Guideline and Vocabulary (Ins and Outs) for/of Academic IELTS Writing Task 1
- IELTS SolutionS
- May 3, 2017
- 10 min read
Prepared by Mr. Fakhrul Islam
Instructor, IELTS SolutionS
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.
It is advised that you learn synonyms and use them accurately in your writing in order to give an impression that you have a good range of vocabulary.
The general format for writing academic writing task 1 is as following:
Introduction +
Basic/ General Trends +
Details Description + Overview.
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 and guidance for the Introduction Part:
Starting Presentation Type Verb Description
The given / diagram / table / figure / shows / represents / the comparison of
the supplied / illustration / graph / chart / depicts / enumerates / the differences
the presented / flow chart / picture/ presentation/ illustrates / presents/ the changes
the shown / pie chart / bar graph/ column graph/ gives / provides / describes / the number of
the provided/ line graph / table data/ data / delineates/ expresses/ outlines/ information on
information / pictorial/ process diagram/ denotes/ compares/ shows contrast/ data on
map/ pie chart and table/ indicates / figures / gives data on / the proportion of
bar graph and pie chart. gives information on/ the amount of
shows data about/ demonstrates/ information on
presents information about/ data about
outlines/ summaries. comparative data
the trend of
the percentages of
Example :
The provided diagram shows data on employment categories in energy producing sectors in Europe starting from 1925 and till 1985.
The given pie charts represent the proportion of male and female employee in 6 broad categories, divided into manual and non-manual occupations in Freedonia.
The chart gives information on expenditures of 4 European countries on six consumer products namely Germany, Italy, Britain and France.
The supplied bar graph compares the number of male and female graduated in three developing countries while the table data presents the overall literacy rate in these countries.
The bar graph and the table data depict the water use in different sectors in five regions.
The bar graph enumerates the money spent on different research projects while the column graph demonstrates the sources of the amount spent over a decade, commencing from 1981.
Note that: some teachers prefer "The line graph demonstrates..." format instead of "The given line graph demonstrates...". However, if you write "The given/ provided/ presented...." it would be correct as well.
Tips:
1. For a single graph use 's' after the verb, like - gives data on, shows/ presents etc. However, if there are multiple graphs, DO NOT use 's' after the verb.
2. If there are multiple graphs and each one presents a different type of data, you can write which graph presents what type of data and use 'while' to show a connection. For example -'The given bar graph shows the amount spent on fast food items in 2009 in the UK while the pie chart presents a comparison of people's ages who spent more on fast food.
3. Your introduction should be quite impressive as it makes the first impression to the examiner. It either makes or breaks your overall score.
4. For multiple graphs and/ or table(s), you can write what they present in combination instead of saying which each graph depicts. For example, "The two pie charts and the column graph in combination depicts a picture of the crime in Australia from 2005 to 2015 and the percentages of young offenders during this period."
Caution: Never copy word for word from the question. If you do, you would be penalized. 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.
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:
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.
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. A.s 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.
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.
The structure of 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) [Conclusion is optional.]
Tips:
1. Write introduction and General trend in the same paragraph. Some students prefer to write the 'General Trend' in a separate paragraph and many teachers suggest the both to be written in a single paragraph. Unless you have a really good reason to write the general trend in the second paragraph, try to write them both in the first paragraph. However, this is just a suggestion, not a requirement.
2. Your 'Introduction (general statement + overall trend/ general trend) should have 75 - 80 words.
3. DO NOT give numbers, percentages or quantity in your general trend. Rather give the most striking feature of the graph that could be easily understood at a glance. Thus it is suggested to AVOID -
"A glance at the graphs reveals that 70% male were employed in 2001 while 40 thousand women in this year had jobs." And use a format /comparison like the following: "A glance at the graphs reveals that more men were employed than their female counterpart in 2001 and almost two-third females were jobless in the same year. "
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. Now, turning to the details.... 3. As can be seen in the... 4. According to the... 5. The table data clearly shows that... 6. As the diagrams suggest...
Vocabulary to show the changes:
Trends Verb form Noun Form
Increase rise / increase / go up / uplift / rocket(ed)/ a rise / an increase / an upward trend/
climb / upsurge / soar/ shot up/ improve/jump/ a growth / a leap / a jump /
leap/ move upward/ skyrocket/ soar/ surge. an improvement/ a climb.
Decrease fall / decrease / decline / plummet / plunge / a fall / a decrease / a reduction /
drop / reduce / collapse / deteriorate/ dip / a downward trends /a downward tendency/
dive / go down / take a nosedive / a decline/ a drop / a slide / a collapse /
slum / slide / go into free-fall. a downfall.
Steadiness unchanged / level out / remain constant/ a steadiness/ a plateau / a stability/ a static
remain steady / plateau / remain the same/
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) No change, a flat, a plateau.
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:
The overall sale of the company has increased by 20% at the end of the year.
The expenditure of the office remained constant for the last 6 months but the profit rose by almost 25%.
There was a 15% drop in the student enrollment of the University.
The population of the country remained almost the same as it was 2 years ago.
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
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 Change Adverb form Adjective form
Rapid change dramatically / rapidly / sharply / dramatic / rapid / sharp / quick / hurried/
quickly / hurriedly / speedily / swiftly/ speedy / significant/considerable/
significantly/ considerably / substantially / substantial / noticeable/swift.
noticeably.
Moderate change moderately / gradually / progressively/ moderate / gradual / progressive /
sequentially. sequential.
Steady change steadily/ ceaselessly. steady/ ceaseless
Slight change slightly / slowly / mildly / tediously. slight / slow / mild / tedious.
Example:
The economic inflation of the country increased sharply by 20% in 2008.
There was a sharp drop in the industrial production in the year 2009.
The demand for new houses dramatically increased in 2002.
The population of the country dramatically increased in the last decade.
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 downs wave / fluctuate / oscillate / waves / fluctuations /
vacillate / palpitate oscillations / vacillations/ palpitations
Example:
The price of the raw materials fluctuated for the first three months.
The graph shows the oscillations of the price of fuel from 1998 to 2002.
The passenger number in this station oscillates throughout the day but early morning and evening are the two busiest time.
The changes of car production in Japan shows a palpitation for the second quarter of the year.
The number of students in debate clubs fluctuated in different months as a rapid ups and downs could be observed in the last three months.
Tips:
1. 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).
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%, trippled, 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 thre-quarter.
79% = Well over three quarter.
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.
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 a band 9 graph response would satisfy?
Task Achievement: A) Fully satisfies all the requirements of the task. B) Clearly presents a fully developed response.
Coherence and Cohesion: A) Uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention. B) Skilfully manages paragraphing.
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’.
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.
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