Line Graph · Average Weekly Hours Worked From Home
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 191 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 20 minutes. Write at least 150 words.
The line graph below shows the average number of hours per week that employees worked from home in the UK, Germany, and South Korea between 2010 and 2024. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. [Chart Data — average weekly hours worked from home] Year | UK | Germany | South Korea 2010 | 2 | 3 | 1 2014 | 3 | 4 | 1 2018 | 5 | 6 | 2 2020 | 22 | 19 | 9 2024 | 14 | 13 | 6
How to approach it
- 01Begin with one overview sentence capturing the sharp 2020 spike and partial 2024 retreat
- 02Group countries by similarity — the UK and Germany pattern together, South Korea separately
- 03Highlight the dramatic jump between 2018 and 2020 as the key feature
- 04Use precise change language: 'surged', 'inched up', 'retreated from', 'overtaking'
- 05Compare countries throughout rather than describing each one in isolation
- 06Include specific figures with units (hours per week) to support comparisons
Model answer
191 words in 4 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
The line graph illustrates the average number of hours per week that employees in the UK, Germany, and South Korea worked from home between 2010 and 2024.
Overall, all three countries saw a dramatic rise in remote working hours around 2020, followed by a partial decline by 2024. The UK and Germany maintained considerably higher levels of home working than South Korea across the entire period.
In 2010, remote working was uncommon in all three countries, with Germany leading at three hours per week, the UK at two, and South Korea at just one. These figures rose modestly between 2010 and 2018, reaching six hours in Germany and five in the UK, while South Korea inched up to only two.
The most striking change occurred in 2020, when remote working surged in line with the global pandemic. UK employees worked from home for an average of 22 hours per week, narrowly overtaking Germany on 19, while South Korea climbed to nine. By 2024, all three nations had retreated from these peaks, with the UK settling at 14 hours, Germany at 13, and South Korea at six — still far above pre-2020 levels.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 38 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
16.5 fewer than the median answer for this task type
17 words at the shortest, 30 at the longest
2 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 23.9 words and vary by 4.5 words either side of that, running from 17 words to 30. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 3 of the 8 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
3 in total, spread across 2 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
while
overall
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 58 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 40 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 9 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
Identify the main trends across all three countries with a clear overview and meaningful comparisons supported by specific data.
Coherence & Cohesion
Organise the response chronologically or by country group, with clear paragraphing and effective linking devices.
Lexical Resource
Use a range of accurate vocabulary for describing trends, change, and comparison.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use past tenses accurately and combine simple and complex sentences for comparison and contrast.
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