ELTS Academic - Graph Writing:

In your IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, you will be given with one or more graph(s) (i.e.
bar, column, line or pie), table, flowchart, map or process diagram and you need
to summarise the main information, compare data, show contrasts and trends, identify
significant trends and describe a process. You should write between 150 to 200 words and
the minimum word requirement is 150. You are advised to finish your report writing in 20
minutes. Always present factual data based on the diagram presented, and NEVER assume
something, even if this is a common knowledge. Write in a way so that the reader (examiner
in this case) can very easily follow the trends of the graph and understand the factual
information regarding the diagram.

Vocabulary For Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 (part 1)

The Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 requires you to use several vocabularies to present the
data given in a pie/ bar/ line/ mixed graphs or to describe a process or a flow chart. Being
able to use appropriate vocabulary, presenting main trends, comparing & contrasting data and
presenting the logical flow of the graph ensures a high band score in your Academic IELTS
writing task 1. This vocabulary section aims to help you learn all the vocabulary, phrases and
words you need to know and use in your Academic writing task 1 to achieve a high 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
resources will determine 25% of your score in Task 1, you have to enrich your vocabulary to
hit a high score. To demonstrate that you have great lexical resources 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 less common vocabulary.
» Do not use the same word more than once/twice.
» Use precise and accurate words in a sentence.

1
2
General Statement Part:

3
 The General statement is the first sentence (or two) you write in your reporting. It should
always deal with:

What + Where + When.

Example: The diagrams present information on the percentages of teachers who has
expressed their views on 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.

A good General statement should always have these parts.

Vocabulary for the General Trend Part:

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 opportunity has increased till 1970 and has dropped down
afterwards.
2. As is observed, the figures for imprisonment in the five mentioned countries show no
overall pattern of increase or decrease rather shows the considerable fluctuation from
country to country.
3. Generally speaking, USA had a far more standard life than all the other 4 mentioned
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.
5. Generally speaking, more men were engaged in managerial positions in 1987 than
that of women in New York.
6. 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.
7. At the first glance, it is clear that more percentages of native university pupils violated
regulations and rules than the foreign students.
4
8. At the onset, it is clear that drinking in public and drink driving were the most
common reasons for the US citizens to be arrested in 2014.
9. Overall, the leisure hours enjoyed by males regardless of their employment status was
much higher than that of women.

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 following is a list of such phrases ---

1. As is presented in the diagram(s)/ graph(s)/ pie chart(s)/ table...

2. As (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 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:

5
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/ improve/ a growth / a leap / a jump / an
jump/ leap/ move upward/ skyrocket/ soar/ improvement/ a climb.
surge.

Decrease fall / decrease / decline / plummet / plunge / a fall / a decrease / a reduction / a

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

Steadiness unchanged / level out / remain constant / a steadiness/ a plateau / a stability/ a

remain steady / plateau / remain the same / static
remain stable / remain static

Gradual increase an upward trend / an upward

------------ tendency / a ceiling trend

Gradual decrease a downward trend / a downward

------------ tendency / a descending trend

Standability/ Flat level(ed) off / remain(ed) constant /

remain(ed) unchanged / remain(ed) stable / No change, a flat, a plateau.
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 has 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 student enrollment of the University.
4. The population of the country remained almost the same as it was 2 years ago.
6
5. The population of these two cities increase significantly in the last two decades and it
is predicted that it will remain stable in the next 5 years.

Vocabulary to represent changes in graphs:

Type of Adverb form Adjective form

Change

Rapid change dramatically / rapidly / dramatic / rapid / sharp /

sharply / quickly / quick / hurried / speedy /
hurriedly / speedily / swift / significant /
swiftly / significantly/ considerable / substantial /
considerably / noticable.
substantioally / noticably.

Moderate moderately / gradually / moderate / gradual /

change progressively / progressive / sequential.
sequentially.

7
 Steady steadily/ ceaselessly. steady/ ceaseless.
change

Slight change slightly / slowly / mildly / slight / slow / mild / tedious.

tediously.

Example:
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 in last quarter but as a consequence, the
price of daily necessity rapidly went up.
Vocabulary 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 raw materials fluctuated for the first three months.
2. The graph shows the oscillations of the price of fuel from 1998 to 2002.
3. The passenger number in this station oscillates throughout the day but early morning
and evening are the two busiest time.
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 as rapid ups and
downs could be observed in the last three months.

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).

8
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:

9
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
10
 » 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 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
11
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.

Vocabulary For Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 (part 2)

Hits: 42586

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.

Graph Writing Vocabulary Index:

12
 Vocabulary to represent highest and lowest points in graphs:

Type Verb Noun

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

Lowest touch the lowest point / get the lowest the lowest point / the lowest mark / bottommost point
Point point / reached the nadir / 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 pick in 2003 while it was lowest in 2006.
5. The selling volume of the DVD hit a pick 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

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)...
13
 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...

 Exactly the same.

 Roughly the same
 Practically the same
 Twice
 Thrice
 Four times
 Five times
 ...............
 Ten times
 ...............
 Hundred times.

Vocabulary to show how much changed...

 Halved
 Equalled
 Doubled
 Trebled / tripled
 Quadrupled (fourfold /four times)
 Pentadrupled (fivefold /five times)
 Hexadrupled (sixfold /six times)
 Septupled (sevenfold /seven times)
14
 Octupled (Eightfold/eight times)
 Nonupled (Ninefold/ nine 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 /

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 other two
cities.
5. The salaries of male executives in three out of four companies were well above than
the salaries of female executives in 1998.

15
Expressions to focus on an item in the graph:

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

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

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:
16
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':
attractive » more attractive » most attractive || profitable » more profitable » most
profitable || expensive» more expensive » most expensive.

Examples:
1. The price of the custom made cars was more expensive in 2014 than it is 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 ...
... jus 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 ...

17
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.
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 a further use of preposition '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.

18
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.
»» 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 population growth of the country is slightly larger than the previous year.
» This year population grown is almost twice than 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.
19
Vocabulary - Using the appropriate "Prepositions":
» It started at..., The sale started at $20..., It peaked at...
»Itr 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

Find about Discover

Point out Indicate

Need to Required

Get Obtain

Think about Consider

Seem Appear

Show demonstrate/
illustrate

Start Commence

20
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
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 presents that there was an improvement of the traffic condition
between 11:00 am till 3:00 pm.

21
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:
(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: The number of visitors reached the peak in 2008 and it exceeded 2 million.
Top/ highest/ maximum: The oil prices reached to 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.
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 loss it was bearing.

22
23
Verbs Nouns
» Increased (to) An increase
» Rose (to) A rise
» Climbed (to) An upward trend
» Went up (to) A growth

24
Use 'adjective/adverb' to indicate the movement of a trend.
Examples:
1. There has been a slight increase in the unemployment rate in 1979 at which point it stood
at 12%.
2. The price of gold dropped rapidly for the next three years.

Use 'adjective' to modify the 'Noun' form of a trend and use 'adverb' to modify the 'verb' form
of a trend.
25
Greater or Higher?

We usually use 'greater' when we compare two numbers, and 'higher' while comparing two
percentages or ratio. Reversely, 'smaller or fewer' could be used to compare two numbers and
'lower' to compare two percentages or ratios. The following table would make it clear ---

Examples:

1. The number of male doctors in this city was greater than the number of female doctors.
2. The number of European programmers who attended the seminar was fewer than the
number of Asian programmers.
3. The percentage of male doctors in this city was higher than the percentage of female
doctors.
4. During 2010, the inflow of illegal immigrants was lower than that of 2012.
5. the birth rate in Japan in 2014 was higher than the birth rate in 2015.

Vocabulary to compare to what extent / to (/by) what degree something is greater/higher than
the other.
» Overwhelmingly, Substantially, Significantly. Considerably.
» Moderately, Markedly.
» Hardly, Barely, Slightly, Fractionally, Marginally.

Vocabulary to show the sequence:

» Subsequently, Respectively, Consecutively, Sequentially.

» Previous, Next, First, Second, Third, Finally, Former, Latter.

Tips:
"The market shares of HTC, Huawei, Samsung, Apple and Nokia in 2010 were 12%, 7%,
20%, 16% and 4% globally."

This above sentence makes it ambiguous to understand which mobile brand had what
26
 percentage of market share. If there are more than 2 values/ figures, you should always
use 'consecutively/ sequentially/ respectively'. Using either of these words would eliminate
any doubt about the above sentence as it will clearly state that the percentages of market
shares mentioned here would match the mobile brands sequentially (i.e. first one for the first
brand, the second one for the second brand and so on.)

"The market shares of HTC, Huawei, Samsung, Apple and Nokia in 2010 were 12%, 7%,
20%, 16% and 4% respectively in the global market."

Note: You do not need to use 'consecutively/ sequentially/ respectively' if there are only two
values to write.

Vocabulary to show transitions:

Vocabulary to describe different types of data/trends in a paragraph while showing a smooth

and accurate transition is quite important. Following word(s)/ phrase(s) would help you do so
in an excellent way...

 Then
 Afterwards
 Following that
 Followed by
 Next
 Subsequently
 Former
 Latter
 After
 Previous
 Prior to
 Simultaneously
 During
 While
 Finally.

Few More Vocabularies:

Few more useful vocabulary to use in your report writing:

 Stood at
27
 A marked increase
 Steep
 Gradual
 Hike
 Drastic
 Declivity
 Acclivity
 Prevalent
 Plummet
Useful phrases for describing graphs:

 To level off
 To reach a plateau
 To hit the highest point
 To stay constant
 To flatten out
 To show some fluctuation
 To hit the lowest point
 Compared to
 Compared with
 Relative to

ELTS Writing Task 1 Vocabulary Part 4:

Graph Writing Vocabulary Index:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |

You will often need to use 'adjectives' and 'adverbs' to indicate the speed of changes in the
trend (called 'Degree of Speed) in your answer. Following is a list of vocabularies that will
help you present the quick changes quite effectively.

Adjectives:
» Rapid, Quick, Sharp, Swift, Sudden, Wild.
» Steady, Gradual, Moderate
» Slow, Gentle.
Adverbs:
» Rapidly, Quickly, Sharply, Swiftly, Suddenly, Wildly.

28
» Steadily, Gradually, Moderately
» Slowly, Gently.
A different set of vocabulary to represent the 'Degree of Trend' would also be handy to
summarise data presented in a graph. Both 'adjective' and 'adverb' form of this vocabulary list
is given below. Use 'adjectives' to modify a 'Noun', while 'adverbs' should be used to modify
a 'verb'.

Adjectives:
» Significant, Huge, Enormous, Steep, Substantial, Considerable, Marked, Dramatic, Abrupt.
» Moderate, Slight.
» Minimum (singular), Minima (plural)
Adverbs:
» Significantly, Hugely, Enormously, Steeply, Substantially, Considerably, Markedly,
Dramatically, Abruptly.
» Moderately, Slightly.
» Minimally

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.

29
» 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.

30
» Built, Erected, Replaced.
» Situated, Located.
» Changed to/ Converted/ Gave way to/ Became.
» While in 2001, it was ......, later, it was converted to ......

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 ---

31
 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:

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.

32
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.
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.

33
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.

Vocabulary For Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 (part 5)

Everybody uses some common vocabularies to describe a diagram and to write a report. For
instance, there would be hardly anyone who does not use the words 'increase, decrease, fall,
higher, fluctuate, climb, decline, quickly increase, sharply decrease, and those are really
obvious words used by most of the IETLS candidates. If you too use these overused words
and phrases, you would not be able to give an impression that your range of vocabulary is
stronger and richer than others. This article "Vocabulary For Academic IELTS Writing Task
1 (part 5)" solely focuses on introducing you to a nice set of words and vocabulary that you
can use in your Academic IELTS Task 1 to achieve a high band score:

» Illustration: can replace - "diagram, chart."

» As the diagrams suggest: can replace - "As can be seen, According to the diagrams.
» Illustrate: can replace - "describe, show, present data on."
» Trifling: can replace - "small, insignificant."
» Delineate: can replace - "show, present, describe."
» From this graph, it is quite evident that: can replace - "In conclusion, In summary, In
general."
» The most possible ground: can replace - "the most common reason."
» Elaborate: can replace - "describe, explain."
» Nadir: can replace - "the lowest point."
» Apex/ Vertex: can replace - "the highest point."
» Soared: can replace - " sharply increased."
» Skyrocketed: can replace - " very quickly increased.

34
 » Frantically: can replace - "very quickly, very rapidly."
» Slumped: can replace - "quickly dropped."
» Plummeted: can replace - "quickly dropped."
» Surged: can replace - "went up, climbed, increased."
» Deteriorate: can replace - "fall."
» Dip: can replace - "fall, decline."
» Dive: can replace - "fall, drop."
» Go into free-fall: can replace - "fall, drop, decline, decrease."
» Plummet, plunge, slum: can replace - "fall, drop, decline."
» Take a nosedive: can replace - "reduce, drop, fall, decline."
» Slide: can replace - "drop, fall."
» Decade: can replace - "ten years."
» Projected: can replace - "predicted, forecasted, estimated."
» Overwhelmingly: can replace - "greatly, significantly."
» Hardly: can replace - "barely, merely,
» At the onset it is clear: can replace - "As can be seen from the graph."
» Indicate: can replace - "point out."
» All in all: can replace - "In summary, in conclusion."
» Obtain: can replace - "get."
» Commence: can replace - "start".
» In the interim: can replace - "in the meantime."
» Correct: can replace - "right".
» Inexpensive: can replace - "cheap."
» Depict: can replace - "show."
» Plateaued: can replace - "remained the same."
» Oscillate/ Vacillate/ Palpipate: can replace - "fluctuate."
» Declivity: can replace - "drop, fall, decrease".
» Acclivity: can replace - "An upward slope, an upward trend, increase."
» A steep fall: can replace - "A quick fall".

Vocabulary to ensure high band score in IELTS Graph writing:

Few more useful vocabulary to ensure high band score in IELTS Graph writing:
 Plateau
Meaning: Reach a state of little or no change after a period of activity or progress, levelled
out.
Example: The share price of the ACME company have plateaued out.
35
 Dip
Meaning: Submerge, lower plunge, sink.
Example: The employee satisfaction score then dipped in 2005 and remained at this level for
the next three years.
 Slump
Meaning: Decrease, decline, deteriorate.
Example: The number of passengers then slumped and reached to only 2500 compared to
four thousand in the previous year.
 Steep
Meaning: Sheer, sharp, abrupt, perpendicular.
Example: The steep decline of the heavy drinkers contributed to the enhanced life expectancy
in this country.
 Substantial
Meaning: Notable, considerable, significant, marked
Example: A substantial number of these diploma holders did not finish their tertiary
education.
 Dramatic
Meaning: Significant, notable, noteworthy, remarkable, considerable, substantial.
Example: The dramatic rise of the car use has polluted the air.
 Gradual
Meaning: Step by step, slow but continuous, uniform, successive, progressive, steady,
regular, even, consistent.
Example: The participation of women in these sectors gradually improved and in 2015, more
than 38% women were employed in these job sectors.
 Decline
Meaning: Reduce, decrease, plummet, plunge, slump, shrink, fall off, lessen.
Example: Investment in clean energy declined in the third world countries in 2005 while it
actually doubled in most of the first world countries.
 An upward trend
Meaning: The tendency of being higher, something that goes upward.
Example: An upward trend in the number of club members was visible from 2005 to 2007
after which it actually dropped.
 Respectively
Meaning: Consecutively, sequentially.
Example: Car theft cases in Denmark, Sweden, UK and Japan were respectively 240, 210,
354 and 189 in January 2018.
 Consecutively

36
 Meaning: Sequentially, progressively.
Example: While the daily fast food consumption per person in the UK was 50 grams, it was
61, 32 and 25 grams in the USA, Sweden and China consecutively.
 Apex
Meaning: The highest point, peak, vertex, pinnacle, summit, top.
Example: The price then increased noticeably and reached the apex in 2017.
 Acclivity
Meaning: Ascent, climb, rise.
Example: The activity of the car ownership in Europe further developed and reached to 57%
in 2011.
 Declivity
Meaning: A downward slope, decline, decrease.
Example: The declivity on the number of female members in 2011 was almost double than
that of the previous year.
 Remained stable
Meaning: Remained constant, did not change.
Example: The ratio of highly skilled professionals in the former country increased
significantly but remained stablein the later one.
 Plummet
Meaning: Plunge, fall, decline, slump, nosedive, drop, decrease.
Example: The ratio of unemployed youth, who have vocational education, plummeted in
2005 than that of two years earlier.
 Prevalent
Meaning: Common, general, usual, prevailing, widespread, endemic, rampant.
Example: The prevalence of the trend could be better understood if we compare the data with
that of the last twenty years.
 Stood at
Meaning: To remain stable/ intact, to come to a stop.
Example: The old hospital stood at the same position as it was five decades earlier but the
free-space in front of it was converted to a car parking area.
 Enumerate
Meaning: Identify, itemise, list, summarise, recite, specify, quote, relate.
Example: The illustration enumerates how Australian Bureau of Meteorology collects up-to-
the-minute information on the weather.
 Radically

37
 Meaning: Completely, hurriedly, abruptly.
Example: The technological advancement has radically changed the way employees used to
work in their offices.
 Positive development
Meaning: Improvement, progress, stay forward, increase, grow, rise.
Example: The increasing number of female executives in the company is considered
a positive development.
 Subsequent
Meaning: Following, next, successive, succeeding.
Example: Despite a hike at the beginning of the year, the oil price steadily declined in
the subsequent months until June 2017.
 Commence
Meaning: Start, begin, set in motion, open, initiate, inauguarate.
Example: The construction of the road was commenced at the beginning of 2001 and ended
in 2003.
 Plunge
Meaning: Slump, plummet, shrink, fall off, decline, decrease, drop, reduce.
Example: Employers' contribution to the fee for skill development courses has plunged to a
great extent in the last decade, as the graph suggests.
 Surge
Meaning: Increase, went higher, jump.
Example: Duration of watching TV as a leisure activity surged among the elder people in
Australia after 1998.
 To dive
Meaning: Fall, descent, plummet, plunge, nosedive, drop.
Example: Consumption of word resources in some Asian countries, on the contrary,
has dived after 2014.
 Abrupt
Meaning: Swift, sudden, instantaneous, hurried, startling, unanticipated, unexpected, rapid,
speedy.
Example: The abrupt rise of the population in the early 21st century is contrasting to that of
the beginning of the 18th century, as the data suggests.
 Relative
Meaning: Correlative, corresponding, parallel, reciprocal.
Example: The academic performance and professional efficiency are somewhat relative to
each other despite the presence of many other variables, according to the survey outcome.
 Modest

38
 Meaning: Tolerable, adequate, moderate, fair, satisfactory, acceptable.
Example: The wheat export then witnessed a modest decline and it affected the revenue
earned in 2015.
 Variation
Meaning: Disparity, inequality, dissimilarity, difference, variety, diversification.
Example: It can be inferred from the given data that variations in the pH values are
sometimes detrimental.
 Elucidate
Meaning: Explain, make clear, clarify, throw/shed light on, explicate, annotate.
Example: The line chart elucidates how much waste was recycled in the UK between 1990
and 2015.
 Unravel
Meaning: Untangle, clear up, disentangle, explain, straighten out, separate out.
Example: The data unravel the fact that the crime rate increases in the later decades despite
some stringent initiatives from the law-enforcers.

»» Make sure you know all of these words/ phrases and can use them while writing a report/
describing a graph.

39