Back to Writing Hub

User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 6.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

200 words AcademicTask 1Line Graph
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • The coast grows overall despite a small dip between 1987 and 1992, then finishes with the highest visitor total.
  • The lakes show the largest fluctuation: a sharp rise to a 2002 peak followed by a substantial fall.
  • The mountains remain the least visited area at the end, but their numbers increase gradually rather than decline.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the graph, its subject, locations and time period.
  2. Give an overview of the broad trends, the lakes’ peak and the final ranking.
  3. Describe the coast’s starting point, brief decline and subsequent rise.
  4. Compare the mountains’ steady increase with the lakes’ rise and later fall.
Useful vocabulary & examples
rose steadily
increased gradually over a period

Visitor numbers for the mountains rose steadily from about 20,000 to 35,000.

peaked at
reached the highest point

The number of visitors to the lakes peaked at approximately 75,000 in 2002.

fell to
decreased and reached a particular level

The lakes’ figure fell to around 50,000 by 2007.

ended as the most popular destination
had the highest visitor figure at the end of the period

The coast ended as the most popular destination, at about 75,000 visitors.

Task Prompt

The graph below shows the number of overseas visitors to three different areas in a European country between 1987 and 2007 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 6.0

The line graph illustrates the figure for overseas travellers to three different areas: the coast, the mountains and the lakes in a European country from 1987 to 2007. Overall, it is obvious that the number of tourists travelling to three areas increased over the period. In addition, coastal areas attracted the largest amount of people by the end of the period. In 1987, about 40,000 overseas visitors went to the coast, compared with 20,000 who visited the mountains and 10,000 who went to the lakes. The coastal figure dipped slightly to around 35,000 in 1992, before rising steadily to 75,000 by 2007. The number visiting the mountains increased more gradually, reaching 30,000 in 1997 and remaining at roughly this level in 2002, before finishing at about 35,000. The lakes showed the most dramatic change. Visitor numbers climbed from 10,000 in 1987 to 40,000 in 1997, then surged to a peak of approximately 75,000 in 2002. This was the highest figure on the graph at that point. However, the number fell to about 50,000 in 2007, leaving the lakes in second place, behind the coast but ahead of the mountains.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Qualify the overview’s ranking by saying the coast finishes highest, while the lakes briefly lead in 2002.
2
Use “number of visitors” consistently for counts, and reserve “amount” for uncountable quantities.
3
Before submitting, check articles in references to known graph categories, such as “the three areas.”

Related examples for this topic

Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.

Browse all