IELTS Writing Task 1 – Bar Chart and Line Graph (Airport Passengers)
In a mixed question, the line graph shows change over time and the bar chart zooms in on one year. Link the two, put something from each chart in your overview, and write one body paragraph per chart with the right words for each.
Key points
The example question and chart from the video
The line graph shows the number of domestic and international passengers using one airport between 2000 and 2025, and the bar chart shows its international passengers by region in 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Band 9 model answer from the video (188 words)
The line graph illustrates how many domestic and international passengers used a particular airport from 2000 to 2025, while the bar chart breaks down the international figure for 2025 by region.
Overall, international travel grew dramatically and overtook domestic travel, which declined slightly over the period. In 2025, Europe accounted for by far the largest number of international passengers.
In 2000, the airport handled around 3 million domestic passengers, compared with just over 1 million international passengers. Domestic numbers rose slightly to a little over 3 million in 2005, before falling gradually to just under 2.5 million by 2025. By contrast, the figure for international passengers climbed rapidly, overtaking domestic travel by 2010, and reached approximately 12 million in 2025, roughly ten times its original level.
Of the 12.2 million international passengers in 2025, Europe accounted for the largest number, at 5.1 million, or over two fifths of the total. Asia came second with 3.4 million, followed by North America with 1.9 million. The Middle East and Africa were much smaller, at 1.2 million and 0.6 million respectively, together making up less than a sixth of the total.
Chapters in this video (16)
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:56Example Question
- 1:58How a Bar Chart and Line Graph Are Different
- 2:50How to Read the Charts
- 3:43Finding the Overview
- 4:53Grouping the Information
- 5:42Words for Trends and Comparisons
- 6:53Estimating Numbers on a Graph
- 8:01Answer Structure
- 8:35Writing the Introduction
- 9:56Writing the Overview
- 11:09Body Paragraph 1 (The Line Graph)
- 12:40Body Paragraph 2 (The Bar Chart)
- 14:02Three Common Mistakes
- 14:36Final Answer
- 15:05Outro
Words for trends and comparisons
| Word / phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| overtook | became higher than | International travel overtook domestic travel by 2010. |
| climbed rapidly | went up quickly | The number of international passengers climbed rapidly. |
| by far the largest number | much more than any other | Europe accounted for by far the largest number of international passengers. |
| followed by | the next one after it | Asia came second, followed by North America. |
| much smaller | a lot lower in number | The Middle East and Africa were much smaller. |
Practice task: Bus and rail passengers
The line graph shows the number of passengers using buses and trains in one city between 2000 and 2025, and the bar chart shows the purpose of rail journeys in 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Link the charts: the bar chart breaks down the rail figure for 2025.
Overview: one trend from the line graph and the biggest bar.
The line graph has no number labels, so estimate with about, around or just over. The bars add up to exactly 44 million.
Show model answer (try first!)
The line graph illustrates how many people used buses and trains in one city from 2000 to 2025, while the bar chart breaks down the rail figure for 2025 by the purpose of the journey.
Overall, rail travel grew steadily and overtook bus travel, which declined over the period. In 2025, commuting accounted for by far the largest number of rail journeys.
In 2000, buses carried around 40 million passengers, compared with roughly 15 million by rail. Bus numbers rose slightly to just over 40 million in 2005, before falling gradually to about 30 million by 2025. By contrast, the figure for rail passengers climbed steadily, overtaking bus travel between 2015 and 2020, and reached approximately 44 million in 2025, nearly three times its original level.
Of the 44 million rail journeys in 2025, commuting accounted for 21.6 million, just under half of the total. Leisure came second with 9.8 million, followed by shopping with 6.4 million. Education and other purposes were much smaller, at 4.2 million and 2.0 million respectively, together making up less than a seventh of the total.
181 words
This practice task and its model answer were written for the website. The video teaches the method with its own example (airport passengers), shown above.
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