IELTS Examiner / Practice Prompt Bank — GT & Academic / Academic Task 1
IELTS Academic Task 1: Line Graph — Environment & energy
Original practice prompt written in exam style — not a real exam question, and not a prediction.
The graph below shows carbon dioxide emissions per person in three countries between 1960 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. The data is as follows (tonnes of CO2 per person per year). The United States emitted 16 tonnes per person in 1960, rising to 20 in 1980 and remaining at 20 in 2000, before falling to 14 in 2020. China started at just 1 tonne in 1960 and rose steadily: 2 in 1980, 3 in 2000 and 7 in 2020. India also rose throughout, from 0.3 tonnes in 1960 to 0.5 in 1980, 1.0 in 2000 and 1.9 in 2020. The US figure was the highest in every year shown, but it was the only one to fall over the period as a whole.
Examiner focus: Contrast direction, not just level: the long-time leader declining while the other two rise from very low bases.
Grade my first essay free
Write your answer to this prompt, then see exactly where it sits — four criterion bands, the #1 issue capping your score, and a model rewrite. Your first grading is free.