The Line Graph question type in IELTS Writing Task 1 is quite common. However, many students still make regrettable mistakes, leading to unnecessary loss of points. This article will share detailed instructions on how to write this type of question.
IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph Question Types
The IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph question type includes one or more lines representing the change of an object over time. Therefore, when writing, you need to carefully consider the time frame to choose the appropriate tense.
There are two types of line charts: https://damienmolony.org/
- Fewer than 3 lines: This type of question rarely appears in the exam because it’s quite easy. For this type, you should focus on comparing two lines that are close together over time. Also, clarify the increasing or decreasing trend of the objects.
- Problems with more than 3 lines: This type of problem has appeared more often in exams since 2017.
4 steps to write a Line Graph essay
To help you visualize how to write an IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph essay, let’s analyze the following specific example with IELTS Xuan Phi:

The line graph shows the average CO2 emissions per person in four countries from 1967 to 2007.
Step 1: Analyze the IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph prompt.
You need to answer the following six questions to fully understand the prompt: https://diagnostics.iimcip.org/
- What is the subject of the chart? Average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person.
- Where are the data in the chart taken from? – From 4 countries: United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Portugal
- How many elements are mentioned in the chart? – 4 elements are mentioned
- When were the data in the chart taken? – From 1967 to 2007, including 5 time points.
- What tense should be used in this exercise? (Using the present time as the reference point, determine the present, past, and future tenses): In this exercise, the reference points are before 2024, so use the past tense.
- What is the unit of measurement for the data in the chart? – Print metric tonnes (tons)
Step 2: Write the Introduction
Task 1 usually carries fewer points, so you should only spend about https://americannordicwalking.com/press/ 15-20 minutes on it out of the 60-minute time limit. To save time, you should paraphrase the question. There are two ways to paraphrase it:
- Method 1: Using synonyms and antonyms
- Method 2: Change the grammatical structure, for example, using the passive voice or vice versa.
Example with the above topic: The line graph illustrates the amounts of CO2 emitted by each person in four countries over a period of 40 years starting from 1967. https://ingrid.bike/
Step 3: Write the overview
You should identify the two most important points of the chart to write a concise and to-the-point overview. For example:
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- General trend characteristics: What is the trend of the lines: increasing, decreasing, or not fluctuating much (stable)?
- Outstanding Change: Which line increased the most, which decreased the most? Or which line has the largest, which has the smallest value? Try to find the most striking feature of the chart to impress the judges.
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Notes when writing an overview:
- Do not include data in the overview. Instead, include the data in the Body section.
- This is an important section, but you should only write about 1-2 sentences about it to avoid wasting time: Sentence 1 will describe characteristic number 1. Sentence 2 will describe characteristic number 2, and you should usually add words like “in addition” or “furthermore” at the beginning of the sentence.
In the example above, you could write the overview as follows:
As can be seen from the graph, each Swedish or UK person released https://socialinnovationacademy.org/career/ less CO2 over the period researched, but CO2 emissions in Italy and Portugal showed a rise. UK citizens are responsible for the most CO2 emissions of all time.
Step 4: Write Body 1 and 2
For each body paragraph, you should write about 4-5 sentences, using the following methods:
Method 1: Comparing objects within the same time period:
- Body 1: Compare the time periods from the beginning to the middle: Describe the highest to the lowest figures and the significant changes (increase, sharp decrease, etc.).
- Body 2: Comparison of the time intervals between the middle and end is similar to Body 1.
Method 2: Group the charts into 2 trends (this method is recommended for charts with 3 or more lines)
- Body 1: Group the lines that share an upward trend to illustrate the pattern from beginning to end.
- Body 2: Group the lines that share a downward or stable trend to illustrate the pattern.
>> See more sample essays for IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph here
Some things to keep in mind when writing an article.
Here are some common mistakes that candidates make when answering the IELTS Writing Task 1 Line Graph question, leading to lost points:
- Include your personal opinions in the essay. This will make the essay seem like speculation, or even factual error.
- The overview https://challenges.trade.com/en/ section fails to highlight the key features of the chart.
- Over-analyzing each line in detail not only exceeds the word limit but also fails to compare the objects effectively. Instead, focus on describing the differences between the lines to clarify the relationships between them.
- Overcrowding the text with too much information, timelines, and locations makes it difficult for readers to grasp the overall picture and undermines the logical flow of your thinking.
- Incorrect tense usage: Many candidates don’t pay attention to time markers, always assuming that the past tense is always necessary in line graphs. This mistake results in significant point deductions, so please be mindful of it.
Line graph questions frequently appear in the Writing section of the IELTS exam. Therefore, you should study this type of question thoroughly to achieve the highest band score. If you are struggling with IELTS Writing, don’t hesitate to inbox IELTS Xuan Phi for detailed study plan advice ! https://oyo777.one/

