THE LANGUAGE OF WRITING IELTS TASK 1

I. THE GENERAL OUTLINE OF THE WRITING TASK 1

1. The opening paragraph

- Opening sentence: paraphrasing the question statement
- General statement sentence: giving the overview of the essay

2. Body 1
- Topic sentence: Regarding sth, S + V
- Supporting sentences: Reporting details, describe the most striking features,
compare and contrast.

3. Body 2
- Topic sentence: Turning to sth, S + V
- Supporting sentences: Reporting details, describe the most striking features,
compare and contrast.

4. Conclusion: rewrite the general statement in the other expressions.

Note: You should not write the concluding sentence unless your word count is
less than 150 words.

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II. THE OPENING SENTENCE (THE PARAPHRASED SENTENCE)

Each part has a specific format and therefore being equipped with the necessary vocabulary will
help you answer the task 1 efficiently and will save a great deal of time.

Starting Presentation Type Verb Description

The/ the given / the diagram / table / figure / shows / represents / the comparison of…
supplied / the illustration / graph / depicts / enumerates / the differences…
presented / the chart / flow chart / illustrates / presents/ the changes...
shown / the picture/ presentation/ gives / provides / the number of…
provided pie chart / bar graph/ delineates/ outlines/ information on…
column graph / line describes / delineates/ data on…
graph / table data/ data expresses/ denotes/ the proportion of…
/ information / pictorial/ compares/ contrast / the amount of…
process diagram/ map/ indicates / figures / comparative data...
pie chart and table/ bar presents information the trend of...
graph and pie chart ... about/ demonstrates/ the percentages of...
sketches out how the...

Example:
1. The diagram shows employment rates among adults in four European countries from 1925 to
1985.
2. The given pie charts represent the proportion of male and female employees in 6 broad
categories, dividing into manual and non-manual occupations in Australia, between 2010 and
2015.
3. The chart gives information about consumer expenditures on six products in four countries
namely Germany, Italy, Britain and France.
4. The supplied bar graph compares the number of male and female graduates in three
developing countries while the table data presents the overall literacy rate in these countries.
5. The bar graph and the table data depict the water consumption in different sectors in five
regions.
6. The bar graph enumerates the money spent on different research projects while the column
graph demonstrates the fund sources over a decade, commencing from 1981.
7. The line graph delineates the proportion of male and female employees in three different
sectors in Australia between 2010 and 2015.
Note that, some teachers prefer "The line graph demonstrates..." format instead
of "The given line graph demonstrates...". However, if you write "The given/ provided/
presented...." it would be correct as well.

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Tips:
1. For a single graph use 's' after the verb, like - gives data on, shows/ presents etc. However, if
there are multiple graphs, DO NOT use 's' after the verb.
2. If there are multiple graphs and each one presents a different type of data, you can write which
graph presents what type of data and use 'while' to show a connection. For example -'The given
bar graph shows the amount spent on fast food items in 2009 in the UK while the pie chart
presents a comparison of people's ages who spent more on fast food.
3. Your introduction should be quite impressive as it makes the first impression to the examiner.
It either makes or breaks your overall score.
4. For multiple graphs and/ or table(s), you can write what they present in combination instead of
saying which each graph depicts. For example, "The two pie charts and the column graph in
combination depicts a picture of the crime in Australia from 2005 to 2015 and the
percentages of young offenders during this period."
Caution:
Never copy word for word from the question. If you do so, you would be penalised. always
paraphrase the introduction in your own words.

III. THE GENERAL STATEMENT (OVERVIEW SENTENCE)

The General statement is the first sentence (or two) you write in your reporting. It should always
deal with:
What + Where + When.
Example: The diagram presents information on the percentages of teachers who have expressed
their views about the different problems they face when dealing with children in three Australian
schools from 2001 to 2005.
What = the percentages of teachers...
Where = three Australian schools...
When = from 2001 to 2005...
A good General statement should always have these parts.
In general, In common, Generally speaking, Overall, It is obvious, As is observed, As a general
trend, As can be seen, As an overall trend, As is presented, It can be clearly seen that, At the
first glance, it is clear, At the onset, it is clear that, A glance at the graphs reveals that...
Example:
1. In general, the employment opportunities increased till 1970 and then declined throughout the
next decade.

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2. As is observed, the figures for imprisonment in the five mentioned countries show no overall
pattern, rather shows the considerable fluctuations from country to country.
3. Generally speaking, citizens in the USA had a far better life standard than that of remaining
countries.
4. As can be seen, the highest number of passengers used the London Underground station at
8:00 in the morning and at 6:00 in the evening.
4. Generally speaking, more men were engaged in managerial positions in 1987 than that of
women in New York this year.
5. As an overall trend, the number of crimes reported increased fairly rapidly until the mid-
seventies, remained constant for five years and finally, dropped to 20 cases a week after 1982.
6. At a first glance, it is clear that more percentages of native university pupils violated regulations
and rules than the foreign students did during this period.
7. At the onset, it is clear that drinking in public and drink driving were the most common reasons
for US citizens to be arrested in 2014.
8. Overall, the leisure hours enjoyed by males, regardless of their employment status, was much
higher than that of women.
Tips:
1. Write introduction and General trend in the same paragraph. Some students prefer to write the
'General Trend' in a separate paragraph and many teachers suggest the both to be written in a
single paragraph. Unless you have a really good reason to write the general trend in the second
paragraph, try to write them both in the first paragraph. However, this is just a suggestion, not a
requirement.
2. Your 'Introduction (general statement + overall trend/ general trend) should have 75 - 80 words.
3. DO NOT give numbers, percentages or quantity in your general trend. Rather give the most
striking feature of the graph that could be easily understood at a glance. Thus it is suggested to
AVOID -
"A glance at the graphs reveals that 70% male were employed in 2001 while 40 thousand women
in this year had jobs."
And use a format /comparison like the following:
"A glance at the graphs reveals that more men were employed than their female
counterpart in 2001 and almost two-third females were jobless in the same year. "
--------------------------------------

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THE BODY PARAGRAPHS
Just after you finish writing your 'Introduction' (i.e. General Statement + General overview/ trend),
you are expected to start a new paragraph to describe the main features of the diagrams. This
second paragraph is called the 'Body Paragraph / Report Body". You can have a single body
paragraph/ report body or up to 3, (not more than 3 in any case) depending on the number of
graphs provided in the question and the type of these graphs. There are certain phrases you can
use to start your body paragraph and following is a list of such phrases ---

1. As is presented in the diagram(s)/ 14. It is apparently seen that...

graph(s)/ pie chart(s)/ table... 15. It is conspicuous that...
2. As (is) shown in the illustration... 16. It is explicitly observed that...
3. As can be seen in the... 17. It is obvious...
4. As the diagrams suggest... 18. It is clear from the data...
5. According to the... 19. It is worth noticing that...
6. Categorically speaking... 20. It is crystal clear/ lucid that...
7. Getting back to the details... 21. It can be clearly observed that...
8. Now, turning to the details... 22. It could be plainly viewed that...
9. The table data clearly shows that... 23. It could be noticed that...
10. The diagram reveals that... 24. We can see that...
11. The data suggest that...
25. Regarding…
12. The graph gives the figure...
13. It is interesting to note that... 26. Turning to…

LANGUAGE OF DESCRIBING TRENDS & CHANGES

Trends Verb form Noun Form

Increase rise / increase / go up / uplift / rocket(ed) a rise / an increase / an upward trend
/ climb / upsurge / soar/ shot up/ / a growth / a leap / a jump / an
improve/ jump/ leap/ move upward/ improvement/ a climb.
skyrocket/ soar/ surge.
Decrease fall / decrease / decline / plummet / a fall / a decrease / a reduction / a
plunge / drop / reduce / collapse / downward trends /a downward
deteriorate/ dip / dive / go down / take a tendency / a decline/ a drop / a slide
nosedive / slum / slide / go into free-fall. / a collapse / a downfall.
Steadiness unchanged / level out / remain constant a steadiness/ a plateau / a stability/
/ remain steady / plateau / remain the a static
same / remain stable / remain static
Gradual an upward trend / an upward
increase tendency / a ceiling trend
------------

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 Gradual a downward trend / a downward
decrease tendency / a descending trend
------------
Standability/ level(ed) off / remain(ed) constant /
Flat remain(ed) unchanged / remain(ed)
No change, a flat, a plateau.
stable / prevail(ed) consistency /
plateaued / reach(ed) a plateau /
stay(ed) uniform /immutable / level(ed)
out/ stabilise/ remain(ed) the same.
Examples:
1. The overall sale of the company increased by 20% at the end of the year.
2. The expenditure of the office remained constant for the last 6 months, but the profit rose by
almost 25%.
3. There was a 15% drop in the ratio of student enrollment in this University.
4. The population of the country remained almost the same as it was 2 years ago.
5. The population of these two cities increase significantly in the last two decades and it is
expected that it will remain stable during the next 5 years.

Tips:
1. Use 'improve' / 'an improvement' to describe a situation like economic condition or
employment status. To denote numbers use other verbs/nouns like increase.
2. Do not use the same word/ phrase over and over again. In fact, you should not use a noun or
verb form to describe a trend/change more than twice; once is better!
3. To achieve a high band score you need to use a variety of vocabulary as well as sentence
formations.

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Type of Change: Adverb form & Adjective form
Rapid change
• Adv: dramatically / rapidly / sharply / quickly / hurriedly / speedily / swiftly / significantly/
considerably / substantially / noticeably.
• Adj: dramatic / rapid / sharp / quick / hurried / speedy / swift / significant / considerable /
substantial / noticeable.
Moderate change
• Adv: moderately / gradually / progressively / sequentially.
• Adj: moderate / gradual / progressive / sequential.
Steady change
• Adv: steadily/ ceaselessly.
• Adj: steady/ ceaseless.
Slight change: slightly / slowly / mildly / tediously slight / slow / mild / tedious.

Examples:
1. The economic inflation of the country increased sharply by 20% in 2008.
2. There was a sharp drop in the industrial production in the year 2009.
3. The demand for new houses dramatically increased in 2002.
4. The population of the country dramatically increased in the last decade.
5. The price of the oil moderately increased during the last quarter but as a consequence, the
price of daily necessity rapidly went up.

Vocabularies to represent frequent changes in graphs:

Type of Change Verb form Noun form

Rapid ups and wave / fluctuate / oscillate / waves / fluctuations /

downs vacillate / palpitate oscillations / vacillations
/ palpitations

Example:
1. The price of the goods fluctuated during the first three months in 2017.
2. The graph shows the oscillations of the price from 1998 to 2002.
3. The passenger number in this station oscillates throughout the day and in early morning and
evening, it remains busy.

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4. The changes of car production in Japan shows a palpitation for the second quarter of the
year.
5. The number of students in debate clubs fluctuated in different months of the year and rapid
ups and downs could be observed in the last three months of this year.

Tips:
1. 4. DO NOT try to present every single data presented in a graph. Rather pick 5-7 most
significant and important trends/ changes and show their comparisons and contrasts.
2. The question asks you to write a report and summarise the data presented in graphs(s). This
is why you need to show the comparisons, contrasts, show the highest and lowest points and
most striking features in your answer, not every piece of data presented in the diagram(s).

Great change / Huge difference:

Adjectives Adverbs
Overwhelming Overwhelmingly
Substantial Substantially
Enormous Enormously
Big change / Big difference:
Adjectives Adverbs
Significant Significantly
Considerable Considerably
Medium change / Moderate difference:
Adjectives Adverbs
Somewhat Somewhat
Moderate Moderately
Minor change / Small difference:
Adjectives Adverbs
Fractional Fractionally
Marginal Marginally
Slight Slightly

Dates, months, years related vocabulary and grammar:

» From 1990 to 2000, Commencing from 1980, Between 1995 and 2005, After 2012.
» By 1995, In 1998, In February, Over the period, During the period, During 2011.
» In the first half of the year, For the first quarter, The last quarter of the year, During the first
decade.

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» In the 1980s, During the next 6 months, In the mid-70s, Next 10 years, Previous year, Next
year, Between 1980 - 1990.
» Within a time span of ten years, within five years.
» Next month, Next quarter, Next year, Previous month, Previous year.
» Since, Then, From.

Percentage, Portion and Number:

Percentages:
10% increase, 25 percent decrease, increased by 15%, dropped by 10 per cent, fall at 50%,
reached to 75%, tripled, doubled, one-fourth, three-quarters, half, double fold, treble, 5 times
higher, 3 timers lower, declined to about 49%, stood exactly at 43%.

Fractions:
4% = A tiny fraction.
24% = Almost a quarter.
25% Exactly a quarter.
26% = Roughly one quarter.
32% Nearly one-third, nearly a third.
49% = Around a half, just under a half.
50% Exactly a half.
51% = Just over a half.
73% = Nearly three quarters.
77% = Approximately three quarter, more than three-quarter.
79% = Well over three quarters.

Proportions:
2% = A tiny portion, a very small proportion.
4% = An insignificant minority, an insignificant proportion.
16% = A small minority, a small portion.
70% = A large proportion.
72% = A significant majority, A significant proportion.89% = A very large proportion.
89% = A very large proportion.

Words and phrases of approximation

» Just over
» Approximately
» Just under
» Nearly
» Just around
» Roughly
» Just about
» Almost
» Just below
» About
» A little more than
» Around
» A little less than.
» More or less

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What criteria would a band 9 graph response satisfy?
Task Achievement:
A) Fully satisfies all the requirements of the task.
B) Clearly presents a fully developed response.
What will be assessed by the examiner?
a) How appropriately, accurately and relevantly you fulfil your task requirements.
b) How accurately you write your report and how appropriately you present the data (compare/
contrast/ show the most striking trends/ features/ data.)
Coherence and Cohesion:
A) Uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention.
B) Skillfully manages paragraphing.
What will be assessed by the examiner?
a) No misinterpretation and presentation of data and trend.
b) How well you organise your paragraphs.
c) Overall clarity and fluency of your report and message.
d) How well you have organised and liked the information, data and ideas in your writing.
e) Logical sequencing and appropriate use of linking devices between and within your
sentences.
Tips:
1. Do not incorporate more than 3-4 paragraphs.
2. Do not use a single paragraph to describe everything.
3. The conclusion part is optional. If you think that you have already written more than 170
words and have nothing to say, you can skip the conclusion.
Lexical Resource:
A) Uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical
features.
B) Rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’.
What will be assessed by the examiner?
a) The range of vocabulary you have used in your writing.
b) How accurately and appropriately you have used words/ phrases while presenting the
graph(s) as a report.

Tips: Do NOT use words/ phrases that are already given in the question. Do so only if there is
no alternative word(s)/ phrase(s) to convey the same meaning/idea.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy:
A) Uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy.
B) Rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’.
Tips:
Do not use the same sentence structure and data comparison/ contrasting style over and over

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again. Bring a variety in your writing to show that you can formulate different sentence
structures without making any grammatical mistakes.

You do not need to write down every bit of information presented in the graph. Rather, you are
expected to write the most significant features of the graph and the highest and lowest points are
two significant information you should not miss in your writing. Following is a list of useful
vocabulary to learn by heart and to use them in your graph response.
----------------------------------

Vocabulary to represent the highest and lowest points in graphs:

Type Verb Noun

Highest peaked / culminated / climaxed / a (/the) peak / a (/the) pinnacle / a (/the) vertex /
Point reach the peak / hit the peak / touch the the highest point/ an (/the) apex / a (/the) summit,
highest point / reach the vertex/ reach a (/the) top, a (/the) pinnacle, a (/the) acme, a
the apex (/the) zenith,

Lowest touch the lowest point / get the lowest the lowest point / the lowest mark / bottommost
Point point / reached the nadir point / rock bottom point/ bottommost mark / nadir/
the all-time low/ the lowest level/ the bottom/ rock-
bottom

Example:
1. The price of the oil reached a peak amounting $20 in February and again touched the
lowest point amounting only $10 in July.
2. Student enrollment in foreign Universities and Colleges increased dramatically hitting a
peak of over 20 thousand in 2004.
3. The highest number of books was sold in July while it was lowest in December.
4. The oil price reached a peak in 2003 while it was lowest in 2006.
5. The selling volume of the DVD hit the peak with 2 million copies sold in a month but after
just three months it reached the bottom with only 20 thousand sold in a month.

Vocabulary to show fluctuations/ups and downs/ rise and fall in Verb forms:
Be erratic
Rise and fall erratically
Changes sporadically
Rise and fall irregularly
Changes Intermittently

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Date, month & year related Vocabulary and Grammatical rules:
Between ...(year/ month)... and ...(year/ month)...
From ...(year/ month/ day/date)... to ...(year/ month/day/date)...
In ...(year/ month)...
On ...(day/ day of the week/ a date)...
At ......, In ......, By ......
During ... (year)...
Over the period/ over the century/ later half of the year/ the year...
Over the next/ past/ previous ........ days/ weeks/ months/ years/ decades...
Presenting Percentages:
You can present "a percentage data" in one of the three different ways. It is suggested that you
use all these formats in your report writing instead of repeating the same style to show
percentages in your writing.
% = In percentage / in %. (20%, 25 percentage, ten per cent etc.)
% = In proportion. (two out of five, every student out of three etc.)
% = In fraction. (one-third, two-fifth, a quarter etc.)
Vocabulary to show how many times...
» Four times
» Exactly the same.
» Five times
» Roughly the same
...............
» Practically the same
» Ten times
» Twice
...............
» Thrice
» Hundred times.
Vocabulary to show how much changed...
» Halved
» Equalled
» Doubled
» Trebled / tripled
» Quadrupled (fourfold /four times)
.................
Centupled (hundredfold/ hundred times)

Vocabulary to represent comparison in graphs:

Type Word(s) should be used

Similar about / almost / nearly / roughly / approximately / around /

just about / very nearly /

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 Just over just above / just over / just bigger / just beyond / just across

Just short just below / just beneath / just sort / just under / just a little

Much more well above / well above / well beyond / well across / well
over

Much less well below / well under / well short / well beneath

Example:
1. The number of high-level women executives is well beneath than the number of male
executives in this organisation, where approximately 2000 people work in executive levels.
2. About 1000 people died in the highway car accident in 2003 which is well above than the
statistics of all other years.
3. The number of domestic violence cases was just below 500 in March which is just a little
over than the previous months.
4. The average rainfall in London in 2014 was just above than the average of two other cities.
5. The salaries of male executives in three out of four companies were well above than the
salaries of female executives in 1998.

Expressions to focus on an item in the graph:

Use the following expression to focus on an item in the graph.

» Turning to
» With regards to
» When it comes to ..... it/ they .....
» In the case of
» Where ... is/are concerned,......
» As for
» Regarding

Compare and contrast:

Useful Vocabulary to make Comparison and Contrast:

» Similarly, In a similar fashion, In the same way, Same as, As much as, Meanwhile.
» However, On the contrary, on the other hand, in contrast.

Make sure you the appropriate comparative and superlative form of the words when you make a
comparison. Here is a basic overview of the comparative and superlative forms to help you
remember what you already know.

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One Syllable
Adjectives with one syllable form their comparatives and superlatives form. In your academic
writing task 1, you will often use such comparison and contrast related words.
cheap » cheaper » cheapest || large » larger » largest || bright » brighter » brightest
etc.

Exceptions:
good » better » best || bad » worse » worst etc.

Examples:
1. The fast food items in uptown restaurants were comparatively cheaper than that of city
restaurants.
2. The largest proportion of water was used in the agriculture sector in most of the Asian
countries while the European countries used the highest percentage of water for industrial
purposes.
3. The price of the book in store A is cheaper than the price of store B.
4. The temperature decreased further and that made the weather condition worse.
5. The temperature was better in the mid-April but in mid-July, it became worse.

Two Syllables
Some adjectives with two syllables form their comparatives and superlatives:
pretty » prettier » prettiest || happy » happier » happiest etc.

Examples:
1. Customers were happier than now, according to the survey, as the price was cheaper in
1992.
2. The overall production level of this company made the authority happier as it was doubled
in the last quarter of the year.

But many form their comparatives and superlatives using 'more':

striking » more striking » most striking || common » more common » most
common || clever » more clever/cleverer » most clever/cleverest etc.

Three or more Syllables

All adjectives with three or more syllables form their comparatives and superlatives using 'more'
& 'most':

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attractive » more attractive » most attractive || profitable » more profitable » most
profitable || expensive » more expensive » most expensive.
Examples:
1. Custom-made cars were more expensive in 2014 than they are now.
2. The factory offered more attractive overtime rates and that motivated more employees to
work for extra times.

Vocabulary to present Linkers:

However, On the other hand, Similarly, On the contrary, Meanwhile, In contrast, By comparison.
Vocabulary to show that something/a trend is similar or the same:
Use the following vocabularies if both subjects are the same/ identical:
... Identical to/ Identical with ...
... Equal to with ...
... Exactly the same ...
... The same as ...
... Precisely the same ...
... Absolutely the same ...
... just the same as ...
Use the following vocabularies if both subjects are not identical but similar:
... Almost the same as ...
... Nearly the same as ...
... Practically the same as ...
... Almost identical/ similar ...
... About the same as ...
Way to show that something/a trend is just the reverse/opposite:
» The reverse is the case...
» It is quite the opposite/ reverse...
Rules of Time Preposition use:
'In'
»» Use preposition 'in' when you talk about years, months, decades, centuries, seasons.
Example:
Years= in 1998, in 2015 etc.
Months= in January, in December etc.
Decades= in the nineties, in the seventies etc.
Centuries= in the 19th century, in the 14th century, in the 1980s etc.
Seasons= in summer, in winter, in autumn etc.
»» Use preposition 'in' to talk about past or future.

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Example:
Past time= in 1980, in the past, in 1235, in the ice age, in the seventies, in the last century etc.
Future time = in 2030, in the future, in the next century etc.
»» Use preposition 'in' when you talk about a long period.
Example:
in the ice age, in the industrial age, in iron age etc.
'On'
»» Use preposition 'on' when you talk about days (days of the weeks or special days).
Example:
Days of the week= on Sunday, on Friday, on Tuesday.
Special days= on New Year's Day, on your birthday, on Independence Day, on holiday, on
wedding day etc.
»» Use preposition 'on' when you talk about dates.
Example:
on July 4th, on 21st January 2015, on 5th May etc.
»» Use preposition 'on' when you talk about times (like morning/ afternoon/ evening/ night) of a
day.
Example:
on Friday morning, on Saturday afternoon, on Sunday evening, on Monday evening etc.
However, notice the below list that shows further use of prepositions 'in' and 'on' for periods of
the days versus periods. This is often confusing and mistakenly used by IELTS candidates.
Look at those, notice the use and memorise it.

in on

in the morning on Sunday morning

in the afternoon on Monday afternoon

in the evening on Tuesday evening

'At'
»» Use preposition 'at' when you need to express an exact time.
Example:
At eight o'clock, at 10: 45 am, at two p.m, at nine o'clock.
»» Use preposition 'at' when you talk about meal times
Example:
At breakfast time, at lunchtime, at dinner time etc.

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»» Use preposition 'at' when you talk about weekends, holiday periods, or the night time.
Example:
At the weekend, at Christmas, at Easter, at night etc.
Words to make a comparison / contrast:
A bit/ slightly/ a little/ only just/ approximately/ about/ almost/ precisely/ quite/ nearly/
considerably/ a huge/ a great deal/ quite a lot/ completely/ exactly...
Example:
» This year the population growth of the country is slightly higher than the previous year.
» This year the population grown is almost twice than that of 2007.
» Sale of the company has increased quite a lot this year.
Using Appropriate Prepositions:
You must use the correct preposition in the IELTS writing task 1 to get a high score. Be
accurate about the uses of to, by, of, off, in, on, for etc.
Examples:
» Papers are sold by the ream.
» Oranges are purchased and sold by the dozen.
» Students enrollment in the University has increased by 2% this year.
» Eggs are counted in dozens.
» Rice is measured in kg.
» He is junior to me by 4 years.
» The employees are paid per week in this factory.
» All these products are made of glasses.
Vocabulary - Using the appropriate "Prepositions":
» It started at..., The sale started at $20..., It peaked at...
» It reached at/to..., It reached the lowest point /nadir at...
»It increased to 80 from 58. It decreased from 10 to 3.
»There was a drop of six units. It dropped by 3 units.
»It declined by 15%. There was a 10% drop in the next three years.
Formal and Informal expressions and words:
Few more informal expressions with their formal versions are given below. Since IELTS is a
formal test, your writing should be formal as well. Using informal words or expressions should
be avoided. Some of the informal words are so frequently used that it would be tough for you to
eliminate them from your writing. However, we would suggest you make a habit of using formal
words and expressions instead- for your performance and band score's sake.
Informal Formal

Go up Increase

Go down Decrease

Look at Examine

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 Find about Discover

Point out Indicate

Need to Required

Get Obtain

Think about Consider

Seem Appear

Show demonstrate/ illustrate

Start Commence

Keep Retain

But However

So Therefore/Thus

Also In addition/ Additionally

In the meantime In the interim

In the end Finally

Anyway Notwithstanding

Lots of/ a lot of Much, many

Kids Children

Cheap Inexpensive

Right Correct

I think In my opinion

Following are the vocabularies for Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 grouped as Noun, Verb,
Adjective, Adverb, and Phrase to help you improve your vocabulary and understanding of the
usages of these while describing a graph.
Noun:
Increase:
A growth: There was a growth in the earning of the people of the city at the end of the year.
An increase: Between the noon and evening, there was an increase in the temperature of the

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coast area and this was probably because of the availability of the sunlight at that time.
A rise: A rise of the listener in the morning can be observed from the bar graph.
An improvement: The data show that there was an improvement in traffic condition between
11:00 am till 3:00 pm.
A progress: There was a progress in the law and order of the city during the end of the last
year.
Rapid Increase:
A surge: From the presented information, it is clear that there was a surge in the number of
voters in 1990 compared to the data given for the previous years.
A rapid increase/ a rapid growth/ a rapid improvement: There was a rapid growth in the
stock value of the company ABC during the December of the last year.
N.B: Following adjectives can be used before the above nouns to show a rapid growth/ increase
of something:
Rapid, Sudden, Steady, Noticeable, Mentionable, Tremendous, huge, enormous, massive, vast,
gigantic, monumental, incredible, fabulous, great etc.
(The above list is the words which are actually adjective and can be used before nouns to show
the big changes)
Highest:
A/ The peak: Visitors number reached a peak in 2008 and it exceeded 2 million.
Top/ highest/ maximum: The oil prices reached the top/ highest in 1981 during the war.
N.B: Some of the words to present the highest/ top of something are given below:
Apex, pyramid, zenith, acme, obelisk, climax, needle, spire, vertex, summit, tower, most,
greatest, max, tops, peak, height, crown...

Changes:
A fluctuation: There was a fluctuation of the passenger numbers who used the railway
transportation during the year 2003 to 2004.
A variation: A variation on the shopping habit of teenagers can be observed from the data.
A disparately/ dissimilarity/ an inconsistency: The medicine tested among the rabbits shows
an inconsistency of the effect it had.

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Steadiness:
Stability: The data from the line graph show a stability of the price in the retail market from
January till June for the given year.
A plateau: As is presented in the line graph, there was a plateau of the oil price from 1985 to
1990.
Decrease:
A fall: There was a fall in the price of the energy bulbs in 2010 which was less than $5.
A decline: A decline occurred after June and the production reached to 200/day for the next
three months.
A decrease: After the initial four years, the company’s share price increased, and there was a
decrease in the bearish market.

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Vocabulary to describe a Map:
IELTS Map Example 1:
The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the
town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

IELTS Map Example 2:

The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist
facilities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

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» Horizontal, Vertical.
» Circle, Square, Rectangle.
» Across, Across from.
» Under, Over, Inside, Beside, On top of, Adjacent, Opposite, Next to.
» Along, Through, As far as.
» Midpoint, Halfway, In the middle.
» Intersection, Overlapping.
» Exterior.
» Parallel to, Parallel, Perpendicular to.
» Edge, Diagonal.
» In front of the, Behind the.
» To the right, To the left.
» On the right-hand side, On the left-hand side.
» North, South, East, West.
» Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western.
» To the north, To the East...
» Where.
» In which, To which, From which.

» Built, Erected, Replaced.

» Situated, Located.
» Changed to/ Converted/ Gave way to/ Became.
» While in 2001, it was ......, later, it was converted to ......

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Vocabulary to describe a Process Diagram:
In Introduction:
The diagram/ picture/ flow chart depicts/ illustrates/ describes the proces of/ how....

While Describing the Process:

A) First/ Firstly, Second/ Secondly, Third/Thirdly ...... Next/ After that/ Then, Following
that/Followed by, Subsequently/ Subsequent to that, Finally/ Lastly...
B) Where/ From where/ After which/ After that/ Afterward...
C) When/ As soon as/ Immediately, Just after that...
D) At the beginning, In the end, Just after the beginning, Just before the end...
To denote the end of a step:
A) After this step/ stage/ process...
B) Once this stage/ step is completed...

To donate what a Step involves:

A) The phase/ step/ stage involved...
To denote the repetition of a cycle/ process:
A) The cycle/ process then repeat itself.
B) The cycle/ process is then repeated.
Vocabulary to describe Predictions:
Some graphs and diagrams not only list down the data that represent something from the past
or the present time but also gives a prediction of the future. For instance, a line graph might
present the population of a country from 1950 to 2050, over a hundred years. If you are taking
the IELTS exam in 2017, you need to describe the population of this country till 2016 using the
past tense. For the population figure in 2017, you will use the present tense. Finally, the
population from 2018 till 2050 is a prediction and hence you should be using the future tense
while describing it in your writing. Moreover, you need to use certain vocabularies to represent
such future data/ predictions. Following is a list of such vocabularies to help you accurately
describe any predicted data ---

It is predicted/ estimated/ projected/ forecasted/ expected/ anticipated that......... will ...........

Is /are predicted/ estimated/ projected/ forecasted/ expected/ anticipated to ............
It gives prediction/ estimation/ projection/ forecast of ..........
It ...... will .........
....... Will have ....... by ....... (year/month/decade).......

Vocabulary to show the value/ Incorporate data/ figure:

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 You should not write down every piece of data/figure that is given in the diagram in your report
writing and doing so would actually hurt your band score. You are expected to mainly show the
following in your report writing: --
• Comparison of data/trend
• Contrast of data/trend
• Most significant figures/data/information/ trend (typically 4-6)
• The highest point
• The lowest point
• The overall scenario.
However, to compare/contrast data or to show a significant change/trend you will need to show
a figure that you will use as the base. For example, The British spent over eighty thousand
Pounds on average which was twice than the spending of Americans and approximately
quadruple than that of Irish. Here, over 80 thousand pounds is the base figure.
Following is a list of vocabulary to use to show such figures in your report writing:

Is/ was/ were: The percentage of foreign students was exactly ten in 2001 in this university and
it rose three times in ten years.

Stand at/ Stood at: The percentages of males and females who opined that they should be
allowed to get married at 21 stood at 14 and 16 in 1990 but witnessed a noticeable decline in
2010.

Exactly & As high as: The sale in March was exactly 400 and went up as high as 1100 in June.

Using (): In summer, the number of refrigerators sold (154) was far greater than the refrigerators
sold (63) in winter.

Which:
1. From January to March the death case rose three times which was only 23 between October
and December.
2. The temperature, which was 21 degrees C in March, climbed to 39 degrees C in mid-July.

Makes up: In the first decade, the population remained steady, which made up 2.8 million
approximately, but it doubled in the next 30 years.

Constitutes: The initial expenditure, which constituted 280 USD, climbed rapidly and reached
the peak during 2014.

Accounts for:
1. In June 2016. the number of Asian students enrolment in this university accounted for 45
which is estimated to be almost double in the next year.

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2. The number of infected people, which accounts for nine, is markedly lower than the number
of infected patients in the last month, which accounted for forty.
Vocabulary to write the Conclusion part:
To draw the conclusion: In conclusion / To conclude / On the whole.
To Summarize: In short / In brief / To sum up / In summary.
However, according to some teachers and examiners, a more appropriate ways of drawing the
conclusion of your graph writing should start with the words/ phrases:
Generally,
Generally speaking,
All in all,
From the graphs, it is quite evident that.
Examples:
1. In conclusion, third world countries have improved their production sectors like garments,
over the last 10 years whereas the first world countries have improved their technology and
research sectors during the same period.
2. In brief, the overall sale of the company has improved in the last 5 years except 2005 when
the sale reduced significantly due to retrenchment.
3. All in all, the process of building an IC is a complex one and involves more than eight steps to
complete including the testing phase.
4. It is quite evident that the women employment progressed remarkably in the last decade and
in some employment sectors women are well ahead of men.
5. To conclude, weather forecasting is a complex process and a great deal of technology is
used to prepare and broadcast the reliable weather forecasting.
Tip: 'In a nutshell' is not a formal expression and this is why you should not use it in your IELTS
Writing.

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