Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 question requires you to use

several vocabularies to present the data given in a pie/ bar/

line/ mixed graph or to describe a process or a flow chart.
Being able to use appropriate vocabularies, presenting the
main trend, comparing & contrasting data and presenting the
logical flow of the graph ensure a high band score in your
Academic IELTS writing task 1. This vocabulary section aims
to help you learn all the vocabularies, phrases and words you
need to know and use in your Academic writing task 1 to
achieve a higher band score. The examiner will use four
criteria to score your response: task achievement, coherence
and cohesion, lexical resource, & grammatical range and
accuracy. Since "Lexical Resource" will determine 25% of
your score in Task 1, you have to enrich your vocabulary to
hit a high band score. To demonstrate that you have a great
lexical resource, you need to:

» Use correct synonyms in your writing.

» Use a range of vocabulary.
» Do not repeat words and phrases from the exam
question unless there is no alternative.
» Use some less common vocabulary.
» Do not use the same word more than once/twice.
» Use precise and accurate words in a sentence.
It is advisable that you learn synonyms and use them
accurately in your writing in order to give the impression that
you can use a good range of vocabulary.

Graph Writing Vocabulary Index:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |
The general format for writing academic writing task 1
is as follows:
Introduction + Basic/ General Trends +
Details Description +
Summary (optional).
Each part has a specific format and therefore being equipped
with the necessary vocabulary will help you answer task 1
efficiently and will save a great deal of time.

Vocabulary for the Introduction Part:

Starting Presentation Verb Description
Type
The/ the diagram / shows / the
given / table / represents / comparison
the figure / depicts / of…
supplied illustration / enumerates the
/ the graph / / illustrates / differences…
presente chart / flow presents/ the
d / the chart / gives / changes...
shown / picture/ provides / the number
the presentatio delineates/ of…
provided n/ pie outlines/ information
chart / bar describes / on…
graph/ delineates/ data on…
column expresses/ the
graph / line denotes/ proportion
graph / compares/ of…
table data/ shows the amount
data / contrast / of…
information indicates / information
/ pictorial/ figures / on...
process gives data data about...
diagram/ on / gives comparative
map/ pie information data...
chart and on/ presents the trend of..
table/ bar information the
graph and about/ percentages
pie chart ... shows data of...
about/ the ratio of...
demonstrate how the...
s/ sketch
out/
summarises.
 ..

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 "The line graph

demonstrates..." instead of "The given line graph
demonstrates...". However, if you write "The given/
provided/ presented...." it would be correct as well.
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 on 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, you
would be penalised. always paraphrase the introduction in
your own words.

General Statement Part:

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.

Vocabulary for the General Trend Part:

1. In general...
2. In common...
3. Generally speaking...
4. Overall...
5. It is obvious...
6. As it is observed...
7. As a general trend...
8. As can be seen...
9. As an overall trend/ As overall trend...
10. As it is presented...
11. It can be clearly seen that...
12. At the first glance...
13. It is clear,
14. At the onset...
15. It is clear that...
16. A glance at the graph(s) reveals
that...
Example:
1. In general, the employment opportunities increased till
1970 and then declined throughout the next decade.
2. As it 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 the 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.

The structure of the IELTS Academic

Writing Task 1 (Report Writing):
Introduction:
Introduction (never copy word for word from the question) +
Overview/ General trend (what the diagrams indicate at a
first glance).
Reporting Details:
Main features in the Details
+ Comparison and Contrast of the data. (Do not give all the
figures.)
+ Most striking features of the graph.

Conclusion:
Conclusion (General statement + Implications, significant
comments)
[The conclusion part is optional.]

Tips:
1. Write the introduction and General trend in the same
paragraph. Some students prefer to write the 'General Trend'
in a separate paragraph and many teachers suggest 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% of the 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 counterparts in 2001 and
almost two-third of females were jobless in the same
year. "
Vocabulary to Start the Report Body:
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 the
following is a list of such phrases ---

1. As it is presented in the diagram(s)/

graph(s)/ pie chart(s)/ table...
2. As (it is) shown in the illustration...
3. As can be seen in the...
4. As the diagrams suggest...
5. According to the...
6. Categorically speaking...
7. Getting back to the details...
8. Now, turning to the details...
9. The table data clearly shows that...
10. The diagram reveals that...
11. The data suggest that...
12. The graph gives the figure...
13. It is interesting to note that...
14. It is apparently seen that...
15. It is conspicuous that...
16. It is explicitly observed that...
17. It is obvious...
18. It is clear from the data...
19. It is worth noticing that...
20. It is crystal clear/ lucid that...
21. It can be clearly observed that...
22. It could be plainly viewed that...
23. It could be noticed that...
24. We can see that...
Vocabulary to show the changes:
Trends Verb form Noun Form
Increase rise / increase / go a rise / an
up / uplift / increase / an
rocket(ed) / climb / upward trend
upsurge / soar/ a growth / a
shot up/ improve/ leap / a jump /
jump/ leap/ move an
 upward/ skyrocket/ improvement/
soar/ surge. a climb.

Decrease fall / decrease / a fall / a

decline / decrease / a
plummet / plunge / reduction / a
drop / reduce / downward
collapse / trends /a
deterioriate/ dip / downward
dive / go down / tendency / a
take a nosedive / decline/ a drop
slum / slide / go / a slide / a
into free-fall. collapse / a
downfall.

Steadiness unchanged / level a steadiness/

out / remain a plateau / a
constant / remain stability/ a
steady / plateau / static
remain the same /
remain stable /
remain static

Gradual an upward
increase ------------ trend / an
upward
tendency / a
 ceiling trend

Gradual a downward
decrease ------------ trend / a
downward
tendency / a
descending
trend

Standability/ level(ed) off /

Flat remain(ed) No change, a
constant / flat, a plateau.
remain(ed)
unchanged /
remain(ed) 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

at 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.

Vocabulary to represent changes in

graphs:
Type of Adverb form Adjective form
Change
Rapid dramatically / dramatic / rapid /
change rapidly / sharply / sharp / quick /
quickly / hurried / speedy /
hurriedly / swift / significant /
speedily / considerable /
swiftly / substantial /
significantly/ noticable.
considerably /
substantioally /
noticably.

Moderate moderately / moderate /

change gradually / gradual /
progressively / progressive /
sequentially. sequential.

Steady steadily/ steady/ ceaseless.

change
 ceaselessly.

Slight slightly / slowly / slight / slow /

change mildly / tediously. mild / tedious.

Example:
1. The economic inflation of the country increased sharply by
20% in 2008.

2. There was a sharp drop in 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 oil moderately increased during the last

quarter but as a consequence, the price of daily necessities
rapidly went up.

Vocabulary to represent frequent changes in graphs:

Type of Verb form Noun form
Change
 Rapid wave / waves /
ups fluctuate / fluctuations /
and oscillate / oscillations /
downs vacillate / vacillations /
palpitate palpitations

Example:
1. The price of the goods fluctuated during the first three
months of 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 the early morning and evening, it
remains busy.

4. The changes in 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 piece of 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 the most striking features in your answer, not
every piece of data presented in the diagram(s).
Types of Changes/ Differences and
Vocabulary to present them:
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.
» In the 80s, 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 Numbers:

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/ Phrases of Approximation -
Vocabulary:
» Approximately
» Nearly
» Roughly
» Almost
» About
» Around
» More or less
» Just over
» Just under
» Just around
» Just about
» Just below
» A little more than
» A little less than.
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 trends.
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 again. Bring a
variety in your writing to show that you can formulate
different sentence structures without making any
grammatical mistakes.