Line Graph · Share of New Cars Sold That Are Electric
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 207 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 percentage of new cars sold that were fully electric in Norway, China, the UK, and the USA between 2015 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. [Chart Data — % of new cars sold that were fully electric] Year | Norway | China | UK | USA 2015 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 2018 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 2 2021 | 65 | 13 | 11 | 4 2023 | 82 | 22 | 17 | 8 2025 | 90 | 35 | 25 | 14
How to approach it
- 01Lead with an overview that names Norway as the clear leader and the USA as the laggard
- 02Group Norway separately because its trajectory is unique, then handle the other three together
- 03Mention the crossover where China overtook the UK around 2021
- 04Use trend vocabulary appropriate for percentages: 'climbed sharply', 'accelerated', 'trailed'
- 05Anchor your comparisons with specific figures rather than vague phrases
- 06Use fractions and multiples ('roughly one-sixth', 'less than half') to compare effectively
Model answer
207 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 percentage of new cars sold that were fully electric in Norway, China, the UK, and the USA from 2015 to 2025.
Overall, all four countries saw a clear upward trend in electric vehicle adoption, but Norway remained well ahead of the other three throughout the period. China overtook the UK around 2021 and pulled steadily away, while the USA consistently posted the lowest share.
Norway was already an outlier at the start of the period, with 17 per cent of new cars sold being electric in 2015 — far above the one per cent recorded in China, the UK, and the USA. Over the following decade, the Norwegian figure climbed sharply to 31 per cent in 2018 and reached 90 per cent by 2025, indicating near-total dominance of electric models in new sales.
The other three nations followed a similar S-shaped pattern but on much lower scales. China rose modestly to four per cent in 2018 before accelerating to 35 per cent by 2025. The UK trailed China for most of the period, ending at 25 per cent. The USA grew most slowly of all, reaching only 14 per cent by 2025 — well below half of China's share and roughly one-sixth of Norway's.
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.
0.5 fewer than the median answer for this task type
14 words at the shortest, 37 at the longest
3 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 23 words and vary by 7.5 words either side of that, running from 14 words to 37. 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. 2 of the 9 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
2 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, 68 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 54 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 18 words. That is long enough to notice. Copied wording is discounted from your word count, so a run this size is doing less work than it looks like it is doing.
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
Cover the main trends across all four countries with a clear overview and supported comparisons.
Coherence & Cohesion
Group countries logically and use sequencing language to organise the description.
Lexical Resource
Use varied vocabulary for percentages, trends, and country comparison.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use past tenses accurately and a range of comparative structures.
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