The graph below shows the consumption of fish and different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979 and 2004

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The graph below shows the consumption of fish and different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979 and 2004.

Summarise the information making comparisons where relevant.

Things you should know about Academic Writing Task 1:

You are asked to describe information presented in graph/ table/ chart/ diagram.
You have 20 minutes to finish the task and you have to write at least 150 words.
If you are asked to use the information presented in the graph you must be careful not to copy it.

In Academic Writing task 1, candidates are assessed on their ability to:

Organise, present and possibly compare data.
Describe the stages of a process or procedure.
Describe an object or event or sequence of events.
Explain how something works.

Model Answer :

The given line graph compares weekly consumptions of chicken, fish, beef, and lamb per capita in a European country from 1979 to 2004.

Overall, it can be seen that while the amount of beef and lamb consumed per person per week declined throughout the given period, the figures for chicken significantly increased during the same time.

In 1979, a person consumed over 200 gram of beef per week, but the amount rapidly dropped to around 175 gram in 1989 and to approximately 100 gram at the end of the period. Similarly, lamb consumption was nearly 150 gram per person per week in 1979. The figure then gradually fell and reached only over 50 gram in the year 2004.

In contrast, the chicken was the third-highest consumption in 1979 compared to the others, at only under 150 gram per capita weekly. In 2004, it topped at almost 250 gram, a rise nearly 66% in 25 years. Fish consumption was stable during the period, around 50 gram per person per week.