IELTS WRITING TASK I

Quick IELTS Academic Writing Tips when describing trends

Do not describe every small upwards or downwards movement. You need to look at the
important trends or characteristics and give a general overview.
You will normally use verbs in the past tense when describing trends though always look for dates
to confirm which tense to use.
Do not write about things that do not appear in the graph. You shouldn't give an opinion, just
describe the information that appears.
Even if your grammar (and vocabulary) is perfect, you will lose marks for not showing an accurate
understanding.

Introduction + Basic/ General Trends + Details Description + Conclusion.

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

Vocabulary for the Introduction Part:

Presentation
Starting Verb Description
Type
diagram / table shows /
/ figure / represents / the comparison of .
The given / illustration / depicts / the differences .
The supplied graph / figure / illustrates / the number of .
/ The chart / flow presents/ gives information on .
presented / chart / picture/ / provides / data on .
The shown / presentation/ describes / the proportion of.
The provided pie chart / bar compares/ the amount of .
graph/ line shows / figures information on....
graph / table / gives data on

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 data/ data / / gives
information information
on/ presents
information
about/ shows
data about
Example :

1. The provided diagram shows data on employment categories in energy producing sectors in
Europe starting from 1925 to 1985.
2. The given pie charts represent the proportion of male and female employee in 6 broad
categories, divided into manual and non-manual occupations.
3. The chart gives information on expenditures of 4 European countries on six consumer
products namely Germany, Italy, Britain and France.

Vocabulary for the General trends Part:

In general, In common, As is presented, Generally speaking, As is observed.

Example:

1. In general the employment opportunity has increased till 1970 and has dropped down
afterward.
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 far more standard life than all the other 4 mentioned countries

Or Introducing the topic

The graph shows / The table reveals

The chart displays / The diagram illustrates
Some interesting facts concerning are revealed in the diagram.
Several key trends are revealed by the graph showing

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Introducing the first set of data

Beginning with the

To begin with the
Let me begin by describing the

Introducing the second set of data

Meanwhile, the shows that

As for the , it shows that
Turning to the , it can be seen that

Introducing the first major trend

First of all, it is clear that

Most noticeably of all, it can be seen that
The first result worth pointing out is that

Introducing lesser trends

Another trend that can be observed is that

It is also worth pointing out that
Also worth noting is that

Exceptions to the main trend

However, this was not always the case.

However, it should be pointed out that

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 There was one noticeable exception, however.

Comparing and contrasting

Similarly, / By contrast,
A similar trend can be observed in
The results for , however, reveal a markedly different trend.

Adding figures

The figures were X and Y respectively.

, at X. / , with Y. (Usage note: use at when you mean the figure was; use with when
you mean something had)
, at/with X and Y respectively.

Concluding and summarising

To sum up, / In summary, / In short,

Overall, / On the whole,
The main thing that can be observed here is that

Verbs
These verbs are alternatives to the basic rise and fall vocabulary. One benefit of using them
is that sometimes they help you avoid repeating too many numbers. If you have a strong
verb, you dont always have to give the exact figure.

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Up verbs

Notes:

Soar and rocket are both very strong words that describe large rises. Rocket is
more sudden. You probably do not need to qualify these verbs with adverbs.
Leap shows a large and sudden rise. Again, you probably do not need to qualify it
with an adverb.
Climb is a relatively neutral verb that can be used with the adverbs below.

Down verbs

Notes:

Plummet is the strongest word here. It means to fall very quickly and a long way.
Drop and drop are normally used for fairly small decreases
Slip back is used for falls that come after rises
Drop and Dip are also frequently used as nouns: eg a slight dip a sudden drop

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Adjectives and adverbs
This is a selection of some of the most common adjectives and adverbs used for trend
language. Please be careful. This is an area where it is possible to make low-level mistakes.
Make sure that you use adjectives with nouns and adverbs with verbs:

a significant rise correct (adjective/noun)

rose significantly correct (adverb/verb)
a significantly rise wrong wrong wrong

Please also note the spelling of the adverbs. There is a particular problem with the word
dramatically:

dramatically correct
dramaticly wrong
dramaticaly wrong

Adjectives of degree

notes

sudden and sharp can be used of relatively minor changes that happen quickly
spectacular and dramatic are very strong words only to used to big, big, big
changes

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Steady adjectives

Small adjectives

notes

marginal is a particularly useful word for describing very small changes

Other useful adjectives

These adjectives can be used to describes more general trends

notes

overall can be used to describe changes in trend over the whole period: very useful
in introductions and conclusions
upward and downward are adjectives: the adverbs are upwards and
downwards

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Nouns used when describing trends

decline
decrease
dip (a momentarily small drop in the level of something)
drop
fall
fluctuation (= an irregular rising and falling in number or amount; a variation)
growth
increase
peak (= the highest point)
rise
slump (= a severe or prolonged fall in the price, value, or amount of something)
variation (= a change or difference in condition, amount, or level)