📉 A bunch of IELTS Writing Task 1 (line graph) mistakes 📈

I have just checked the first line graph descriptions in my new IELTS writing group. 🥳

I love seeing people at the beginning of their IELTS writing journey because I know how much they will improve.

Here are some mistakes they made that many others make too (and my fixes).

1️⃣ "Pipeline usage to transport goods was constantly rising from 1974 to 1995, climbing to its highest point of approximately 22m tonnes of goods."

The mistake is not giving the initial figure and not saying when it reached 22 million tonnes. We need the initial figure because without it we can't understand the growth.

Fix: "Pipeline usage to transport goods started at 5 million tonnes and, after rising steadily until 1995, climbed to its highest point of approximately 22m tonnes by the end of the period."

2️⃣ "The figure showed an upward trend, which witnessed a fourfold increase in 1994, after this it remained unchanged until 2002."

The use of "which" is wrong because it defines "trend," but a trend cannot show a fourfold increase - a figure can. And don't get me started in the comma splice.

Fix: "The figure showed an upward trend, witnessing a fourfold increase in 1994 and remaining unchanged until 2002."

3️⃣ "Being the least widely used means of transport, the quantity of Pipeline delivered goods began at just 5 million tonnes, demonstrating a gradual upward trend, with the figure increasing fourfold to over 20 million tonnes in 1995 and remaining at the same level until the end of the period."

This sentence is too complex and clumsy. Why don't we split it?

Fix: "Being the lowest throughout the period, the quantity of Pipeline transported goods began at just 5 million tonnes. The figure demonstrated a gradual upward trend, increasing four-fold to over 20 million tonnes in 1995 and remaining at the same level until the end of the period."

4️⃣ "The most used way of transportation was the road, starting at about 70 million tonnes. After a slight rise to 75m tonnes, it slightly dipped to the lowest point of 65 million tonnes."

Bad referencing is by far the most common mistake. Here "it" refers to "way of transportation" - but a way cannot dip. A figure can.

Fix: "After a slight rise to 75m tonnes, this figure dipped slightly to the lowest point of 65 million tonnes."

5️⃣ "The amount of goods transported by road was the largest throughout the period, starting at 70 million tonnes. After decreasing slightly to just 67 million tonnes, [1] it started increasing gradually. Having dropped by just three tonnes in 1994, [2] it was followed by a significant increase between 1994 and 1998."

This is one more example of bad referencing. But it's more subtle. The first "it" is correct: it refers to "amount" and amount can increase. But the second "it" also seems to refer to "amount," but the we get "the amount was followed by a significant increase," which is not correct.

Fix: "... it started increasing gradually. This was followed by a drop of just three tonnes in 1994 and a subsequent increase until 1998."

All of the above are good mistakes because we can learn from them and become better writers. 💜