The graph below shows the number of overseas visitors who came to the UK for different purposes between 1989 and 2009.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 1 question on IELTSX. The graph below shows the number of overseas visitors who came to the UK for different purposes between 1989 and 2009.

Overseas Visitors UK Different Purposes 1989-2009 Line Graph - IELTS Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

IELTS Writing Task 1 chart for Overseas Visitors UK Different Purposes 1989-2009 Line Graph
Chart supplied with the IELTS Writing Task 1 question: Overseas Visitors UK Different Purposes 1989-2009 Line Graph

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 8 ยท 223 words.

The line graph compares the number of overseas visitors to the UK for three purposes - holidays, visiting friends or relatives and business between 1989 and 2009.

Overall, holidays consistently accounted for the largest proportion of visits, while business trips remained the least common despite experiencing steady growth for most of the period. Although all three categories showed an overall increase, fluctuations were evident, particularly in holiday travel and social visits.

In 1989, around 6.5 million tourists visited the UK for holidays, significantly higher than the figures for visiting friends or relatives (approximately 5 million) and business (about 3.5 million). Holiday travel rose sharply during the 1990s, reaching a peak of roughly 9.5 million in 1999. However, this was followed by a decline to about 7.5 million in 2004, before recovering to approximately 9 million by 2009.

By contrast, visits to friends or relatives initially fell to around 4 million in the early 1990s, after which they increased steadily, overtaking business travel and reaching about 7 million in 2004. This figure peaked at just over 8 million near the end of the period, before dropping slightly to 7 million in 2009.

Business travel showed the most consistent upward trend, rising gradually from 3.5 million to around 7 million in 2004. Nevertheless, it experienced a modest decline thereafter, finishing at just above 6 million.

Examiner feedback

This is a high-level response that demonstrates a strong command of English. The primary strength is the sophisticated use of grammar and vocabulary. The main weakness is a lapse in data accuracy regarding the starting figures for Business and VFR travel, which prevents a higher score in Task Achievement.

Task Achievement - 7

- The response covers all three categories (holidays, business, and VFR) and identifies the main trends over the 20-year period. - Key features like the peak in holiday travel and the overtaking of business travel by social visits are clearly highlighted. - However, there is a significant data inaccuracy in the first paragraph of the body: in the actual graph for 1989, business travel (approx. 5m) was higher than visiting friends or relatives (approx. 3.5m), but the student response swaps these figures.

Coherence & Cohesion - 8

- Information is logically sequenced, moving from a general overview to specific details for each category. - Cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'Nevertheless', and 'Thereafter' are used naturally to link ideas. - Paragraphing is appropriate and supports the clear progression of the report.

Lexical Resource - 8

- The response uses a wide range of vocabulary appropriate for data description: 'consistently accounted for', 'fluctuations', 'upward trend', and 'overtaking'. - Collocations are used skilfully (e.g., 'steady growth', 'modest decline', 'consistent upward trend'). - There are no spelling errors, and word formation is accurate throughout.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of structures is used with full flexibility and control. - Sentences are complex and error-free, utilizing structures like 'despite experiencing...', 'after which they increased...', and 'this was followed by...'. - Punctuation is accurate, and the writing feels natural to a native speaker.

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