Spending on Research into Renewable Energy Sources by Four Countries (1975–2000)

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Line Graph

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Question

The graph below shows the spending on research into renewable sources of energy in four countries between 1975 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

40-Spending on Research into Renewable Energy Sources by Four Countries (1975–2000)

Common Questions for the Line Graph

1. Graph Type: Line Graph

2. Title: Spending on Research into Renewable Energy Sources by Four Countries (1975–2000)

3. What are the units of measurement?: Dollars per person

4. Who: Four countries (Switzerland, UK, Spain, Denmark)

5. When: 1975 to 2000

6. Where: Switzerland, UK, Spain, and Denmark

7. Topic: Trends in spending on renewable energy research

Comparison Showing and Trends Any change over time (such as an increase or a decrease) is a trend.

Comparison 1: Switzerland (Highest Spending)

Details:

1. Began at $0 in 1975 and rose steadily to $5 per person by 2000.

2. Consistently spent the most on renewable energy research.

Comparison 2: UK (Lowest Spending)

Details:

1. Spending started low and decreased further, reaching $0.2 per person by 2000.

2. Was the least spender throughout the period, except briefly in 1990 when Spain spent less.

Comparison 3: Denmark and Spain (Moderate Spending)

Details:

1. Denmark started at $1.2 per person in 1980, remained steady until 1990, then increased sharply to $3.5 by 2000.

2. Spain’s spending fluctuated around $1 throughout the period, slightly more than the UK in most years.

Sample Answer

The line graph illustrates the spending per person on renewable energy research by four countries—Switzerland, the UK, Spain, and Denmark—between 1975 and 2000.

Overall, Switzerland consistently spent the most on renewable energy research, while the UK spent the least, except for a brief period in 1990.

In 1975, Switzerland’s spending was negligible but increased steadily to $5 per person by 2000. This was the highest amount among all four countries. In contrast, the UK’s spending remained the lowest, starting modestly and declining further to $0.2 per person in 2000.

Denmark maintained steady spending of $1.2 per person from 1980 to 1990, after which it climbed steeply, reaching $3.5 per person by 2000. Spain’s spending fluctuated around $1 throughout the period, placing it slightly above the UK in most years, except in 1990 when it briefly recorded the lowest spending.

Top 26 Vocabularies

Vocabulary	Type	Meaning	Synonyms	Examples
Renewable	Adjective	Capable of being replenished naturally	Sustainable, Reusable	Research focused on renewable energy sources.
Expenditure	Noun	The amount of money spent	Spending, Outlay	Switzerland had the highest expenditure on research.
Fluctuate	Verb	To rise and fall irregularly	Vary, Oscillate	Spain’s spending fluctuated around $1 per person.
Steady	Adjective	Constant or unchanging over time	Stable, Fixed	Denmark’s spending remained steady from 1980 to 1990.
Escalate	Verb	To increase rapidly	Climb, Rise	Denmark’s spending escalated sharply after 1990.
Illustrates	Verb	To explain or make clear through examples or visuals	Depicts, Shows	“The line graph illustrates the spending on renewable energy research by different countries.”
Spending	Noun	The total amount of money used for a particular purpose	Expenditure, Outlay	“Switzerland had the highest spending on renewable energy research.”
Negligible	Adjective	So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering	Insignificant, Minimal	“Switzerland’s spending was negligible in 1975.”
Modestly	Adverb	To a small or moderate degree	Slightly, Humbly	“The UK’s spending started modestly in 1975.”
Climbed	Verb	To increase gradually and steadily	Increased, Rose	“Denmark’s spending climbed steeply after 1990.”
Briefly	Adverb	For a short period of time	Temporarily, Momentarily	“Spain briefly recorded the lowest spending in 1990.”
Consistently	Adverb	In a way that does not change or vary over time	Steadily, Regularly	“Switzerland consistently spent the most on renewable energy research.”
Declined	Verb	To decrease or become smaller over time	Reduced, Dropped	“The UK’s spending declined further to $0.2 per person by 2000.”
Maintained	Verb	To keep something at a particular level or state	Sustained, Kept	“Denmark maintained steady spending from 1980 to 1990.”
Recorded	Verb	To officially document or note something	Logged, Noted	“Spain recorded the lowest spending in 1990.”
Period	Noun	A duration of time during which something happens	Span, Interval	“The data covers the period from 1975 to 2000.”
Highest	Adjective	At the greatest level or amount	Maximum, Top	“Switzerland had the highest amount of spending on renewable energy research.”
Lowest	Adjective	At the smallest level or amount	Minimum, Bottom	“The UK had the lowest spending on renewable energy research in 2000.”
Fluctuated	Verb	To change frequently in amount or level	Vary, Oscillate	“Spain’s spending fluctuated around $1 throughout the period.”
Steadily	Adverb	In a firm or continuous manner without changing	Consistently, Regularly	“Denmark’s spending rose steadily from 1990 to 2000.”
Except	Preposition	Not including or leaving out	Excluding, Besides	“Spain’s spending was higher than the UK’s except in 1990.”
Surpassed	Verb	To exceed or go beyond a certain limit or level	Outpaced, Overtook	“Switzerland surpassed all other countries in renewable energy research spending.”
Steeply	Adverb	In a sharp or significant manner	Sharply, Drastically	“Denmark’s spending escalated steeply after 1990.”
Periodically	Adverb	Occurring at regular intervals over time	Occasionally, Intermittently	“The spending patterns changed periodically across the years.”
Dramatically	Adverb	In a way that is strikingly noticeable or extreme	Significantly, Noticeably	“Denmark’s spending increased dramatically after 1990.”
Above	Preposition	Higher in amount, position, or status than something else	Over, Greater than	“Spain’s spending was above the UK’s for most of the period.”

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