Line Graphs

What Line Graphs Test

Line graphs show change over time — trends going up, down, fluctuating, or remaining stable. Your job is to describe these trends accurately and compare them where multiple lines are shown. The examiner wants precise language, accurate data selection, and clear overall trends.

The Four-Paragraph Structure

Introduction (2 sentences): Paraphrase the title and state what the graph shows. Never copy the title word for word.

Overview (2-3 sentences): Identify the two or three most significant overall trends without using any specific data figures. This is the most important paragraph — many students skip it and lose significant marks.

Body Paragraph 1: Describe the most significant trend or the first line in detail. Include specific data points — start value, end value, peak or trough, and approximate timing.

Body Paragraph 2: Compare with the second line or describe the next most significant trend. Always link back to Body Paragraph 1 for comparison.

Trend Vocabulary — The Essential List

Going up: rose, increased, climbed, grew, surged, soared, jumped Going up gradually: rose gradually, increased steadily, grew slowly Going up sharply: surged, soared, rocketed, jumped dramatically Going down: fell, decreased, declined, dropped, plummeted, dipped Staying the same: remained stable, stayed constant, levelled off, plateaued Fluctuating: fluctuated, varied, was volatile, rose and fell irregularly

Adverbs That Boost Your Score

Pair trend verbs with adverbs for precision: rose sharply, declined gradually, increased marginally, fluctuated significantly, dropped dramatically, grew steadily.

Band Comparison — The Overview Paragraph

Band 5: "The graph shows many things going up and down."

Band 7: "Overall, the number of users increased significantly over the period, while costs showed a general decline despite some fluctuation."

Band 9: "Overall, the most striking trend is the dramatic and sustained growth in user numbers throughout the period, which contrasts sharply with the gradual but consistent reduction in operating costs observed from the midpoint onwards."

Common Mistakes

Writing a list of every data point without identifying trends — this reads like a data dump and scores Band 5 maximum.

Copying the graph title word for word in the introduction.

Omitting the overview paragraph entirely — this alone can drop you an entire band.

Using "go up" and "go down" throughout — these are too informal and show limited Lexical Resource.

Practice Question

The line graph below shows the number of visitors to three different museums in a city between 2000 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.