Report La nguage - Task 1 ( AC)

Upward trends Downward trends

~ ~
Verb Noun Verb Noun Verb Noun Verb Noun
(to) rise rise (to) escalate escalation (to) decrease decrease (to) nosedive nosedive

(to) Increase increase (to) surge (up)surge (to) decline decline (to)deteriorate deterioration

( to) grow growth (to) double double (to) fall (back) fall (to) tail off

(to) improve improvement (to) climax climax (to) drop drop (to) plummet -
(to) jump jump (to) triple - (to) reduce red uction (to) halve -
(t o) leap leap (to) quadruple - (to) slump slump (to) go down -
(to) boom boom (to) soar - (to) plunge plunge (to) shrink -
(to) peak peak (to) skyrocket - (to) dip dip (to) dive -
(to) recover recovery (to) rocket - (to) collapse collapse - free-fall

(to) climb climb (to) go up - (to) slide slide - trough

(to) swell swell - upturn/upswing (to) dwindle dwindle - downt urn

Stable trends

(to) rema in the same (to) remain consistent (to) experience a period of stability

(to) remain steady (to) st ay the same (t o) remain relatively unchanged

(t o) hold steady (to) even out (to) level out

(t o) remain constant (to) rema in static (to) level off

(t o) plat eau (to) st ay a steady level (to) maintain the same level
(t o) reach a plateau The (trend/ figu re) was/is/will be flat (t o) remain (fairly) st able

Fluctuating trends
~
(t o) fluctuate (wildly) (to) rise and fall erratically (to) show some va r iation/ fluctuation

(to ) go t hrough an erratic period Wild fluctuations in the rate of... (to) experience a period of volat ility

(to) vary (widely /considerably/enormously) (to) experience a period of erratic behaviour (to) enter a period of fluctuation

(to) fluctuate (mi ldly/slightly) (t o) experience a period of instability (to) witness considerable variation

Degree of change {large movements)

Dramatic (a lly ) Significant (ly) Steep (ly)

Considerable (ly) Ra pid (ly) Enormous (ly)

Sharp ( ly) Noticeable (ly) Subst antial (ly)

Ma rked (ly) Massive (ly) Abrupt (ly)

Great (ly)/ Huge (ly) Exponential (ly) Remarkable ( ly)

Degree of change {small movements)

Insignificant (ly) Slight (ly) Negligible

Gentle(ly) Marginal (ly) Relative (ly)

Minimal (ly) Inconsiderable Slow ( ly)

Focusing on an item in the graph

As regards.../ Regarding .. ./ With regard to... With respect to ... As for ...

Concerning ... In terms of... As far as ... is concerned ...

In the case of... When it comes t o ... Turning to...

Report Language - Task 1 (AC)
5

Time phrases
... from 2005 onwards ... over the last year ... over the first ten months
...after 2005 .. .in 2005 ... during ...
.. . since 2005 ... since then ... over the course of a year
... during this 5-year period .. .from now on ... ... over the course of 5 years
... by 2010 ... in the 1990s ...by the end of the century
... from this point onwards ...within a five -year period ... throughout the period
... in the period 2005 -2010 ... between 2005 and 201 0 ... in the future
... by then ... until then ... in the near future
... over a five year period ... over this five -year period ... except in 2005
.. .towards the end of the year .. . in the nex t half of the year ... until the end of the year
... in the first half of the year ... during this period ... throughout the year
... over a period of 5 years ... from 2005 to 2010 ...over a period of time
... from then onwards ... until late April ... over the period
... by the year 2010 ... a further period of ... at the end of the year
... until the end of April ... at the beginning of the year ... over the period 2005 to 2010
... for a decade ... in the year 2005 ... over the pervious fi ve years
... for the rest of the year ... from April onwards ...at the end of the first quarter
...over the same period ... during the first half of the year ... in the first three months of the year
... over the latt er half of the year/period ... thereafter ...during the period 2005 t o 2010

Comparison
(to) be entirely/ totally different from ... (to) be the same (size) as ... In marked contrast ...
(to) have roughly equa l proportions (to) be as popular/ high as ... (to) be completely dissimi lar to ...
(to) be (over) twice as much/ high as ... (t o) resemble closely/greatly (to) represent/account for ... while ...
(to) be closely followed by ... (to) be tota lly dominated by ... (to) be overwhelming ly greater than ...
(to) be qu ite/ rather similar to ... (to) have broadly similar patterns (t o) stand in t otal contrast to...
(to) be in the second place while... (to) be ranked in descending order... (to) be exactly the same as ...
(to) be precisely the same as... (to) be ranked in ascending order... (to) be completely different from ...
...differences are even greater when it comes to (to) far outstrip/ exceed (to) be almost/ nearly the same as...
(to) be quite a lot smaller than ... (to) be considera bly higher/ lower ... (to) be precisely the same as ...
(to) be just / particu larly the same as ... (to) be remarkably similar (to) be a little smaller than ...
(to) be more or less the same as ... (to) be proportiona lly similar (to) be practically the same as...
(t o) be different in every aspect/ way (to) be virtually the same as ... (to) have many common features including ...
(to) be considerably higher... ranging from ...to... (to) be approximately the same as ... (to ) be over three times as great as ...
(to) have certain aspects in common (to) be dissimilar in every respect (to) be sign ificantly fewer ...
(to) be substantia lly more than ... (to) contrast sharply (to) be marginally higher/ more than ...
(to) be three times as many/high as... (to) be almost the same as .. (to) be comparatively high/ low
The same number/ percentage of. .can be seen... (to) be fractionally/ slightly more than ... (to) be larger by a narrow marg in
(to) d iffer widely (to) be nearly as many as... (to) be fractionally less popular than ...
The largest proportion of...is clearly evident (to) be considerably/noticeably greater... The (second) highest ... whereas ...
The widest/ biggest difference can be seen ... (to) be by far the highest/lowest... The widest/largest difference can be seen in...
(to) be as opposed to ... The greatest proportion of... (to) be outnumbered by ...
(to) have more than doubled ... (to) vary greatly/ widely/ tremendously The highest/greatest/lowest proportion of...
(to) show a sharp/ stark/st riking contrast to .. . The second h ighest percentage ... ... by/in comparison with ...
(to) make up ... whereas... There are certain/several similarities... (to) stand at ...while... and ... respectively
The highest figures... whilst... On the one hand,...whereas... on the other (t o) be remarkably similar to...
(to) be outstripped by a/an (wide/ oven"lhelmlng) margin (to) be outstripped by a narrow margin (to) contrast markedly/vividly/ strikingly
 Report La nguage - Ta sk 1 ( AC}
6

Approximat ion (quantity & extent & degree)

Well over/ Just over Only a small m inority of A significant minority of Almost two thirds

Just under/ Well under Around/ Nearly/ Almost The majority of More t han

The overwhelming majority of Roughly/ Approximately A low quantity of Not much

Five out of ten Within a range of 60% More t han one-th ird Just below

A tiny fraction of ... With over hal f a million Roughly a quarter of A slightly more than a f ifth

A sl ightly less than a third A mere fraction of A great deal of... A significant percen tage of

Few/Very few/ Quit e a f ew Three quarters The v ast majority/ Most Almost all

A very small number of Roughly one in fi ve A mere/ modest 5% Over half

(to) be in the minority/ majority A considerable amount of... A small number of... A sma ll amount of ...

Exception
Except (for) ... A part from ... I A side from ... I Not included/excluded

Paraphrasing ( Rephrasing / Restating I Rewording I Rewriting )

The graph shows the trends ... between ... and ... The graph provides information about the changes ...

The graph gives/ provides/ presents information about/on ... The graph shows/reveals/concerns how ...differed

The graph shows the results of a survey carried out to determine... The graph depicts how ... has/ha ve changed

The graph shows/ demonstrates/ reveals the differences... The graph shows the changes (that took place) .. .

The accompanying graph gives a breakdown of.. . The graph provides an overview of... namely.. .

The graph gives data about... and is divided into three categories The graph clearl y displays and compares ...

The graph shows/ highlights the proportion of ... The graph shows the changing patterns...

The graph shows the degree and direction of change... The illustration presents data / information on ...

Describing predictions
It is predicted/ anticipated that...will ... by ... It is estimated that ... in/for the foreseeable fut ure

It is forecast (ed) .../ projected that... It is expected that .../ The future implicat ions of...

Another prediction/ projection/ forecast /anticipation ... Predictably, the rate will ...

Referring to a diagram
From figure I it Is clear that.../ As the graph shows... As indicated/illustrated In the graph...Reportedly... At first glance ...

According to the graph/ data shown ... At first sight, it can be clearly seen that... As can be observed/seen/viewed ...

Comments
The most striking/ outstanding /notable feature ... It should be underlined/stressed that... Another (considerable/key) feature .. .

Another (significant) feature/aspect/point ... It shou ld be emphasised that. .. It is interesting to note .../ Interestingly...

The initial impression from the chart is .. One unusual feature of the graph is.. ./surprislngly Another interesting point...

The most obvious point/ change... It is noticeable that ...reflecting ... Predictably ..., it indicates/implies/ suggests...

It is (clearly) evident that... ... perhaps a reflection of... It is notable/noteworthy/ remarkable that...

It s hould be noted that ... Another distinguishing feature ... It is important to note that ...

Comparison Contrast
(Just) like/ Equal ... stri king/stron g/ close resemblance On the other hand Neverthe less

Identical (ly)/Similar (ly) Compared to/I n comparison with In I By contrast Even though

The same as By comparison While I Whilst Conversely/ On the contrary

(to) resemble As (adj) /(adv ) as Whereas Although

Conclusion
To conclude ... It can be inferred that... Overall ... It is evident t hat...

To sum up ... (Relatively/ Broadly) speaking On average .. On the whole...

To .;ummerise/ In summary All in all ... It can be deduced ... It is clear that ...
In general. ../ Generally speaking... I t is obvious that ... It can be concluded .. . In brief...
Report Language - T ask 1 ( AC) 7

Paraphrasing ( system /process)

The illustration shows how sth works/ functions The diagram shows different parts of sth and how sth operates

The diagrams show the stages in the development of sth The diagram shows the process/ procedure in which sth Is done/(P.P)

The diagram shows how sth is done/(P.P) The diagram shows the stages involved in the production of sth

The diagram shows the process by which sth is done/(P.P) The chart shows how to do sth and is divided into... main sections

Describing an object ( Structure)

(to) consist of (to) include/ be included (to) be made up of

(to) be (sub) divided into two sections (to) have three components (to) have four parts/sections/seg ments

(to) comprise/ be comprised of (to) constitute (to) be composed of

(to) contain (to) be constructed of (to) be structured

Describing an object ( Shape)

Square(n)/Square( adj) Rectangle/Rectangular Cylinder/Cylindrical Pentagon/five-sided/Pentagonal

Oval/Oval Lozenge/-shaped Sphere/Spherical Hexagon/six-sided/ Hexagonal

Circle/Circular Diamond/Dome/ Balloon -shaped Triang le/Tr iangular Heptagon/seven-sided/Heptagonal

Cone/Conic/Conical Parallelogram/-shaped Trapezium/-shaped Octagon/eight-sided/Octagonal

Pyramid/Pyramidal Cube/ Cubic L IT I UJ V·shaped Pear/Ball/Heart/Star -shaped

Describing an object ( Connection)

(to) be joined (to) be connected (to) be supported

(to) be attached (to) be linked (to) be fixed

Describing an obj ect ( Location)

(to) be located/ situated (to) be placed (to) be positioned

Function
The function/ purpose/role of sth is to do sth The function/ purpose/role of sth is doing sth ... with a view to doing sth

(to) prevent/ stop sth from doing sth (to) be inte nded to do sth (to) serve to do sth

(to) allow sth to do sth (to) be basically/ primaril y designed to do sth (to) be meant t o do sth

(to) enable sth t o do sth ... in order/ so as to do sth ... with the intention/aim of doing sth

This is the process in which sth is done (to) be useful/necessary for doing sth ... for the purpose of doing sth

Sequencers
First( ly)/ Initially In the first place Subsequently Prior to

To start/ begin with Meanwhile The next phase/stage During this process

(Soon) Afterwards Simu ltaneously Then/ Next/ Later Ev entually

At the next stage/ The next stage Concurrently Once this stage Is completed... At the end of the process

Following this After that At t his stage Finally

Maps/ Spatial relationships

Between Next to/ Beside To the north/south/east/west of Behind

Midpoint (Directly) opposite/ across from I n the back ( of) Parallel to

(Exactly) In the m iddle of Along Alongside Around/surrounded by

Adjacent to Edge On either side of... In front of

Neighbouring On the right/left side In the right/left hand corner At the top/ bottom of

' Maps (usually passive voice)

(to) be located/ sit uated/ sited ... (to) be (re) built/ erected/ (re)constructed ... (to) be removed/ cleared/ demolished ...

(to) be pulled down and replaced by ... (to) be made way for ... (to) be extended/ (re)developed ...

(to) be transformed/ converted I turned into... (to) be modified ... (to) be doubled/enlarged/added/ halved...
 Diagram Analysis - Task 1 (AC)
8

(Multiple) Line graphs ( Trend; time-based variables) Dotted graphs ( Trend; time-based variables)

Number of students Englis h institute

College A 2009

-·
25000 remained constant • General English Courses , - - - --
Grammar Co urses
20000 ·-·~oared IELTS & TOEFL Co urses

15000 • plummeted

10000 ............... 2013

increased slowly + College 8 General English Courses
Grammar Cour5es.
remained constant
decreosed
0 +---~---~--~-----< IELTS & TOEFL CourH s . - - --. increased
2008 2009 2010
X-axis usually shows the time penod. Y-axis shows what 1s being
measured. Use 'Trend Language' and w nte about the changes on the
graphs to make sure what words to use. Make comparisons where relevant. Use 'Trend Language' and write about the changes on the second graph.
Descnbe the most important features I> To sum up, the number of students Make comparisons where relevant. Describe the most important fea~ures.
1n college A / ~ of college A increased while the number of students I> ! ELTS & TOEFL Courses increased, Grammar Courses decreased and
In college B / ~ of college B decreased over the period'. General English Courses remai ned constant.

Bar charts ( Trend; the key hos time-b a se d va riables) Bar charts ( Trend; the X-axis hos time- based varia b les)

Wrlt;ng tochnolog y usod by Solos

unde,g,aduote students
50
::c; 50
u
~ 40 / \ Key
0 1990
40
"'
: 30
"
: 20

~
"'c 10
.I!
\ •
2000
2010
30

20

10
0
... 0 '
Computer Pen Typewriter
2009
As shown, X-axis 1s NOT based on time but the key has tim e variables.
Use 'Trend Language' to show the changes. Follow the arrows. Make As shown, X-axi s is based on time Use 'Trend Language' to show the
comparisons where relevant. 1> Computer-based writ ing technology changes. Follow the arrows. Make comparisons where relevant. 1> The sale
increased, pen-based wn ting technology remained (fair1y) constant and of CD players increa sed, the sale of playStat lon re mained constant and the
typewnter-based wnting technology decreased. sale of VCR decreased.

Bar charts (Comp arison) Pie charts (Comparison)

Home adivities among young people

% 80 Univers ity population (%)
70
8% 3%
60
Management Law
50 O C ompute r ga mH
40 2%
30 CJ R eading
20 • Board gam.. 11 %
10 Medi cine
• W atching TV
0

76 %
Use 'Comparison Language'. Compare and contrast the activities in each
country and infer the conclusion from the whole figures.
'To sum up, playing computer games is the most QJ2DJJ1M home activity
while reading ,s considered as the feast favourable home activity in all Use 'Comparison Language' to present each section.
given countries'. I> To sum up, the percentage of engineering students is by far the highest
while architecture students has the lowest percentage of students'.

Pie charts (Comparison) Pie charts ( Trend; time-based variables)

Surve y Internet Connections Dlol-.ip

Wlrelau 10%
BOYS GIRLS 20% Wire Iau
Other activities °'1Mr oc1ivitl H S..ks 20%
Dio l-.ip
p..,..i., 8%
Books 12% 21% ADSL. . . . ADSL
12'!1, 50%
2% Pu:z.i:M, 70%
30% . .
2%
F riend, 2009 2012
F ,iend,
19%
Tv 11% Tv A DSL 2009 (30%) / ADSL 2012 (70 % )
lntomof lmern_. 35'!1,
13%
16% Wireless 20 1 2 (20%)
13% Wireless 2009 (20% )
Compare and contrast the proportions. Compare the activities and infer the
conclusion from the whole figures. I> 'To sum up, it can be concluded that Dia l-up 2009 (50% ) " Dial-up 2012 (10% )
wacchlng 7V 1s the m o s t ~ free time activi ty while doing puzzles 1s
considered as the least favourable free time activity In both charts' Use 'Trend language' to show the changes. Make comparisons where
relevant. 1> ADSL connections Increased, Wireless connections remained
constant and Dial-up connections decreased over t he period.
 Diagram Analysis - Task 1 (AC)
9

Tables ( Trend; time- based variables) Tables (Comparison)

Survey Survey based on newspaper sections

Time

YEAR (Trend) 2005 2006 2007

Paper lette r 28

Telephone 70 70

E-mail 2 29
Use the figu res selectively t o illustrate t he m ain points
Group i nform at ion where necessary. Look for significant similarit ies and
Draw arrow s to indicate the t rends. Use ' Trend Language' to show the differences. Read t he task carefu lly to m ak e sure what inform ation to
ch anges. Make comparisons where relevant. II- Commu nication t hrough compare (colu mns or row s) . II- To sum up, current affairs are the most
paper letters decreased, communication through t elephone remained l2IlI2JJ.liJL sections while advice columns are the least favourable sections' OR
const ant and commu nication t hrough Email incre ased . 'Young people ~ to read newspapers more compared with other age
groups'.

Objects & Systems (Comparison) Systems (Doto flow analysis)

~~y~~
Central Heating System
~ lorage lank
~ "-~verflow pipe
tand e m mountain b ike racing b ik e bicyct. rkklha w ·.-R
- a -d-ia_t_o_r- t---;

Basic vocabulary Thermo stat

lf==~§~J:3--J (contro lling tem p ]
, chain, frame, handlebar, gear, pedals, saddle, wheels
Boiler
(hea ting waler)
Do not describe each type in detail-instead concentrate on the
distinguishing feat ures. Describe the similarities. Passive construction is
Consider these clues ' St ru ctures & Shapes & Connections & Locations &
often used when describing an object . Consider t hese clues 'Str uctures &
Funct ions' when describing a system. The m ost im portant part of a system
Shapes & Connections & Locations & Functions' w hen describing or
should be mentioned wit h its fu nct ion (Boiler) . Include linking words to help
comparing. The most important part of a system should be mentioned wit h
sequence your description .' First, Next, A~er that ... '. Passive construction
its function (Ch ain and Cog; generating power)
is often used when descnbing a system. As a prefabricated conclusion, we
can write about how complicated or easy t he system is.

Man-made processes (Doto flow ana lysis) Natural processes (Do to flow analysis)

tlUILO/ltt; MATO/Al. WATER CYCLE

~":iZL~ :
clay
coo lktg cha m ber

4t,..71 M•

"---• -
packav•
~
IJ"OC , I JOO C
-
rolh ,
..il n(<>,-9'\ to, bo~ "'t)

.... . . . . .
'XX>C·WIO C

- \ov
..
movl ~

_ d ryl~ cn,en

24-41 h,s

r.
d oliwry=o-ir;

Make sure how the process works. A l inear process has a si ngle starting A natural cyclical process may have several equally logical starting points.
point. Passive construction is often used when describi ng a process. If it is not clear, choose a logical beginning and s tart the process from
Include linking w ords to help sequence your descri ption.' First, Next, After there. Most ly active voice is u sed wh en describing somethin g which
that ... ' . .Relative cl auses can help avoid repe tit ion. 'The bricks are made happens repeatedly. Sequencing words are essen tial. Finish your report at
which are then sent to the cooling chamber'. Explain t he functions of the the same stage in the cycle from w h ich you started '... and h ere the cycle
stages if necessary. 'The brick is baked to harden it'. begins again; 'The cycle then repeats itself', The cycle is then repeated'.

Maps (Comparison) Maps ( Trend ; t ime- b ased va riables)

1980 2010
Pellinglon 2S ...cOffVCt'ml 2S _.reploeed
(population into... by_

120000)

Residential
O<'-O'"'"odaHon

§
Industria l

M o torway

Railwa y

~~~~----- ~~~---~--" [1J

Familiari se yourself with words showing locat ion on the points of the
Country s ide
Use 'Trend Language'. Compare and contrast where necessary.
~ I n order to iden tify changes, study the i llustrations and write about
compass. Describe the amenities which are nearby . Write about the spat ial the changes on the second map, 'converted, replaced, built, enlarged,
relationships, faci lities, geographical features connections, accessibility, planted, increased ... ' Make sure how to use 'by' and 'in' w hen st ating
distances, shape and size of locations, pop u lat ion, climat ic con diti ons ... tim e.