Task 1 · line graph · 18 samples

The graph below shows the consumption of 3 spreads from 1981 to 2007.

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Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Identify the overall direction of each line separately: margarine and butter fall over the full period, while the low-fat variety rises after it appears and then declines.
  • Highlight key turning points: butter peaks in 1986, margarine reaches a plateau around 100 grams in 1991–1996, and the low-fat line surges by 2001.
  • Mention crossovers where they change the ranking: Low Fat & Reduced Spreads is highest in 2001, while butter and margarine are no longer the leading series.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the graph, naming all three spreads, the years and the unit.
  2. Give an overview that accurately summarises the different overall patterns and the late-period ranking.
  3. Describe butter and margarine together, using their start values, peaks or plateaus and final values.
  4. Describe the later-starting low-fat series and compare its 2001 peak with the other spreads.
Useful vocabulary & examples
reached a peak of
rose to its highest recorded value

Butter reached a peak of approximately 160 grams in 1986.

remained stable at
stayed at approximately the same level

Margarine consumption remained stable at around 100 grams from 1991 to 1996.

overtook both alternatives
became higher than the other two series

Low Fat & Reduced Spreads overtook both alternatives in 2001.

eased to
fell slightly or gradually to a lower value

The low-fat spread eased to about 70 grams by 2007.

Sample answers

AI-completed learning example

187 words · Illustrative target band

The line graph illustrates the trends in the consumption of three types of spreads—Margarine, Low Fat & Reduced Spreads, and Butter—from 1981 to 2007. Overall, the data indicates a marked decline in the consumption of all spreads towards the end of the period, with Butter maintaining the highest consumption levels throughout. In 1981, Margarine consumption was about 90 grams, then dipped to 80 grams in 1986. It subse…

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AI-completed learning example

208 words · Illustrative target band

The line graph illustrates the consumption trends of three distinct types of spreads—margarine, low-fat and reduced spreads, and butter—over a period spanning from 1981 to 2007. Overall, while the consumption of both margarine and butter diminished significantly, the popularity of low-fat and reduced spreads surged, culminating in their dominance by the end of the observed period. In 1981, butter was the most widely …

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AI-completed learning example

188 words · Illustrative target band

The line graph illustrates the daily per capita consumption of three types of spreads from 1981 to 2007 in a specific country. Overall, the data indicates a general decline in the consumption of butter and margarine, whereas low-fat and reduced spreads demonstrated an initial increase followed by a decrease towards the end of the observed period. Butter was the most consumed spread at the beginning, at about 140 gram…

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