IELTS Academic Writing Task 1/ Graph Writing – Line Graph:
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph below gives information about the main purposes of overseas residents’ visits to the UK between 2000 and 2016.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Sample Answer 1:
The line graph illustrates the primary purposes for people to travel to the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2016. As can be seen, enjoying holidays, meeting friends and relatives, and business needs were the foremost reasons people from different countries went to the UK during the period, and the number grew over time.
As the diagram suggests, more than 25 million people travelled to the UK in 2000. Among them, almost 10 million were holiday seekers, while roughly 7 million travelled for business purposes. Around 6 million travelled to the country to meet someone, while another 3 million went to the UK for numerous other purposes. Then 2 million holiday seekers were added to the list, and after a decade, nearly 12 million holiday seekers visited the UK. During this time, around 6 million businessmen and 8.5 million ordinary travellers reached the country to meet relatives or friends. It is interesting to notice that the total number in 2016 was almost 10 million higher than that of 2000, and the highest number of people in 2016 travelled to the United Kingdom to enjoy their vacations. Moreover, the number of people who went there to meet relatives or friends also grew significantly.
Model Answer 2:
The line graph illustrates the primary reasons for people to travel to the United Kingdom during 2010 and 2016.
In general, the overall number of travellers to the UK gradually increased over time, and holiday seekers dominated the list.
In detail, more than 25 million people travelled to the UK in 2000, among whom almost 10 million were tourists, 7 million businessmen, 6 million relatives and friends of British citizens. The number of entry seekers at the British borders kept on increasing slowly but steadily till 2007, at which point the total number of visitors was about 34 million. The trend for the reason for travelling to the UK remained the same, with holiday seekers dominating the list, followed by business travel and visits to relatives & friends. All other reasons in combination contributed to 2.5 to 3.5 million travellers each year, and their number remained fairly constant over the years. The total number of travellers to the UK slightly declined between 2008 and 2010 as fewer business people travelled to the UK during this period compared to 2006. In the final year, 2026, an astonishing number of about 40 million people travelled to the UK, among whom holiday seekers constituted about 14 million, followed by visitors to friends and relatives (12 million) and almost 9 million business travellers.
Sample Answer 3:
The line graph illustrates the trends in the number of visits made by overseas residents to the United Kingdom for different purposes from 2000 to 2016.
Overall, holiday travel was consistently the most popular reason for visiting the UK and recorded the largest increase in visitors. Visits to friends or relatives also rose substantially, whereas business trips showed a relatively stable pattern.
In 2000, holidaymakers to the UK numbered just under 10 million, making this the dominant reason for people to travel to the UK at the start of the period. After a slight dip in 2001, the figure climbed steadily to reach about 11 million by 2006. From 2010 onwards, holiday visits climbed more sharply, peaking at approximately 14.5 million in 2016. Besides, visitors who went to visit friends or relatives began at around 6 million in 2000. Their number displayed a generally upward trajectory, with minor fluctuations until about 2008, ending at roughly 12 million in 2016, effectively doubling over the period.
In contrast, the number of business travellers started at about 7 million in 2000 and showed a gradual increase until around 2006, when it reached around 9 million. Following a slight decline in 2008, business visits recovered slowly and ended at 9.5 million in 2016. Finally, all other reasons (marked as miscellaneous) remained the least frequent purpose throughout the period. Beginning at around 2.5 million visits in 2000, and finishing at just over 3 million by 2016.
The line graph displays changes in the number of people visiting the UK from 2000 to 2016 and the primary reasons they made those visits.
Overall, the figure increased over the period. Furthermore, enjoying holidays was the main purpose people visited the country during the period.
To begin with, the most noticeable feature of the line graph is that there was a significant rise in the number of holidaymaking people and those who came to visit friends and relatives in the UK. They stood at approximately 6 and 9 million, respectively, in 2000. At the end of the given period, both saw an increase of 6 million.
Regarding business visits and other purposes, the number of visitors did not increase significantly. Business people started at 7 million, rose to a peak in 2006, and then fell to the original point in 2009 before rising stably to reach the highest point again 7 years later (9 million). People who came to the UK for miscellaneous reasons remained quite steady in the period, at about 3 million.