IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 #3

The line graph provided compares the total income for the music industry from three ways of accessing music over a 12 year period. Overall, total revenues for the industry were expected to be higher in 2018 than in 2006, although this period shows a dip in revenue between these two dates.

Sales of CDs brought the largest revenues to the industry in 2006 at over $9 billion. However, this source of income shows a rapid decline, dropping to less than a third by 2011 at around $3 billion. Between 2011 and 2016, sales dropped to another third at just over $1 billion where they remained constant and are predicted to remain in 2018. Music downloads were the second-largest contributors to industry revenues, starting the period at less than $2 billion and reaching a peak of around $3 billion in 2012. However, music downloads decreased gradually after this point, and are anticipated to converge with CD sales in 2018 at approximately $1 billion. Finally, streaming music brought in only nominal revenue until 2010. This then grew steadily to $2 billion by 2015 at which point these revenues overtook those of downloads and CD sales. Streaming then rose dramatically with a forecasted income exceeding $7 billion in 2018.

Between a decline in CD sales and the rise of streaming, music downloads dominated income over a four year period, during which music industry revenue was at its lowest.

(235 words)