Monthly Users of Four Social Media Platforms (2015-2024)
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 200 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 number of monthly active users (in millions) of four social media platforms — FaceLink, PicShare, ChatNow, and VidLoop — between 2015 and 2024. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. [Chart Data] Year | FaceLink (m) | PicShare (m) | ChatNow (m) | VidLoop (m) 2015 | 1500 | 400 | 700 | 50 2016 | 1700 | 500 | 850 | 90 2017 | 1900 | 700 | 950 | 180 2018 | 2100 | 900 | 1050 | 320 2019 | 2300 | 1100 | 1200 | 500 2020 | 2500 | 1300 | 1400 | 800 2021 | 2700 | 1500 | 1600 | 1100 2022 | 2800 | 1700 | 1750 | 1400 2023 | 2850 | 1900 | 1850 | 1650 2024 | 2900 | 2100 | 1900 | 1850
How to approach it
- 01Paraphrase the chart description in your introduction rather than copying it
- 02Group platforms by trend pattern (e.g., maturing vs explosive growth) rather than listing them one by one
- 03Highlight any crossover points — these are key features that examiners look for
- 04Use a wide range of trend verbs: 'surged', 'climbed steadily', 'plateaued', 'decelerated'
- 05Quote specific figures sparingly to anchor the trends you describe
- 06Note proportional comparisons (e.g., 'more than quintupled', 'thirty-sevenfold')
Model answer
200 words in 5 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 number of monthly active users, expressed in millions, of four social media platforms — FaceLink, PicShare, ChatNow, and VidLoop — over a ten-year period from 2015 to 2024.
Overall, all four platforms experienced consistent growth across the decade, though at markedly different rates. FaceLink remained the dominant platform throughout, while VidLoop showed the most spectacular proportional expansion, climbing from the smallest user base to overtake ChatNow by the end of the period.
FaceLink began the period with 1,500 million users and grew steadily but at a decelerating pace, reaching approximately 2,900 million by 2024. Its annual gains, which had averaged around 200 million in the early years, narrowed to just 50 million between 2023 and 2024, suggesting market saturation.
ChatNow followed a more moderate trajectory, rising from 700 million in 2015 to 1,900 million in 2024. PicShare displayed stronger growth, more than quintupling from 400 million to 2,100 million across the same span, and overtaking ChatNow in 2023.
VidLoop's expansion was the most dramatic of all. Starting from a modest 50 million users in 2015, it surged thirty-sevenfold to 1,850 million by 2024. Its steepest growth occurred between 2019 and 2022, after which the curve flattened slightly.
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.
7.5 fewer than the median answer for this task type
8 words at the shortest, 31 at the longest
2 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 20 words and vary by 6.8 words either side of that, running from 8 words to 31. 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. 4 of the 10 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.
though, while
overall
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 74 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 62 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 12 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 all four platforms, include a strong overview of overall trends, and make meaningful comparisons.
Coherence & Cohesion
Organise the response by trend or platform grouping with clear paragraphs and cohesive devices.
Lexical Resource
Use varied vocabulary for change, growth and comparison without repetition.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Demonstrate accurate past tenses, comparatives, superlatives, and complex sentence structures.
You have read one model answer. Now get one marked.
Paste your own attempt at this question and get a band for each criterion, with the exact sentences costing you marks.
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