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Library visits and e-book downloads
IELTS Writing task 1 (Academic). Write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes.
The graph below shows the number of visits to public libraries and the number of e-books downloaded in one country between 2010 and 2019. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
0 words (minimum 150) · 20:00
How to plan it
- Paragraph 1: say what the graph shows (one sentence).
- Paragraph 2: overview, the two main trends and the fact that the lines cross.
- Paragraph 3: the first period, with the figures for 2010 and 2016.
- Paragraph 4: the final figures for 2019 and a comparison.
Show a model answer (174 words)
The line graph shows how many visits were made to public libraries and how many e-books were downloaded in one country between 2010 and 2019.
Overall, library visits fell steadily while e-book downloads rose sharply, and by the end of the period downloads were higher than visits. The lines crossed at some point between 2016 and 2019.
In 2010 there were 40 million library visits, compared with only 5 million e-book downloads. By 2013 visits had dipped slightly to 38 million, whereas downloads had more than doubled to 12 million. Over the next three years visits declined further to 33 million, while downloads climbed to 20 million, which was four times the figure for 2010.
In the final period the trends continued. Library visits fell to 28 million in 2019, which was the lowest figure of the period, but e-book downloads reached 31 million, a little more than six times the figure for 2010. In other words, the number of downloads overtook the number of visits, although the total number of visits remained large.
Why it works
- The overview mentions the crossing of the lines, which is the main feature of the graph.
- Each figure in the model can be checked against the graph: 5 to 20 is four times, and 5 to 31 is a little more than six times.
- The writer picks the start, the middle and the end, instead of listing every point.