Writing Task 1: Line Graph: Question 5
Syllabus W.task1
The line graph below shows the percentage share of total energy consumption in the country of Kestraven supplied by four different fuel types between 1990 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
| Year | Coal (%) | Natural gas (%) | Nuclear (%) | Renewables (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 45 | 25 | 20 | 10 |
| 2000 | 38 | 30 | 18 | 14 |
| 2010 | 28 | 32 | 15 | 25 |
| 2020 | 12 | 30 | 10 | 48 |
The graph plots percentage share of total energy consumption on the vertical axis against four time points a decade apart, from 1990 to 2020, on the horizontal axis, with a separate line for each of the four fuel types; the coal line starts highest and falls continuously to become the lowest by 2020, the renewables line starts lowest and rises continuously to become the highest by 2020, crossing several of the other lines along the way, while natural gas rises then falls back only slightly and nuclear declines gently throughout.
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Worked solution
Examiner notes: why this is a band 9 response
Task Achievement
With four lines to manage, the overview does the essential work of selecting only the single most reportable feature, the coal/renewables reversal, rather than attempting to summarise all four trends at once. The body then reports each line with a proportionate level of detail: full figures for the two lines involved in the main reversal, and a shorter, comparative treatment of the two more stable lines (gas and nuclear), which is an appropriate way to manage a four-line graph within the word limit.
Coherence & Cohesion
The response is organised by significance rather than strictly by fuel-type order in the table: the two lines with the biggest story (coal, renewables) are treated first and at greatest length, and the two more stable lines are grouped together in a final comparative sentence, giving the report a clear sense of priority.
Lexical Resource
A wide range of precise vocabulary for both dramatic and gentle change is used without repetition (“a complete reversal”, “declined in every decade”, “overtaking”, “remained comparatively stable”, “eased back”, “fell gradually and consistently”), showing control over describing four lines of differing character.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Complex sentence structures accurately track multiple simultaneous comparisons (“coal, the dominant source in 1990, fell to become the smallest by 2020, while renewables followed the opposite path”), and all percentage figures, decade references and comparatives are used correctly with no errors.
Common pitfalls specific to this task
See commonMistakes above: the most damaging with a four-line graph is losing the overview’s focus by trying to summarise every line equally, a band 9 response identifies the one or two lines that matter most (here, the coal/renewables reversal) and treats the more stable lines more briefly.