IELTS Writing - Academic Task 1 Vocabulary

The following words and phrases will help you describe trends: a rise an increase a surge a growth a peak a fluctuation a variation a period of stability a plateau a a a a fall decrease decline dip rise increase surge grow peak skyrocket Adverbs

Nouns

sharply suddenly rapidly abruptly dramatically significantly steadily considerably markedly slightly gently gradually wildly

to to to to to to Verbs

sharp sudden rapid abrupt dramatic steep Adjectives significant steady considerable marked slight gentle gradual

to fluctuate to vary to to to to to to fall decrease decline dip dive plunge

SAMPLE SENTENCES
There was a substantial increase in the value of stocks on March 15th. House prices rose dramatically in July. The number of tourists visiting New York fell sharply in October. The percentage of students walking to school continued to rise gradually over the ten year period from 2000-2010. There was a sharp increase in employee turnover after the strike. Interest in environmental issues has risen steadily over the last 10 years.

Phrases

to show an upward trend to show a downward trend to hit the highest point to hit the lowest point to reach a peak to show some fluctuation to fluctuate wildly to remain stable to remain static to remain unchanged to stay constant to reach a plateau to level off to flatten out the highest the lowest the second highest the third highest compared to compared with relative to

MORE USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES

1. Percent the word percent comes after a number Examples: More than 25% of the students are from Brazil. More than 25 percent of the students come from Brazil. 2. Percentage - The word percentage comes after words like the, a, this and that. Often, it is preceded by an adjective. Examples: A small percentage of residents have lived in the building for more than 20 years. The percentage of students who live on campus has fallen sharply since the fire.

3. For numbers up to ten, write the numbers in words. For numbers over 10, you can write the numbers in numbers. Examples: Five percent of the employees were late this month. More than 50 percent of the students handed in their assignments late after the long weekend. 4. If the sentence starts with a number, always write it in words. Examples: Wrong: 25 students were from China. Right: Twenty-five students were from China.

as that is To illustrate Comparing Similar to in common Either...or Neither...nor Just as Contrasting However, On the contrary, Differ from Although Otherwise Alternatively, Generalizing Generally,

like namely To paraphrase

As...as also In the same way, At the same time resemble

GRAMMAR
Take note of the following prepositions which you will need to describe dates, numbers and comparisons: Dates In December, In 2005, From 2001-2010, By 1998, Between 1965-1969 Numbers Increase of 25% Decreased by 10% Fell from 200 in July to 150 in August Comparison Compared to Compared with Relative to

But On the other hand, Nevertheless Though Instead Even though

Generally speaking, On the whole, By and large, I believe Basically, As a rule, For the most part

KEY WORDS for IELTS WRITING Stating Your Opinion In my opinion, In my view, From my point of view, It seems to me that From my perspective It appears that I realize I imagine Giving Examples For example, such as For instance, In other words, According to me, To me, I think I believe To my way of thinking I suppose I understand I feel

Overall, In general, It seems to me that All in all, Essentially, All things considered Expressing Certainty Certainly, Doubtless, Definitely,

Undoubtedly, No doubt, Of course,

Expressing Partial Agreement More or less, To some extent,

Up to a point, In a way, Showing cause Due to Because of Showing effect Therefore, Consequently, Thus, thereby Hence, Marking time First, Second, Third, Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, During To begin with Simultaneously Since Afterwards When Adding Information Furthermore Also Moreover Likewise Besides

Almost, So to speak,

Even Expressing condition If

Whats more

Whether Unless So that

Because Owing to

In case Provided that Concluding

As a result, For this reason, So, Eventually, The reason why

To summarize Lastly, To conclude with,

In conclusion Finally, In short,

Last Lastly, Then, First of all, Before After While At the same time After this / that Meanwhile Following this As soon as

IELTS Writing - Academic Task 1 Types of Charts

In the IELTS Academic Task 1, you must be able to identify, understand and describe various types of graphic information. This is considered an important academic skill, because it shows you can intelligently and clearly interpret and describe data presented in charts, tables, graphs and diagrams. If you have written your answer very well, even someone who cannot see the graphic should be able to understand what happened.

5 STEPS TO MASTERING ACADEMIC TASK 1

To prepare yourself to complete Task 1, follow the five steps below: 1. Learn to recognize and identify different graphic forms, such as line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, etc. 2. Know what key information, comparisons and trends to look out for. 3. Practice using the specific vocabulary required to describe those trends. 4. Learn how to follow a plan to start, complete and finish your answer. Use sample Task 1 questions, included on this website, to practice writing out a full response. At first, do not time yourself. Later, once you've got the hang of it, time yourself and make sure you finish in 20 minutes. 5. Know what NOT to include in your response. By following the steps above, you will be prepared and confident, no matter what type of

In addition And Similarly As well as Too

question appears in Task 1 of your actual IELTS exam.

STEP 3 VOCABULARY OF TRENDS

To get high marks on the Academic Task 1, you must show the examiner that you know how to use a range of vocabulary to describe and interpret visual information. You must be able to use the appropriate verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs to provide precise descriptions. For a detailed list of essential vocabulary, check the section of this website on Vocabulary for Task 1.

STEPS 1 & 2 IDENTIFY TYPES OF CHARTS, LOOK FOR TRENDS BAR CHARTS
A bar chart consists of rectangular bars arranged horizontally or vertically from the x or y axis. The length of a bar shows the values it represents. The values are listed on one axis and each bar shows what is being measured on the other axis. Bar charts are useful for comparing data. In studying a bar chart, you may want to look for the following information: Which is the tallest bar? Which is the shortest bar? Have the bars changed over time? How? How do the bars compare to each other?

STEP 4 WRITE YOUR ANSWER ACCORDING TO A PLAN

To be able to complete Task 1 in 20 minutes or less, write your answer according to the following plan: 1. Write one sentence to introduce the subject and graphic. 2. Write one or two sentences to show the relationship between the data or to comment on the main trend. 3. Write an in-depth description of the information given. Include details from the most important to the least important, depending on time. 4. Write one sentence to conclude your answer.

PIE CHART
A pie charts is a circular chart divided into sectors or pie slices. It presents information in segments of a circle or pie, which together add up to 100%. Here's an example: Ask yourself: Which is the largest segment? Which is the smallest segment? How do the segments compare with each other?

LINE GRAPH
A line graph plots the changes in data over time: Ask yourself: What is the highest level / point? What is the lowest level / point? Is there a point till when the trend was increasing or decreasing? When did the trend change?

STEP 5 - WHAT NOT TO WRITE

Only describe the data. Don not give your interpretation of it. You are not being asked why you think the data in the chart is the way it is, so do not write about that.

TABLES
A table presents information in different categories, making it easy to compare. The sample table below shows the percentage of students who came to college on foot, by car, bicycle or public transportation, at Williams College in the year 2005-2006. Method of Student Travel to College by Percentage Walking Bicycle Car Public Transport 12 20 25 43

Look out for the following: What is the highest figure? What is the lowest figure? What is second highest, etc.?