Writing Templates & Sample Answers
For every IELTS writing question type — see exactly what separates Band 6 from Band 9, with annotated paragraphs, band-killer mistakes, and a pre-submit checklist.
Line Graph
Line graphs show how one or more quantities change over time. You must describe the overall trend, key highs/lows, and compare lines where relevant.
How to recognise this type
- →A graph with data points connected by lines
- →An x-axis showing time (years, months, decades)
- →Instructions saying 'summarise the information' or 'describe the main features'
- →Multiple lines representing different categories
Sample Exam Question
The graph below shows the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Introduction (Paraphrase the prompt)
“The line graph shows information about owned and rented homes in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.”
- ❌ Copies words directly from the prompt ('owned', 'rented')
- ❌ Missing the unit of measurement (percentage)
- ❌ No attempt to paraphrase — examiners penalise this
- ❌ Bare and mechanical — does not signal what the graph reveals
“The line graph illustrates the proportion of households in owner-occupied versus rented accommodation in England and Wales across nearly a century, from 1918 to 2011.”
- ✅ 'proportion' paraphrases 'percentage' — different word, same meaning
- ✅ 'owner-occupied' paraphrases 'owned' — precise academic vocabulary
- ✅ 'across nearly a century' adds analytical depth without inventing data
- ✅ Clear scope: who, what, where, when — examiner knows exactly what follows
Overview (Most important trends — NO data here)
“Overall, owned homes went up and rented homes went down. In 1918, rented homes were higher but by 2011 owned homes were higher.”
- ❌ Vague language: 'went up', 'went down' — no sense of scale or significance
- ❌ Includes specific years — overviews should state the BIG picture only
- ❌ No mention of the crossover point — the most striking feature
- ❌ Reads like a body paragraph, not a strategic overview
“Overall, the most striking feature is the complete reversal of the two tenure types: owner-occupation rose dramatically to become the dominant form of housing, while renting declined sharply — the two lines crossing at some point in the mid-century.”
- ✅ 'complete reversal' — one phrase captures the whole story
- ✅ 'dominant form' — evaluative, not just descriptive
- ✅ Notes the crossover without specifying the exact year (that goes in the body)
- ✅ No numbers — overviews are for trends, body paragraphs are for data
Body Paragraph 1 (First half of timeline or first category)
“In 1918, 23% of homes were owned and 77% were rented. By 1953, owned homes rose to 32% and rented homes went down to 68%. In 1971 owned was 50% and rented was also 50%.”
- ❌ Mechanical list of figures — no comparison language
- ❌ No linking words between sentences
- ❌ Repeats '% were' structure every sentence — poor grammatical range
- ❌ Does not highlight WHY the 1971 crossover is significant
“In 1918, rented accommodation was overwhelmingly dominant, accounting for 77% of households compared to just 23% in owner-occupation. However, ownership grew steadily throughout the following decades, and by 1971 the two categories had reached parity at approximately 50% each — a pivotal milestone in English housing history.”
- ✅ 'overwhelmingly dominant' — evaluative adverb + adjective pairing
- ✅ 'compared to just 23%' — comparison embedded mid-sentence (Coherence)
- ✅ 'reached parity' — precise academic phrase instead of 'were equal'
- ✅ 'pivotal milestone' — analytical comment lifts the response above description