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Line graph: International students enrolled

Pick out the main features of this line graph for your overview, write your report on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.

WRITING TASK 1

Line graph

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below shows the number of international students enrolled at universities in four countries from 2005 to 2020.

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

Write at least 150 words.

International students enrolled
Line graph: International students enrolled (thousands). The values are in the data table below.thousands0200400600200520082011201420172020
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Germany
  • New Zealand
Show data table
International students enrolled (thousands)
CategoryAustraliaCanadaGermanyNew Zealand
20051809020040
200825013022060
201130020025050
201434027029040
201742037032045
202038053037030

GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.

What your overview should say

An overview names the main trends or differences in one or two sentences, without numbers. These are the features a strong answer picks out:

  1. 1Overall, three of the four destinations attracted more international students over the period, with Canada's growth the most dramatic, while New Zealand was the exception.
  2. 2Canada rose from 90,000 to 530,000 to become the most popular destination in 2020, overtaking Australia, which peaked at 420,000 in 2017 before dropping to 380,000.
  3. 3Germany grew steadily to 370,000, whereas New Zealand stayed the smallest, ending at 30,000 after falling from its 2008 high of 60,000.

Write it on the clock

Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.

20:00

0 words of 150 minimum

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Band-8 model answer

Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.

Show model answer (177 words)

The line graph shows how many international students were enrolled at universities in Australia, Canada, Germany and New Zealand between 2005 and 2020.

Overall, Canada saw the most striking growth and ended the period as the most popular destination, whereas New Zealand was the only country whose enrolments were lower at the end than at the start. Australia and Germany both grew, though Australia dipped at the end.

Canada began with 90,000 students, the second-lowest figure, yet it rose steadily to 370,000 in 2017 and then to 530,000 in 2020, overtaking both Australia and Germany. Australia started at 180,000 and increased to 420,000 in 2017, but fell to 380,000 by 2020. Germany's rise was smoother, from 200,000 in 2005 to 370,000 in 2020, with no decline at any point.

New Zealand attracted far fewer students than the other countries. Its figure grew from 40,000 to 60,000 in 2008, then slipped back to 50,000 in 2011 and 40,000 in 2014. After a slight recovery to 45,000 in 2017, it dropped to its lowest level of 30,000 in 2020.

Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
student enrolmentthe number of people registered on courses
soarrise rapidly and dramatically
peak atreach the highest level
experience a declinego down over time
steady growtha gradual and consistent increase
overseas studentsstudents who study outside their home country

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