IELTS graph # 285 – Internet users in Vietnam from 2003 to 2012

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1/ Graph Writing – Bar Chart/ Column Graph:

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below shows the total number of internet users in Vietnam from 2003 to the second quarter of 2012.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You should write at least 150 words.

Internet users in Vietnam (in million), 2003-2012

* Internet users until Q2 2012. Data source – Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC).

Model Answer 1:
The vertical bar chart delineates how the internet users in Vietnam developed from the beginning of 2003 to the second quarter of 2012, according to the data provided by the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center.

As is obvious in the bar chart, the number of internet subscribers in Vietnam increased steadily throughout the period.

According to the diagram, 3.1 million Vietnamese used the internet in 2003, which more than doubled in just a year. After another year, total internet users in Vietnam exceeded 10 million, and in 2006, another 4 million new users emerged. During 2006 and 2008, the number of such netizens (people who are connected to the internet) doubled, accounting for approximately 21 million total users. It is worth noticing that the number of new internet subscribers kept on increasing in Vietnam throughout the period, and in 2011, their number went as high as 30 million, ten times higher than that of 2003. During the second quarter of 2012, the Vietnamese internet subscribers reached a record high, 31.2 million, with 0.6 million new users in just six months.

Sample Answer 2:
The bar chart illustrates the growth in the number of internet users in Vietnam over a period spanning from 2003 to the second quarter of 2012.

As is obvious from the data, there was a clear upward trend throughout the period, with the number of Vietnamese internet users increasing sharply from just a few million in 2003 to over thirty million by mid-2012.

In 2003, approximately 3.1 million people in Vietnam were using the internet. Within a year, this figure more than doubled, rising to about 6.3 million by 2004. The upward trajectory continued, and by 2005, the number of internet users had surpassed 10 million, illustrating the rapid adoption of internet technology in the country. In 2006, roughly 14 million Vietnamese were connected, and this figure climbed steadily over the next few years. Between 2006 and 2008, the total number of users almost doubled again, reaching around 21 million by 2008.

The growth continued over the following years, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. By 2011, the number of internet users had swollen to about 30 million, nearly ten times the figure from 2003. In the first half of 2012 alone, an additional 0.6 million users were added, bringing the total to around 31.2 million by the second quarter.