Three different types of crime in England and Wales from 1970 to 2005

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 - Line Graph

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Question

The chart below shows three different types of crime in England and Wales from 1970 to 2005. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Common Questions for the Line Graph

1. Graph Type: Line Graph

2. Title: Types of Crime in England and Wales (1970–2005)

3. What are the units of measurement?: Number of crimes (in millions)

4. Who: Crimes in England and Wales

5. When: 1970 to 2005

6. Where: England and Wales

7. Topic: Trends in car thefts, house burglaries, and street robberies

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

Comparison 1 : Car Thefts (Highest)

Details:

1. Dominated throughout the period, starting at 0.4 million in 1970.

2. Peaked at 1.6 million in 1995 before declining to 1 million by 2005.

Comparison 2: : House Burglaries

Details:
1. Started at 0.2 million in 1970, increasing moderately for the first decade.

2. Fluctuated after 1980, ending at 0.5 million by 2005.

Comparison 3 : Street Robberies (Lowest)

Details:

1. Remained minimal at 0.01 million until 1990.

2. Grew to 0.2 million by 2000, with stability thereafter.

Sample Answer

The line graph compares the trends in car thefts, house burglaries, and street robberies in England and Wales between 1970 and 2005.

Overall, car thefts were the most common type of crime, while street robberies were the least reported throughout the period.

Car thefts began at 0.4 million in 1970, twice the number of house burglaries. From 1970 to 1990, car thefts rose steadily to 1 million. Between 1990 and 1995, the figure increased sharply, peaking at 1.6 million. However, a significant decline followed, and by 2005, car thefts dropped to 1 million.

House burglaries showed a similar initial trend, increasing steadily for the first decade. However, after 1980, the numbers fluctuated, ultimately reaching 0.5 million in 2005.

Street robberies were negligible from 1970 to 1990, with only 0.01 million cases reported. This number increased moderately to 0.2 million by 2000, remaining stable thereafter.

Top 27 Vocabularies

Vocabulary	Type	Meaning	Synonyms	Examples
Fluctuate	Verb	To rise and fall irregularly	Vary, Oscillate	House burglaries fluctuated after 1980.
Stability	Noun	A state of consistency or lack of change	Steadiness, Consistency	Street robberies showed stability after 2000.
Escalation	Noun	A sharp increase	Surge, Rise	There was a dramatic escalation in car thefts by 1995.
Minimal	Adjective	Very small in amount or degree	Negligible, Few	Street robberies were minimal until 1990.
Trend	Noun	A general direction in which something is developing	Pattern, Tendency	“The trend in car thefts increased sharply from 1990 to 1995.”
Significant	Adjective	Having considerable importance or effect	Notable, Remarkable	“There was a significant decline in car thefts after 1995.”
Reported	Verb	To give an account of something	Documented, Recorded	“Street robberies were least reported between 1970 and 1990.”
Rise	Verb	To increase in amount, number, or importance	Grow, Ascend	“House burglaries rose steadily until 1980.”
Steady	Adjective	Maintaining a constant or uniform rate	Constant, Unchanging	“Car thefts rose steadily from 1970 to 1990.”
Negligible	Adjective	So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering	Insignificant, Minor	“Street robberies were negligible in the early years.”
Moderate	Adjective	Occurring within reasonable limits; not extreme	Reasonable, Average	“Street robberies increased moderately by 2000.”
Sharp	Adjective	Marked by a sudden and noticeable change or increase	Sudden, Abrupt	“There was a sharp rise in car thefts between 1990 and 1995.”
Decline	Verb/Noun	A decrease in number or quality	Drop, Fall	“There was a decline in car thefts by 2005.”
Report	Verb	To give an account of something	Inform, Describe	“The data reported an increase in house burglaries.”
Similar	Adjective	Having characteristics in common	Comparable, Alike	“House burglaries followed a similar trend to car thefts.”
Remain	Verb	To continue to be something or stay in a particular state	Stay, Persist	“Street robberies remained stable after 2000.”
Escalate	Verb	To increase or become more intense	Intensify, Amplify	“Car thefts escalated rapidly between 1990 and 1995.”
Negligibly	Adverb	In such a small amount that it has no effect	Inconsequentially, Minimally	“Street robberies increased negligibly before 1990.”
Fluctuating	Adjective	Changing frequently or irregularly	Varying, Oscillating	“House burglaries showed fluctuating patterns after 1980.”
Peak	Noun	The highest point reached in a given period	High, Zenith	“Car thefts peaked at 1.6 million in 1995.”
Increase	Verb	To become larger or greater in size or amount	Grow, Expand	“The number of street robberies increased after 1990.”
Stable	Adjective	Not likely to change or fluctuate significantly	Steady, Constant	“The street robbery rate remained stable after 2000.”
Substantial	Adjective	Of considerable importance, size, or worth	Significant, Considerable	“The decline in car thefts was substantial by 2005.”
Rise sharply	Verb Phrase	To increase suddenly and significantly	Surge, Soar	“Car thefts rose sharply after 1990.”
Trendline	Noun	A line on a graph that shows the general direction of change	Path, Trajectory	“The trendline for house burglaries increased in the 1970s.”
Overtake	Verb	To surpass or exceed in amount or progress	Surpass, Outstrip	“Car thefts overtook house burglaries in 1995.”
Stabilized	Verb	To become steady and unchanging	Balanced, Secured	“Street robberies stabilized by 2000.”

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