Academic Writing Task 1 · mixed chart

Annual visits to Australia by overseas residents between 1975 and 2005: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 mixed chart question with a Band 8 sample answer, the chart redrawn with its data, the vocabulary that lifts the report and how to write about mixed charts.
  • 189 words
  • Mixed charts
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The line graph below shows the number of annual visits to Australia by overseas residents. The table below gives information on the country of origin where the visitors came from.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Number of visitors (million)
People from19752005
South Korea2.99.1
Japan3.212.0
China0.30.8
USA0.41.1
Britain0.92.9
Europe1.14.5
TOTAL8.830.4
Visits to Australia by Overseas Residents, 1975 - 2005 (million)
010203040501975198519952005
View the data
1975198519952005
Total Visits8.816.524.531.5

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8189 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The provided table and line graph illustrate the growth in annual visits to Australia by overseas residents between 1975 and 2005, broken down by country of origin. Overall, there was a significant increase in the total number of visitors to Australia throughout the period, with Japan emerging as the most prominent source of tourism.

As shown in the line graph, the total number of visits rose steadily from 8.8 million in 1975 to approximately 31.5 million by 2005. This growth was consistent across the decades, with figures reaching roughly 16.5 million in 1985 and 24.5 million in 1995.

The table provides a more detailed breakdown of these figures. Japan was the leading contributor in both years, with visitor numbers surging from 3.2 million to 12.0 million. South Korea also saw substantial growth, rising from 2.9 million to 9.1 million. While other regions such as Europe, Britain, the USA, and China accounted for smaller proportions of the total, all experienced upward trends. Notably, European visitors increased from 1.1 million to 4.5 million, while the number of visitors from China remained the lowest, growing only from 0.3 million to 0.8 million.

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Mixed charts

How to write about mixed charts: tips and vocabulary

  • →Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals.
  • →Give each visual its own detail paragraph.
  • →Point out where one chart explains the other.
  • steady upward trend

    a continuous and consistent increase over time

  • surging

    rising very quickly and by a large amount

  • prominent

    important, noticeable, or standing out from others

  • accounted for

    made up a specific portion of the whole

  • substantial

    of considerable importance, size, or worth

  • broken down

    divided into smaller, more specific categories

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

The total number of annual visits to Australia experienced a steady upward trend over the thirty-year period, with Japan consistently remaining the primary source of visitors.

How many words and how long for IELTS Writing Task 1?+

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How is IELTS Writing Task 1 scored?+

On four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A clear overview of the main features is what most separates Band 6 from Band 7 and above.

How do I describe mixed charts?+

Write one overview sentence that links the two visuals. Give each visual its own detail paragraph. Point out where one chart explains the other.

Keep practising

More mixed charts

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