Task 1 · line graph · 18 samples

The line graph below shows the oil production and consumption in China between 1982 and 2006.

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Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Compare which series begins higher and which one ends higher; here, production starts slightly above consumption, but consumption finishes much higher.
  • Identify the different rates of change: production rises gradually, while consumption accelerates after the early plotted years.
  • Mention the axis-label problem: the task’s stated dates do not match the displayed years, and the last year is printed twice.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the graph, measures, and units.
  2. Give an overview of the overall direction and the main contrast between the two lines.
  3. Describe production’s starting level, plateau, and gradual later rise.
  4. Describe consumption’s early stability and sharper increase, then compare the final plotted values.
  5. Briefly note that the displayed dates are inconsistent or duplicated where this affects interpretation.
Useful vocabulary & examples
rose gradually
increased slowly over time

Oil production rose gradually after remaining near 3 million barrels per day.

remained stable
stayed at approximately the same level

Production remained stable at around 3 million barrels per day for a period.

increased substantially
went up by a large amount

Consumption increased substantially and reached about 6.3 million barrels per day at the final plotted point.

the gap widened
the difference between two values became greater

The gap between oil consumption and production widened as consumption climbed.

Sample answers

AI-completed learning example

202 words · Illustrative target band

The line graph illustrates the amount of oil produced and consumed daily in China from 1982 to 2006, measured in millions of barrels day. Overall, it can be seen that both oil production and consumption increased during the period. However, oil consumption rose more sharply and eventually exceeded oil production after the early 1990s. China experienced a gradual but uneven change in these two measures. At the beginni…

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AI-completed learning example

201 words · Illustrative target band

The line graph illustrates the amount of oil producted and consumed daily in China from 1982 to 2006, measured in millions of barrels day. Overall, it can be seen that both oil production and consumption increased during the period. However, oil consumption rose more sharply and eventually exceeded oil production after the early 1990. China's production was about 2 million barrels per day at the first plotted point, …

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AI-completed learning example

204 words · Illustrative target band

The line graph illustrates the oil production and consumption in China from 1982 to 2006. Over this time period, both oil production and consumption in China experienced a steady increase. In 1982, oil production and consumption were around 2 million barrels per day, and by 2006, they had risen to approximately 3.5 million barrels per day. However, this statement needs qualification: at the plotted endpoint, producti…

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