Write at least 150 words · 20 minutes
The line graph below shows the percentage of households with internet access in three countries between 2000 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
See the figures (%)
| Country A | Country B | Country C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 25 | 10 | 3 |
| 2005 | 48 | 22 | 8 |
| 2010 | 72 | 45 | 20 |
| 2015 | 86 | 70 | 41 |
| 2020 | 94 | 88 | 67 |
How to structure your report
- Introduction: paraphrase what the line graph shows.
- Overview: two or three main features or trends, with no numbers. This is the most important sentence for your band.
- Two body paragraphs: group the details logically and compare them, quoting the key figures.
- No opinion and no conclusion of your own: describe only what is shown.
A plan for this chart
- Introduction: paraphrase the graph: the percentage of households with internet access in three countries, 2000 to 2020.
- Overview: access rose a lot everywhere; Country A was highest throughout; Country C stayed behind but grew fastest in the last decade.
- Body 1: the starting figures and Country A’s fast rise, then slower growth near the top.
- Body 2: Country B closing the gap with A, and Country C’s slow start and later acceleration.
Model report
181 words
The line graph compares the percentage of households with access to the internet in three countries between 2000 and 2020.
Overall, internet access increased substantially in all three countries. Country A had the highest level throughout the period, while Country C, which started from a very low base, remained behind the other two, although it grew fastest in the final decade.
In 2000, a quarter of households in Country A had internet access, compared with 10% in Country B and only 3% in Country C. Access in Country A grew most quickly in the first decade, reaching 72% in 2010, after which growth slowed as it approached its maximum, ending at 94% in 2020.
Country B followed a similar upward path at a lower level, rising from 22% in 2005 to 70% in 2015 and 88% in 2020, so that the gap between it and Country A narrowed to just 6 percentage points. Country C changed little at first, with only 8% of households connected in 2005, but growth accelerated after 2010, and by 2020 two-thirds of homes (67%) were online.
Written by Acedmi to show what a high-band report looks like. It is not an official IELTS sample, and your own ideas can be different.
Useful vocabulary
- access to
- The ability to use something.
- “Most homes now have access to the internet.”
- substantially
- By a large amount.
- “Access increased substantially.”
- from a low base
- Starting from a small number.
- “Country C grew from a low base.”
- approach its maximum
- Get close to the highest possible level.
- “Growth slowed as it approached its maximum.”
- accelerate
- Become faster.
- “Growth accelerated after 2010.”
- narrow the gap
- Reduce the difference.
- “Country B narrowed the gap with Country A.”
- a quarter / two-thirds
- Fractions that vary your language: 25% / about 67%.
- “A quarter of homes were online in 2000.”
- upward trend
- A general rise.
- “All three lines show an upward trend.”
Common mistakes
- Prepositions after "increase": write "increased by 20 points" or "increased to 94%", not "increased of".
- Numbers in the overview. Keep the overview to the main trends.
- Describing every year for every line. Choose the start, the end and any change in speed.