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Lesson 1
Describing a Graph Over Time
This lesson explains how to describe a line graph or bar chart for IELTS task 1
that is over time. This uses an example of a bar chart, but it will be the same for
a line graph.
When you get a chart or graph to describe, it is always important to check
whether there is a time frame or not. If there is, you will need to use
the language of change.
However, it is not enough just to describe the changes of each element (ActiveX,
Java and Net in this case) on their own and ignore how they relate to each other.
Look at the question you are asked to compare the data as well. So you must
also compare the elements where relevant in your IELTS task 1.
You must also group data together to make sure you have a well organized and
coherent answer.
To do this, you need to look for similarities and differences when you first analyze
the graph for IELTS task 1, and decide what can be logically put together or not.
Now look at the bar chart below and read the IELTS task 1 model answer.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The bar chart shows the number of times per week (in 1000s), over five
weeks, that three computer packages were downloaded from the internet.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model Answer
The bar chart illustrates the download rate per week of ActiveX, Java and Net
computer packages over a period of five weeks. It can clearly be seen that
ActiveX was the most popular computer package to download, whilst Net was the
least popular of the three.
To begin, downloads of ActiveX and Java showed similar patterns, with both
gradually increasing from week 1 to week 5. However, the purchases of Active X
remained significantly higher than for the other product over this time frame. In
week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around 75,000, while those for Java were
about 30,000 lower. With the exception of a slight fall in week 4, downloading of
ActiveX kept increasing until it reached a peak in the final week of just over
120,000. Java downloads also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at
80,000.
The product that was downloaded the least was Net. This began at slightly under
40,000, and, in contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two weeks to
reach a low of approximately 25,000. It then increased sharply over the following
two weeks to finish at about 50,000, which was well below that of ActiveX.
(Words 198)
Language of Change
As you can see, there are several examples of this in the graph, so it is important
to learn how to use these correctly in order to successfully write an IELTS task 1
chart over time. Here are some examples:
gradually increasing
a slight fall
kept rising
reached a peak
increased at a steady rate
fell
increased sharply
a low of
finish at
stood at
finishing the period at
You will need to practice this type of language, and also make sure you know a
variety of structures to get a better score if you keep repeating the same kind of
phrases this will show you have a more limited range of lexis and grammar.
Making Comparisons
In IELTS task 1, you must also compare the data as you are asked to do in the
rubric.
If you just write about what happened to ActiveX, what happened to Java, and
what happened to Net, without showing any relationship between them, this
wont be enough.
Here are some examples of where comparisons are made between the products
in the IELTS task 1 graph, and the language of comparison is highlighted in bold /
red:
It can clearly be seen that ActiveX was the most popular computer package to
download, whilst Net was the least popular of the three
Downloads of ActiveX and Java showed similar patterns, with both gradually
increasing from week 1 to week 5
However, the purchases of Active X remained significantly higher than for the
other product over this time frame
In week 1, purchases of ActiveX stood at around 75,000, while those for Java
were about 30,000 lower
Java downloads also increased at a steady rate, finishing the period at 80,000
The product that was downloaded the least was Net. This began at slightly
under 40,000, and, in contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two
weeks
It then increased sharply over the following two weeks to finish at about 50,000,
which was well below thatof ActiveX
The product that was downloaded the least was Net. This began at slightly under
40,000, and, in contrast to the other two products, fell over the next two weeks to
a low of approximately 25,000. It then increased sharply over the following two
weeks to finish at about 50,000, which was well below that of ActiveX.
There is usually more than one way to group the data for an IELTS task 1, so this
needs to be your decision. As long as it is logical and makes your answer easy to
follow and read, this should be ok.
2.
What tense should you use to write about the IELTS pie chart?
Past
Present
3.
Can you talk about increases and decreases when describing the
information?
Yes
No
The pie charts illustrate the primary reasons that people came to and left the UK
in 2007. At first glance it is clear that the main factor influencing this decision
was employment.
Having a definite job accounted for 30 per cent of immigration to the UK, and this
figure was very similar for emigration, at 29%. A large number of people, 22%,
also emigrated because they were looking for a job, though the proportion of
people entering the UK for this purpose was noticeably lower at less than a fifth.
Another major factor influencing a move to the UK was for formal study, with over
a quarter of people immigrating for this reason. However, interestingly, only a
small minority, 4%, left for this.
The proportions of those moving to join a family member were quite similar for
immigration and emigration, at 15% and 13% respectively. Although a
significant number of people (32%) gave other reasons or did not give a reason
why they emigrated, this accounted for only 17% with regards to immigration.
173 words
_________________________________________
As you can see, the pie chart description is easy to follow. Here are some key
points in organizing your answer.
With an IELTS pie chart, the most logical thing to do is usually tocompare
categories together across the charts, focusing on similarities and differences,
rather than writing about each chart separately.
If you write about each one separately, the person reading it will have to keep
looking between the paragraphs in order to see how each category differs.
Fraction
80%
four-fifths
75%
three-quarters
70%
seven in ten
65%
two-thirds
60%
three-fifths
55%
50%
half
45%
40%
two-fifths
35%
30%
25%
a quarter
20%
a fifth
15%
10%
one in ten
5%
one in twenty
Qualifier
77%
77%
49%
49%
nearly a half
32%
almost a third
This table presents some examples of how you can change percentages to other
phrases:
Percentage
75% - 85%
65% - 75%
a significant proportion
10% - 15%
a minority
5%
The diagram illustrates the process that is used to manufacture bricks for
the building industry.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
A process will have a number of stages that are in time order. So you should
start at the beginning, and describe each stage through to the last one.
In the example above, this is fairly clear. It begins with the digging of the clay,
and ends with delivery.
Processes are not always this clear, and you may have to look more carefully to
spot the beginning, and there may also be two things happening at the same
time.
So it is important that you look at other sample processes to get a good
understanding of how they can vary.
1) Time Connectors
A process is a series of events, one taking place after the other. Therefore, to
connect your stages, you should use time connectors.
Here is the rest of the answer with the time connectors highlighted (notice that
you simply go from the beginning to the end of the process):
To begin, the clay used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by a large
digger. This clay is then placed onto a metal grid, which is used to break up the
clay into smaller pieces. A roller assists in this process.
Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is turned
into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next, these
bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 48 hours.
In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process.
They are heated in a kiln at a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging
from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a chamber for 2 3
days. Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations.
These connectors are the same you would use to write a graph over time when
you explain a series of changes.
These are some common IELTS process diagram connectors:
To begin
Following this
Next
Then
After
After that
Before**
Subsequently
Finally
** If you use before, this means that you will be mentioning a later stage before
an earlier stage, so you need to use it carefully. If you can use it properly though,
it will get noticed.
Here is an example using stages four and five:
Before being dried in the oven, the mixture is turned into bricks by either placing
it into a mould or using a wire cutter.
2) The Passive
When we describe an IELTS process, the focus is on the activities, NOT the
person doing them.
When this is the case, we use the passive voice, not the active.
This is a brief explanation of how to use the passive voice, but if you are new or
unsure about using it, you should do some further study and practice.
Most sentences use this structure:
In the active voice (as above), the digger is doing the verb i.e. the digger is doing
the digging.
When we use the passive voice, we make the object (the clay) the subject, and
make the subject (the digger) the object. We also add in the verb to be and the
past participle (or Verb 3).
(S) The clay in the ground (V) is dug up (O) by the digger.
So throughout most of your description for your IELTS process diagram, you
should be using the passive voice.
This is difficult as some verbs cannot take the passive. For example, 'to go'
cannot be passive, so it is kept in the active voice:
This is why you need to make sure you practice the passive so you know exactly
how to use it.
Also, as you will see from the description, it is more usual to to comment on who
or what is doing the action so the 'by...." phrase is excluded.
Here is the same example description with uses of the passive highlighted:
To begin, the clay (which) is used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground
by a large digger. This clay is then placedonto a metal grid, onto a metal grid,
which is used to break up the clay into smaller pieces. A roller assists in this
process.
Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is
turned into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next,
these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 48 hours.
In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process.
They are heated in a kiln at a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging
from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a chamber for 2 3 days.
Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations.
To begin, the clay used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by a large
digger. This clay is then placed onto a metal grid, which is used to break up the
clay into smaller pieces. A roller assists in this process.
Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is turned
into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter. Next, these
bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 48 hours.
In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling process.
They are heated in a kiln at a moderate and then a high temperature (ranging
from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process in a chamber for 2 3 days.
Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered to their destinations.
Words 173
Lesson 4:
IELTS Bar and Line Graph
This is an example of an IELTS bar and line graph together. It is not uncommon
to get two graphs to describe at the same time in the IELTS test.
It can look a bit scary at first. However, when you look more closely, you'll see it
is probably no more difficult than having one graph.
Take a look at the question and the graph:
ThelinegraphshowsvisitstoandfromtheUKfrom1979to1999,andthebargraphshowsthe
mostpopularcountriesvisitedbyUKresidentsin1999.
Summarizetheinformationbyselectingandreportingthemainfeaturesandmakecomparisons
whererelevant.
Writeatleast150words.
These are the steps you need to take to describe a bar and line graph together
(or any two graphs) that may differ slightly from when you describe one graph.
Introduction
When you state what the graph shows, mention both of them. Here is a sample
first sentence of the introduction:
The line graph illustrates the number of visitors in millions from the UK who
went abroad and those that came to the UK between 1979 and 1999, while the
bar chart shows which countries were the most popular for UK residents to
visit in 1999.
Remember to write this in your own words and not to copy from the question.
Next you need to mention the key points from the graph. When you do
this, mention the most interesting things from each:
Overall, it can be seen that visits to and from the UK increased, and
that France was the most popular country to go to.
Body Paragraphs
If there are two graphs and a lot of information, you will have to be careful not to
describe everything as you may then have too much information.
Also, the examiner is looking to see that you can select the important
things and not describe every single detail.
So the key skill when you have two graphs is being able to pick out the important
information or summarize things in a concise way, otherwise you will end up
writing too much and probably run out of time.
Here is an example description for the bar and line graph:
To begin, the number of visits abroad by UK residents was higher than for those
that came to the UK, and this remained so throughout the period. The figures
started at a similar amount, around 10 million, but visits abroad increased
Return from IELTS bar and line graph lesson to IELTS Lessons
1999. Overall, it can be seen that visits to and from the UK increased, and that
France was the most popular country to go to.
To begin, the number of visits abroad by UK residents was higher than for those
that came to the UK, and this remained so throughout the period. The figures
started at a similar amount, around 10 million, but visits abroad increased
significantly to over 50 million, whereas the number of overseas residents rose
steadily to reach just under 30 million.
By far the most popular countries to visit in 1999 were France at approximately
11 million visitors, followed by Spain at 9 million. The USA, Greece, and Turkey
were far less popular at around 4, 3 and 2 million visitors respectively.
(Words 171)
increase
Part of Speech
Example Sentence
Expenditure on primary
education decreasedfrom 22.2% to
rise
fall
drop
-ing
forms
Expenditure on primary
education fell from 22.2% to 21.5%
from 1995 to 1996.
Expenditure on primary
education dropped from 22.2% to
21.5% from 1995 to 1996.
Practice
Have a look at the table below.
Then, to help you with describing graph trends, decide which word should go in
the gap in the example answer.
Expenditure on Education in Hong Kong 1995 to 1998
Breakdown of spending
1995-6
1996-7
1997-8
39,165
45,315
18%
18.2%
%spenton
primary education
secondary education
tertiary education
22.2%
33.7%
35.9%
21.5%
33.2%
36.7%
21.6%
33.5%
35.9%
1.
increases
increased
increasing
2.
was
rose to
reached
3.
increased
dropping
rising
4.
an increase
increased
increasing
5.
rise
rose
rising
6.
spent
spending
was spent
7.
an increase
increase
was increased
8.
increase
drop
dropped
9.
dropped
increased
returned
10.
rised
rose
increase
This lesson will hopefully have helped you with the basics of describing graph
trends and some of the different structures you can use.
Remember though this example has only used a few of the words possible for
describing change.
It's important to vary your language so look around the IELTS buddy site, for
example on the model graphs, to see what other language you can use.
Placetherightwordintothespace.Makesureyouwrite(orcopyandpaste)thewordexactlyasit
appearsinthebox,otherwiseitwillgetmarkedaswrong.
Don'tlookbelowtheexerciseotherwiseyouwillseeananswerkey.
atapproximately8%/theleast/
schoolchildren/aresimilar/gender/
inpercentages/morethan/equal/
atthesamelevel/percentagesfor/
atonly5%/around33%/isexactly/
4%for/barchartillustrates
The 1.
drugs 2.
by 3.
and
measured 4.
. Overall, it is
immediately apparent that hashish or marijuana is
used 5.
whereas LSD and medical drugs are
used 6.
. At first glance we can see
that boys take more drugs than girls for 6 out of 7 of the drugs listed,
however an 7.
girls take cocaine.
Tobeginwith,boysusemorehashishormarijuanathangirls
at8.
and29%respectively.Followingthis,boystake
heroin,opiumormorphine9.
girls10.
but
Ontheotherhand,the11.
amphetaminesand
solvents12.
forbothboysandgirlsat2%and3%for
girlsand13.
bothdrugsforboys.Next,thepatternfor
LSDandmedicaldrugs14.
1%forgirlsand3%forboys.Finally,boysandgirlstake
cocaine15.
thesameforbothgendersat
4%.
Score=
Correctanswers:
BarChartExerciseAnswer
The1.barchartillustratesinformationonthequantityofdrugs2.schoolchildreninNewZealandtake,
dividedby3.genderandmeasured4.inpercentages.Overall,itisimmediatelyapparentthathashishor
marijuanaisused5.morethananyoftheotherdrugs,whereasLSDisused6.theleast.Atfirstglancewe
canseethatboystakemoredrugsthangirlsfor6outof7ofthedrugslisted,howeveran7.equalnumber
ofboysandgirlstakecocaine.
Tobeginwith,boysusemorehashishormarijuanathangirlsat8.around33%and29%respectively.
Followingthis,boystakeheroin,opiumormorphine9.atapproximately8%,butgirls10.atonly5%.
Ontheotherhand,the11.percentagesforamphetaminesandsolvents12.aresimilarforbothboysand
girlsat2%and3%forgirlsand13.4%forbothdrugsforboys.Next,thepatternforLSDandmedical
drugs14.isexactlythesameforbothgendersat1%forgirlsand3%forboys.Finally,boysandgirlstake
cocaine15.atthesamelevel,4%.
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Any questions or comments about this page or about IELTS?
Post your comment here.
1.
2.
ThecountrywiththehigestlevelofpollutionisUSAandthecountrywiththelowestisNewZealand.
Leopardsarefasterthantigers.
Superlativesareusedtocompareonethingagainstagroupofothers:
Theleopardisthelargestofthefourbigcats.
Herearethebasicsofhowtheyareformed:
Example
Word
Words with one syllable
high
Comparativ
e
higher
Superlative
the highest
moreproductive
themostproductive
lessproductive
theleastproductive
wealthy
wealthier
the wealthiest
hot
hotter
the hottest
good
better
the best
Words ending in y
Short words ending with a
consonant/vowel/consonant
Irregular
1.
1.
1.
5.
6.
7.1
justover7milliontonnes
approximately7milliontonnes
65.6
nearly70milliontonnes
almost70milliontonnes
NaturalGasConsumptionandProduction,2001
Country
Consumption*
Production*
TheUSA
588.9
500.0
TheUnitedKingdom
86.1
97.3
TheFormerSovietUnion
7.1
0.4
TheUAE
30.0
35.9
Australia
19.1
28.0
Japan
68.6
NewZealand
4.9
5.1
SouthKorea
18.9
China
24.3
25.0
*inmillionsoftonnes
Lookatthecompareandcontrastlanguageinthedropdownboxandchoosethecorrectwordto
completethesentences.
gas at
2.TheformerSovietUnionproducedthe
3.TheUSAwasthe
and500respectively.
amountat0.4milliontonnes.
consumerandproducerofgasat600milliontonnes
4.TheUSAconsumedandproduced
5.SouthKoreaconsumed18.9millionstonnesofgas;
6.Chinasconsumptionandproductionofoilwere
respectively.
naturalgasthananyothercountry.
,itproducednone.
at24.3and25.0
7.TheUSA,theFormerSovietUnion,JapanandSouthKoreaallconsumedmore
gas
theyproduced.
8.Australiaconsumedfour
9.
none.
gasthanNewZealand.
Zealandproduced5.1milliontonnesofgas,SouthKoreaproduced
10.NewZealandconsumed
5milliontonnesofgas.
Score=
Correctanswers:
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New! Comments
While buses fell from just over 25% to around 16% in 2000, cars increased
dramatically to over 35%. Meanwhile, bikes fell over this time frame.
There are a number of ways that the sentences in the IELTS graphs could have
been written correctly, but here are some possibilities:
From 1975 to 2000, the consumption of hamburgers increased dramatically
from 10 to 100 times per year. At the same time, the number of times that fish
and chips were eaten fell significantly to just under 40.
While bus usage fell from just over 25% to around 16% in 2000, cars as a mode
of travel increased dramatically to over 35%. Meanwhile, the use of bikes fell
over this time frame.
Getting this wrong will significantly detract from your response to the task.
If you put them in the wrong place or use the wrong preposition you may confuse
what you are trying to say.
First, take a look at this graph model answer and notice how some of the
prepositions are used. They have been highlighted.
The line graph compares the number of car thefts for every thousand vehicles in
four countries from 1990 to 1999. Overall, it can be seen that car thefts were far
higher in Great Britain than in the other three counties throughout the whole time
frame.
To begin, car thefts in Sweden, France and Canada followed a fairly similar
pattern over the first five years, all remaining at between 5 and 10 per thousand.
The general trend though for France and Canada was a decline in the number of
vehicles stolen over the period, with both at around 6 in 1999. In contrast,
Sweden experienced an upward trend, starting the period at approximately 8,
and finishing at just under 15.
Interestingly, car thefts in Great Britain started at 18 per thousand, which far
exceeded that of the other countries. It then fluctuated over the next nine years,
reaching a peak of 20 thefts per 1000 in 1996, and ending the period slightly
lower than where it began, atapproximately 17 per thousand.
Although a graph like this is not over time as such, it can still be viewed in this
way as it is showing how something changes over different ages - in this case,
how certain factors in a neighbourhood when choosing a new home vary over
age.
Take a look at the following question, the graph below, and the model answers.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The line graph shows the percentage of people of different age groups and
how they rate a set of factors in terms of importance when buying a new
home.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features
and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Shopping facilities, being chosen by around 13%, are not viewed with such
importance as schools and crime by the younger age groups. However, as
people get older, this increases in importance to approximately 30%, and, as
would be expected, is actually more important than schools to those over 55.
Finally, although increasing in importance with age, neither parks nor public
transport are viewed to be as important as the other factors by any of the groups.
Comments
As you can see in this answer to the IELTS task 1 line graph, the candidate has
organized the answer mainly around the 'factors'.
Each one is described in turn, starting with the most important, low crime. Less is
said about those that are not viewed as so important (parks and public transport).
Notice that the graph does not talk about each factor in isolation, but makes
comparisons across the factors and groups. For example:
Of all the factors, the desire for a low crime rate is by far the most important.
Shopping facilities are not viewed with such importance as schools and
crime by the younger age groups.
With an IELTS task 1 line graph you should always avoid simply discussing each
point on a graph with no reference of how it relates to the other points.
Turning to those aged over 45, low crime accounted for the largest proportion at
approximately 80%, similar to those of a younger age. In contrast to the younger
groups though, schooling was far less important, falling to below 25% for those
aged over 55. This older group rated them as less important than shopping
facilities. In fact, shopping facilities, parks and public transport all become more
important factors as people get older.
Comments
This IELTS task 1 line graph has been organized primarily around theage
groups.
The candidate has decided that the first two age groups are fairly similar and so
can be grouped together, and the second two age group have similarities.
The differences between the under 44s and over 44s have also been
highlighted. For example:
Turning to those aged over 45, low crime accounted for the largest proportion at
approximately 80%, similar to those of a younger age.
Summary
This lesson has been about how to write about age groups and examples of how
answers may be organized differently.
Although this was about an IELTS task 1 line graph, it applies to any graphs or
charts in task 1, such as bar graphs or pie charts.
You need to make sure that you spend a few minutes analyzing the graph and
deciding on the best way to organize it so it will be easy to follow when the
examiner reads it.