What the Examiner Is Looking For

In Writing Task 1, the examiner checks four things. For a line graph, Task Achievement means you must describe the overall trend — not list every single data point.

The Most Common Mistake

Writing every data point in order (“In 2000 it was 20, in 2001 it was 22, in 2002 it was 25…”) is the fastest way to fail Task Achievement. Select only the most significant figures.

The Four-Part Structure

1. Introduction (1–2 sentences)

Paraphrase the graph title. Never copy it word for word.

  • Original: The graph shows car sales in Europe from 2000 to 2020.
  • Paraphrase: The line graph illustrates the number of vehicles sold across Europe over a twenty-year period.

2. Overview (2–3 sentences)

Describe the big picture. What is the most important trend overall?

The Overview Is Everything

The overview is the single most important paragraph for Task Achievement. A response without a clear overview cannot score above Band 5.

3 & 4. Body Paragraphs

Describe each line with specific data and time references. Use comparisons when there are multiple lines.

Essential Vocabulary

Upward trends:

  • rose sharply / increased steadily / climbed gradually
  • reached a peak of / surged to / hit a high of

Downward trends:

  • fell dramatically / dropped significantly / declined gradually
  • plummeted to / reached a low of / hit a trough of

Stable trends:

  • remained relatively stable / levelled off at / plateaued at
  • fluctuated between X and Y

Sample Sentence Structures

Sentence Pattern Example
Subject + verb + adverb Sales rose sharply between 2005 and 2010.
While X…, Y… While Country A grew steadily, Country B declined.
After + -ing, Subject… After peaking in 2010, figures fell significantly.
Having + past participle… Having risen for a decade, sales began to plateau.
Tense Rule

Past tense for graphs set in the past. Present tense for graphs without dates. Future tense for projections. Always check the dates on the graph before you begin writing.

A Band 7+ Task 1 response is not about what happened — it is about identifying why the pattern is significant.