Lesson 18 · Lesson guide
Writing Task 1: The Line Graph — Introduction and Overview
Hello, my dear student!
Hello! Academic Writing Task 1 asks you to describe a chart in at least 150 words in about twenty minutes. The line graph is one of the most common types: it shows how something changed over time.
The two most important sentences in your report come first: the introduction, which paraphrases the task, and the overview, which gives the main trends without numbers. Examiners say that a report without a clear overview cannot get above Band 5 for Task Achievement.
Today you will learn to read a graph quickly, paraphrase its title, choose the key features and write a strong “Overall, …” sentence. In Lesson 19 you will learn the trend language for the details.
See you in the exercises,Your teacher
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The first two sentences
Read
What, unit, time, lines
What is measured? In what unit? Over which years? How many lines? Past years → past simple.
- Workers in three sectors (millions), 2000–2020
Introduction
Paraphrase the title
One sentence in your own words: shows → illustrates, the number of → how many, 2000–2020 → over a twenty-year period.
- The line graph illustrates how many people worked in three sectors in Country Y over a twenty-year period.
Overview
The big picture
Overall + the two most important features: the general direction, the highest line, the biggest change. No numbers.
- Overall, employment in tourism rose steadily, while mining declined.
Remember!
Introduction = paraphrase + time period. Overview = Overall + two main trends + no numbers.
Useful phrases
The line graph illustrates / compares / gives information about…
how many…, how much…, the proportion of…
over a twenty-year period / between 2000 and 2020
Overall, … while …
the most noticeable trend was…
Common mistakes
Not: Overall, mining fell from 5 million to 2 million.Say: Overall, employment in mining fell.
No numbers in the overview: save them for the details.
Not: In conclusion, tourism is the best sector.Say: Overall, tourism grew more than any other sector.
Task 1 has an overview, not a conclusion, and no opinions.
Not: The graph shows the number of people employed in three sectors in Country Y, 2000–2020.Say: The line graph illustrates how many people worked in three sectors in Country Y over a twenty-year period.
Copied words do not count. Paraphrase.
Check yourself
Which word starts the overview?
Does the overview need numbers?
Now it’s your turn!
8 short parts, each a little harder than the one before. Take your time: mistakes are how we learn.
— Your teacher