English · Graph & Chart Writing
How to Describe a Line Graph
Describing change over time, with the tense choices and a complete model.
A line graph shows change over time, so it is described with verbs of movement and adverbs of degree: rose sharply, fell steadily, levelled off, fluctuated. Name the starting point, the turning points and the end point rather than every value, and keep the whole description in the tense the time axis implies.
The format
A line graph is about change over time
The horizontal axis is almost always time, so the description is built on verbs of movement and adverbs of degree. Where a bar chart asks which is bigger, a line graph asks what happened, and how fast.
Name the points that matter
Describe the starting value, the turning points, and the final value — not every point on the line. A turning point is anywhere the line changes direction or noticeably changes its rate of climb, and those are the moments a reader wants named.
- Start: where the line begins.
- Turning points: peaks, troughs, and where the slope changes sharply.
- End: where it finishes, and whether that is above or below the start.
- For two or more lines: where they cross, and which ends higher.
Verbs and adverbs of change
The core vocabulary
| Direction | Verbs | Nouns |
|---|---|---|
| up | rise · increase · climb · grow · surge | a rise · an increase · growth |
| down | fall · decline · drop · decrease · plunge | a fall · a decline · a drop |
| no change | level off · remain steady · plateau · stabilise | a plateau |
| up and down | fluctuate · vary | a fluctuation |
| highest / lowest | peak · bottom out | a peak · a trough |
| degree | sharply · steadily · gradually · slightly · dramatically | — |
Two grammars for the same fact
Every change can be written as a verb or as a noun, and alternating between them is what stops the paragraph sounding repetitive. Sales rose sharply and there was a sharp rise in sales say the same thing; using both in one description reads far better than using either five times.
Model answer
Model paragraph (about 130 words)
The graph
A line graph showing mobile phone subscriptions in Bangladesh, in millions, at five-year intervals from 2000 to 2020.
Description
The line graph shows the growth of mobile phone subscriptions in Bangladesh over a twenty-year period.
Subscriptions began from a very low base in 2000 and rose slowly for the first five years. After 2005 the line climbs steeply, and the sharpest growth of the whole period comes between 2005 and 2015, when subscriptions increase many times over. After 2015 the rate of growth slows noticeably and the line begins to flatten, though it continues to rise to the end of the period.
Overall, the graph shows a dramatic expansion concentrated in the middle decade, followed by a marked slowing as the market approached saturation.
What earns and loses marks
- Alternate verb and noun forms — “rose sharply” and “a sharp rise” — to keep the paragraph from repeating itself.
- Name the turning points rather than every value. A reader wants to know when the shape changed.
- Pair every verb with an adverb of degree: rose steadily, fell sharply, levelled off. A bare verb wastes the chance to be precise.
- With two lines, say where they cross — it is usually the single most interesting fact on the graph.
- 🚨 “Approached saturation” describes the shape of the line, not a cause. Keep even the concluding sentence descriptive.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Describe the start, the turning points and the end. A turning point is where the line changes direction or noticeably changes its rate of climb. Listing every value produces a table in prose and shows none of the selection the question is testing.
Alternate between verb and noun forms and vary the verb: rose, climbed, grew, surged; and “there was a sharp rise in”. Pairing each with a different adverb of degree — steadily, sharply, gradually — gives you more than enough variety for a 130-word paragraph.
Describe the overall pattern first, then each line in relation to the others, and be sure to name any point where lines cross or converge. The relationship between the lines is what a multi-line graph exists to show, so a description that treats them separately misses the point.
Keep going
Model answers, formats and grammar rules for every SSC and HSC writing question.