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Rising trends
climb modest overall rocketed steadily upwards






Falling trends
downwards dropped slightly slipping spectacular
It is of note that the __________ trend
for the first six months of the year was
__________ .
After a __________ increase of 10
units sold in February, this figure
__________ to approximately 125 in
March, and then continued to
__________ until it reached nearly 200
by the end of June.

After starting the period at almost 150
units, sales __________ to around 130
in August. They then rose __________
to 135 in September before
__________ back to 130 in October, a
__________ trend that continued in
November. The period ended with a
__________ fall to 60 units sold.




Adjectives and adverbs
marginal marginally overall steadily steady substantial




1. It is immediately apparent that the__________ trend is that considerably more women than men were
recruited in this period.

2. The number of females employed rose __________ between 2001 and 2004, despite a __________ dip in
2002.

3. There was a very__________ increase in the number of men employed in 2005.

4. There was a __________ rise in the number of females employed between 2001 and 2004, notwithstanding
the fact that this number fell __________ in 2002.


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.
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
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
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


IELTS Writing - Academic Task 1 -
Vocabulary
The following words and phrases will help you describe trends:
Nouns
a rise
an increase
a surge
a growth
a peak

a fluctuation
a variation

a period of stability
a plateau

a fall
a decrease
a decline
a dip
Verbs
to rise
to increase
to surge
to grow
to peak
to skyrocket

to fluctuate
to vary

to fall
to decrease
to decline
to dip
to dive
to plunge
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
Adverbs
sharply
suddenly
rapidly
abruptly
dramatically
significantly
steadily
considerably
markedly
slightly
gently
gradually
wildly
Adjectives
sharp
sudden
rapid
abrupt
dramatic
steep
significant
steady
considerable
marked
slight
gentle
gradual
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.
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.
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



In IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 you will be tested on your ability to describe and
interpret information presented in a graph, table, chart or diagram.
You will need to describe trends, compare and contrast data or report statistical
information. Occasionally you will need to describe a process (which we will explain in
another section).
In order to do well in this section, you need to know specific vocabulary related to
describing trends.
Verbs to describe an upward trend
The following verbs can be used to describe a trend or pattern that goes up.
climb (past: climbed)
go up (past: went up)
grow (past: grew)
increase (past: increased)
jump (past: jumped)
rise (past: rose)
rocket (past: rocketed)
Sentence examples using words that show an upward trend:
The number of enrolments increased significantly between 2005 and 2010.
Production rose from 800 units in May to 1000 units the following month.
Verbs to describe a downward trend
The following verbs can be used to describe a trend or pattern that goes down.
decline (past: declined)
decrease (past: decreased)
drop (past: dropped)
fall (past: fell)
go down (past: went down)
plummet (past: plummeted) = to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value
plunge (past: plunged) = to fall or drop suddenly in amount or value
Plunge and Plummet, when describing trends, have the same meaning.
Sentence examples using words that show a downward trend:
Prices of Model X dropped significantly once Model Y became available on the market.
Company profits decreased in 2013 by 15%.
Words and phrases used to describe a stable trend
To describe a more or less stable pattern, you can use the following expressions:
maintain (past: maintained)
remain (past: remained)
stay (past: stayed)
constant
stable
steady
unchanged
Adverbs used when describing trends
Adverbs describe HOW something happens. They usually come after a verb.
sharply, rapidly, quickly, steeply
considerably, significantly, substantially
steadily, gradually, moderately
slightly, slowly
To see the degree of intensity of these adverbs, look at the chart below.
Academic Writing Task 1 Summary Chart

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)
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.