IELTS Task 1 Line Graph: Cycling in Three Cities
Describe how daily bicycle journeys changed in three cities over 24 years, including two cities overtaking a third.
- Time
- 20 min
- Length
- 150-190 words
Writadia · B2 · IELTS Task 1
NameClassDate
Your task
- Northport
- Eastvale
- Southbridge
Show the numbers as a table
| Northport | Eastvale | Southbridge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 40 | 90 | 20 |
| 2006 | 48 | 85 | 22 |
| 2012 | 70 | 80 | 25 |
| 2018 | 110 | 78 | 45 |
| 2024 | 150 | 82 | 95 |
thousand journeys per day
Data invented for practice purposes.
The graph shows the number of bicycle journeys made per day in three cities between 2000 and 2024.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Writing toolkit
Open these only when you need them. Try the first draft on your own.
Plan it in steps
- Find the big story: two cities grew, one stayed flat.
- Note the moments when one line crosses another.
- Overview: no numbers, just the main trends and the final ranking.
- Paragraph 1: Northport and Eastvale. Paragraph 2: Southbridge.
- Check every number against the graph before you finish.
Useful phrases
Overview
Trends
Crossing points
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- overtake
- become higher than something that was higher beforeNorthport overtook Eastvale.
- quadruple
- become four times biggerJourneys almost quadrupled.
- broadly
- generally, not in every detailThe figure remained broadly stable.
- dip
- fall slightly for a short timeNumbers dipped in 2018.
Model answer (160 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
The line graph compares the number of daily bicycle journeys in Northport, Eastvale and Southbridge from 2000 to 2024.1
Overall, cycling grew considerably in Northport and Southbridge, whereas it remained broadly stable in Eastvale. As a result, Eastvale fell from first place to last by the end of the period.2
In 2000, Eastvale recorded 90,000 journeys a day, more than double the figure for Northport (40,000). However, Eastvale's total dipped gradually to 78,000 in 2018 before recovering slightly to 82,000. Northport, by contrast, rose steadily and then sharply, overtaking Eastvale between 2012 and 20183 and reaching 150,000 journeys in 2024, almost four times its original level.
Southbridge started with the lowest figure, just 20,000 journeys, and changed very little until 2012. After that, cycling there took off,4 climbing to 45,000 in 2018 and then more than doubling to 95,000 in 2024, which meant that it also overtook Eastvale in the final years.
- Paraphrased introduction: "compares", "daily", "from... to".
- Overview: main trends + final ranking, no numbers.
- A crossing point is a key feature.
- "took off" = started to grow very fast.
Teacher notes
Accuracy check: 40 → 150 is ×3.75 ("almost four times"); 45 → 95 is "more than doubling".
Common error: describing each year for each city. Ask students for a maximum of eight numbers.
Extra challenge
Write two overview sentences for a version of the graph in which Eastvale also doubled. What changes?
Lesson plan
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: overtake, quadruple, broadly, dip.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “Overall, cycling grew strongly in ... and ..., while ... remained broadly stable.”, “By the end of the period, ... had become the city with the most journeys.”, “rose steadily / climbed sharply / almost quadrupled”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (150-190 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Assessment rubric
| Criterion | Band 7+ | Band 6 | Band 5 | Band 4 or below | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement | Clear overview; key features selected and compared. | Overview present; some details irrelevant or missing. | No clear overview; details listed mechanically. | Task largely not addressed. | |
| Coherence and Cohesion | Logical flow; varied, natural linking; clear paragraphs. | Generally organised; linking sometimes mechanical. | Weak organisation; few or faulty linkers. | Ideas not linked. | |
| Lexical Resource | Wide, precise vocabulary; few slips. | Adequate range; some errors that do not block meaning. | Limited range; noticeable repetition and spelling errors. | Very limited; meaning often lost. | |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | Variety of complex structures; most sentences error-free. | Mix of simple and complex forms; errors rarely reduce clarity. | Mostly simple forms; frequent errors. | Errors seriously affect understanding. | |
| Total | |||||
Criterion names are the official IELTS criteria; descriptors are short classroom summaries. Each criterion carries equal weight.
Task checklist
- My overview mentions all three cities.
- I described at least one point where lines cross.
- Every number I used matches the graph.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- My overview mentions all three cities.
- I described at least one point where lines cross.
- Every number I used matches the graph.
Writadia · B2 · IELTS Task 1
Assessment rubric: IELTS Task 1 Line Graph: Cycling in Three Cities
| Criterion | Band 7+ | Band 6 | Band 5 | Band 4 or below | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement | Clear overview; key features selected and compared. | Overview present; some details irrelevant or missing. | No clear overview; details listed mechanically. | Task largely not addressed. | |
| Coherence and Cohesion | Logical flow; varied, natural linking; clear paragraphs. | Generally organised; linking sometimes mechanical. | Weak organisation; few or faulty linkers. | Ideas not linked. | |
| Lexical Resource | Wide, precise vocabulary; few slips. | Adequate range; some errors that do not block meaning. | Limited range; noticeable repetition and spelling errors. | Very limited; meaning often lost. | |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | Variety of complex structures; most sentences error-free. | Mix of simple and complex forms; errors rarely reduce clarity. | Mostly simple forms; frequent errors. | Errors seriously affect understanding. | |
| Total | |||||
Criterion names are the official IELTS criteria; descriptors are short classroom summaries. Each criterion carries equal weight.
Task checklist
- My overview mentions all three cities.
- I described at least one point where lines cross.
- Every number I used matches the graph.
Teacher comment
Writadia · B2 · IELTS Task 1
Peer-review sheet: IELTS Task 1 Line Graph: Cycling in Three Cities
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| My overview mentions all three cities. | |||
| I described at least one point where lines cross. | |||
| Every number I used matches the graph. |
Questions
- Does the text cover every point in the task?
- Are there paragraphs? What is each one about?
- Write two linking words the writer used.
- Is there a sentence you had to read twice?
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Writadia · B2 · IELTS Task 1
Lesson plan: IELTS Task 1 Line Graph: Cycling in Three Cities
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: overtake, quadruple, broadly, dip.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “Overall, cycling grew strongly in ... and ..., while ... remained broadly stable.”, “By the end of the period, ... had become the city with the most journeys.”, “rose steadily / climbed sharply / almost quadrupled”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (150-190 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
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