Line Graphs: Introductions & Overviews (British Council Academic IELTS: Writing): Study Material

Line graphs: introductions & overviews

Rephrasing the question

• A typical line graph in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 looks like this:

• First, read the task question and  look carefully at the information presented in the line graph

• Make sure you understand the graph before you start writing the introduction

• The introduction usually includes two parts:

  • An introductory sentence that rephrases the task question (one sentence)

  • An overview describing the main features of the graph (two sentences) 

• Your introductory sentence should not copy the task question

• You will lose marks in “Task Achievement” if you simply copy the task question

• To avoid that, use the task question as your starting point and circle the keywords in it

• Think of synonyms for those keywords and use them to paraphrase the task question

• Make sure your paraphrase keeps the same meaning as the task question

• You do not need to paraphrase every single word (some terms, like “line graph”, can stay the same)

• In your introductory sentence, do not include detailed data, describe trends or compare figures

Example of a good introductory sentence

• Task question:

  • The line graph shows changes in the number of smartphones sold across four countries between 2010 and 2020

• A possible introduction:

  • The line graph compares smartphone sales in China, India, Germany and Brazil between 2010 and 2020, measured in millions of units

Finding the overview

• After your first introductory sentence, you need to write the overview

• This is the part where you give an overview of the main features shown in the line graphs

• Your overview should show that you understand the big picture, so focus on overall trends across the whole graph

• Avoid describing small details and minor fluctuations

• Try to identify which line or category was generally highest or lowest

• Notice any clear increases, decreases, stability or major changes

• What you should look for:

  • Which line(s) rose or  fell overall

  • Which line(s) stayed fairly stable

  • Whether two lines moved in similar or different ways

  • Whether one category remained higher or lower than the others for most of the period

  • Any noticeable comparisons between lines

Example of a good overview

• Task question:

  • The line graph shows changes in the number of smartphones sold across four countries between 2010 and 2020

• A possible overview:

  • Overall, sales rose in all four countries over the period. China had the highest figures throughout, while India experienced the most dramatic growth