IELTS Writing Task 1: Useful Language

» 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.
The general format for writing academic writing task 1 is as follows:
Introduction
Overview (Basic/ General Trends)
Details Description
Summary (optional).
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…
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…
 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…

Vocabulary for the Introduction Part:

Starting Presentation Type Verb Description

The/ the given / the diagram / table / shows / represents /
supplied / the figure / illustration / depicts / enumerates
presented / the graph / chart / flow / illustrates /
shown / the chart / picture/ presents/ gives /
provided presentation/ pie provides /
chart / bar graph/ delineates/ outlines/
column graph / line describes /
graph / table data/ delineates/
data / information / expresses/ denotes/
pictorial/ process compares/ shows
diagram/ map/ pie contrast / indicates /
chart and table/ bar figures / gives data
graph and pie chart ... on / gives
information on/
presents information
about/ shows data
about/
demonstrates/
sketch out/
summarises...
the comparison of…
the differences…
the changes...
the number of…
information on…
data on…
the proportion of…
the amount of…
information on...
data about...
comparative data...
the trend of...
the percentages of...
the ratio of...
how the...

Vocabulary for the General Trend Part:

In general, It is obvious, As an overall trend, At the onset, it is clear
In common, As is observed, As is presented, that,
Generally speaking, As a general trend, It can be clearly seen A glance at the graphs
Overall, As can be seen, that, reveals that...
At the first glance, it is
clear,
Vocabulary to Start the Report Body:
1. As is presented in the diagram(s)/ graph(s)/ pie chart(s)/ table... 13. It is interesting to note that...
2. As (is) shown in the illustration... 14. It is apparently seen that...
3. As can be seen in the... 15. It is conspicuous that...
4. As the diagrams suggest... 16. It is explicitly observed that...
5. According to the... 17. It is obvious...
6. Categorically speaking... 18. It is clear from the data...
7. Getting back to the details... 19. It is worth noticing that...
8. Now, turning to the details.... 20. It is crystal clear/ lucid that...
9. The table data clearly shows that... 21. It can be clearly observed that...
10. The diagram reveals that... 22. It could be plainly viewed that...
11. The data suggest that... 23. It could be noticed that...
12. The graph gives figure... 24. We can see that...
Vocabulary to show the changes:

Trends Verb form Noun Form

Increase rise / increase / go up / uplift / rocket(ed) / a rise / an increase / an upward

climb / upsurge / soar/ shot up/ improve/ trend / a growth / a leap / a jump /
jump/ leap/ move upward/ skyrocket/ an improvement/ a climb.
soar/ surge.

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

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

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

remain steady / plateau / remain the same a 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

Stability/ 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.

Vocabulary to represent changes in graphs:

Type of Change Adverb form Adjective form

Rapid change dramatically / rapidly / sharply / quickly / dramatic / rapid / sharp / quick /
hurriedly / speedily / swiftly / hurried / speedy / swift / significant /
significantly/ considerably / substantially considerable / substantial /
/ noticeably. noticeable.
 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.

Types of Changes/ Differences and Vocabulary to present them:

Great change / Huge difference: Medium change / Moderate difference:
Adjectives Adverbs Adjectives Adverbs
Overwhelming Overwhelmingly Somewhat Somewhat
Substantial Substantially Moderate Moderately
Enormous Enormously Minor change / Small difference:
Big change / Big difference: Adjectives Adverbs
Adjectives Adverbs Fractional Fractionally
Significant Significantly Marginal Marginally
Considerable Considerably 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%, 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 » About » Just under » A little more than
» Nearly » Around » Just around » A little less than.
» Roughly » More or less » Just about
» Almost » Just over » Just below

Vocabulary to represent highest and lowest points in graphs:

Type Verb Noun

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

Lowest Point touch the lowest point / get the lowest point the lowest point / the lowest mark /
/ reached the nadir bottommost point / rock bottom
point/ bottommost mark / nadir/ the
all-time low/ the lowest level/ the
bottom/ rock-bottom
 IELTS Writing Task 2: Useful Language
Introducing the topic
 Some people argue that…
 Have you ever considered… ?
 The question raises the issue of…
Stating an opinion (thesis statement)
 I believe that…
 It is my belief that…
 This essay will argue that…
Indicating the scope of the essay
 In this essay, I will state…
 This essay will examine…
 … will be covered in this essay.
Giving reasons
 One reason for this is that…
 This can be explained by…
 This can be attributed to the fact that…
Giving further reasons
 Not only that, but…
 A further reason is…
 It should also be stated that…
Citing general opinions
 It has been claimed that…
 It is widely believed that…
 There is a widespread belief that…
Refuting opinions
 I would dispute this, however.
 However, this is not necessarily the case.
 There are some faults with this reasoning, however.
Hedging strategies
 It could be argued that…
 One explanation might be that…
 This suggests that…
Strengthening an argument
 There can be no doubt that…
 Therefore, we can say beyond any doubt that…
 These are just some of the reasons why…
Concluding and summarising
 To sum up, … / In summary, … / In short, …
 Overall, … / On the whole, …
 To return to my original idea,…