981, coal was the second-largest fuel production, with an annual output of 80 million tonnes. Over time, however, coal's production levels have witnessed a gradual decline, while petroleum's production levels have remained variable between 100 and 120 million tonnes. Eventually, by 2000, coal's production had reached its lowest point among the three major fuels.
While coal production witnessed a steady decline, natural gas production never decreased throughout the entire period, despite starting in the third position in 1981 and maintaining a long stagnant production level. By surpassing coal at 50 million tonnes, natural gas experienced a sharp increase, ultimately becoming the only rising fuel by the end of the period. Therefore, as for petroleum, it remained at the highest level of production without any significant fluctuations, and natural gas was the only fuel that demonstrated a positive trend over the entire period."
188 words
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