IELTS Task 1 Line Graph: Time Spent Online by Age
Describe a line graph showing how many hours a day four age groups spent online between 2010 and 2025. Practise overviews and trend language.
- Time
- 20 min
- Length
- 150-190 words
Writadia · B2 · IELTS Task 1
NameClassDate
Your task
- 16–24
- 25–44
- 45–64
- 65+
Show the numbers as a table
| 16–24 | 25–44 | 45–64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| 2015 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 0.8 |
| 2020 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 3 | 1.6 |
| 2025 | 6 | 5.1 | 3.6 | 2.3 |
hours per day
Data invented for practice purposes.
The graph shows the average number of hours people in four age groups spent online each day between 2010 and 2025.
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
- Paraphrase the title in your first sentence. Don't copy it.
- Write an overview: the two or three biggest patterns, with no numbers.
- Body 1: the youngest group (highest, then a slight fall).
- Body 2: the other groups, comparing rates of growth.
- Check every number against the graph.
Useful phrases
Introduction
Overview
Trends
Comparing
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- illustrate
- showThe chart illustrates changes in spending.
- steadily
- gradually and evenlyUse rose steadily over the decade.
- level off
- stop rising or fallingThe figure levelled off in 2020.
- quadruple
- become four times biggerOnline time almost quadrupled.
- respectively
- in the order mentioned3 and 5 hours respectively.
Model answer (189 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 average amount of time that people in four age groups spent on the internet each day from 2010 to 2025.1
Overall, daily internet use increased in every age group over the period. The youngest users spent the most time online throughout, although the gap between the groups narrowed slightly by the end.2
In 2010, people aged 16 to 24 spent just over three hours online per day. This figure rose sharply to a peak of 6.2 hours in 2020, before falling slightly to 6 hours in 2025. The 25–44 age group followed a similar upward pattern, but its use continued to grow, reaching 5.1 hours by the end of the period.3
The two older groups started from much lower levels. Online time among 45- to 64-year-olds tripled, from 1.2 to 3.6 hours. The most dramatic relative change, however, was among people aged 65 and over, whose daily use rose from less than half an hour to 2.3 hours, more than five times the 2010 figure.4 Even so, this group remained the least active online in every year shown.
- Paraphrased introduction: "compares" for "shows", "time on the internet" for "hours online".
- Overview: two key features, no numbers.
- Comparison between two similar trends.
- Highlighting a relative change, not just the biggest numbers.
Teacher notes
Band descriptors: Task Achievement for Task 1 rewards a clear overview of main trends. Many candidates who write accurate details still lose marks because they have no overview.
Timing: 20 minutes, at least 150 words. Practise planning in 3 minutes.
Data note: the graph uses invented figures. Remind students not to add reasons or opinions in Task 1.
Extra challenge
Write the overview again in exactly two sentences, using different trend language.
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: illustrate, steadily, level off, quadruple, respectively.
- 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: “The line graph illustrates ...”, “The graph compares ... over a fifteen-year period.”, “Overall, ...”.
- 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
- I paraphrased the introduction.
- I wrote a clear overview without numbers.
- I compared groups, not just described each one.
- Every number I used is correct.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- I paraphrased the introduction.
- I wrote a clear overview without numbers.
- I compared groups, not just described each one.
- Every number I used is correct.
Writadia · B2 · IELTS Task 1
Assessment rubric: IELTS Task 1 Line Graph: Time Spent Online by Age
| 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
- I paraphrased the introduction.
- I wrote a clear overview without numbers.
- I compared groups, not just described each one.
- Every number I used is correct.
Teacher comment
Writadia · B2 · IELTS Task 1
Peer-review sheet: IELTS Task 1 Line Graph: Time Spent Online by Age
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I paraphrased the introduction. | |||
| I wrote a clear overview without numbers. | |||
| I compared groups, not just described each one. | |||
| Every number I used is correct. |
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: Time Spent Online by Age
- 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: illustrate, steadily, level off, quadruple, respectively.
- 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: “The line graph illustrates ...”, “The graph compares ... over a fifteen-year period.”, “Overall, ...”.
- 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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