IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Useful Tips and Vocabulary to Describe a Graph or Chart

Janet

4 min read

Updated On Dec 13, 2021

Useful tips and vocabulary to describe a graph or chart in IELTS Writing Task 1

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Useful tips and vocabulary to describe a graph or chart in IELTS Writing Task 1

1. How to write the introduction

One sentence is enough for the introduction.
Replace words in the general statement with synonyms or paraphrases where you can.
If you cannot quickly write your introduction in your own words, do not waste time.
Write out the words in the rubric, but remember to change them later.
Use one of the following four prompts to help you write an introduction:

– The graph shows/illustrates the trends in … between .. and…

– The graph gives/provides/reveals/presents information about (the differences/changes …)

– The graph shows that (there is a number of differences between…)

– The graph shows/illustrates how the sales have differed/changed…

Vary noun phrases, e.g. sales/purchases of different cars: sales/purchases of private vehicles, the number of various types of cars sold/purchased, the number of various types of cars sold/purchased, car sales/purchases.
Use general words for the introduction: information, data, difference(s), similarities,
changes, trends, results, numbers, percentages, figures, statistics, breakdown.

2. How to write the main part of the text

Divide your text into 3-4 paragraphs, including the introduction.
Divide the information into broad/general groups/categories or trends.
Describe the main or most striking/significant/noticeable/outstanding/remarkable
feature(s)/charateristics differences/trends/changes. Avoid writing lists of detail. Write about general trends and support what you say with specific data.
Describe the three general trends: is/was upwards/downwards/flat or say what happened: …(sales) rose/fell/remained flat/fluctuated…

Use appropriate synonyms:

– rise (vb): climb, go up, increase, improve, jump, leap, move upward, rocket, skyrocket, soar, shoot up. pick up. surge, recover

– rise (n): increase, climb, jump, leap, pick up, surge (in)

– fall (vb): collapse, decline, decrease, deteriorate: dip, dive, drop, fall (back), go down, go into free-fall, plummet plunge, reduce (only in the passive) slide, slip (back), slump, take a nosedive

– fall (n): decline, decrease, deterioration, dip. drop, plunge, free-fall, slide, slip, dive, reduction, slump

– fluctuate: (noun: fluctuations) be erratic, be fitful, vary, rise and fall erratically

– flat: no change, constant

Add suitable adverbs: dramatically, erratically, gradually, markedly, significantly, slightly, slowly, steadily.

Add specific information or examples:

– (increasing, decreasing, etc) from … to …
(eg: The oil price experienced a period of sharp rise, increasing from 120$ to 320$ over a decade. )

– between…and…

– with an increase from … to… /to… from …

Use: …followed by… to add more information

(eg: The oil price increased dramatically to 120$ in 2001, followed by a slight drop to 100$ over the next year)

Add time phrases

– between … and…

– from … to… (inclusive)

~ in the year (1994)…

– during/over the period… to…

– over the latter half of the year/century/decade/period

– over the next past/previous five days/weeks/months/years/decades

3. How to compare and contrast

Repeat the process for each general point, but vary the sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary
Compare and contrast the other items. Use some of the following:– more/less than…– (bigger) than…– (not) as big as…– twice as big/much as…– rather than. ..– as against/as opposed to/compared with/in comparison with– in (sharp) contrast to the biggest/smallest (change)…– more (women) dted/achieved/participated/took part in/were involved in … than .– there were more (men) than (women) who …
To quote from the results of the survey, you can use:– … percent quoted/cited/mentioned/considered …as important ..-…was quoted/cited/mentioned/considered as the most/least important factor by…– … came top/bottom/second/next, followed (closely) by…..at… and…. respectively.
Use conjunctions like: while/whilst/whereas/but
Use linkers: however/in contrast/by comparison/meanwhile/on the other hand
Focus on an item in the graph:

– As regards (sales), they …

– With regard to/Regarding/ln the case of/As for/ Turning to (sales), they…..

– Where is/are concerned/it/they…

– When it comes to………, it/they…

Use these words and phrases to describe predictions:

It is predicted/forecast(ed)/estimated/expected/projected/anticipated that …..will…

-… will have… by…

-The projection is for… to…

-… is/are predicted/forecast(ed)/estimated/expected/projected/anticipated to

– … is/are set to

Use the present perfect to describe the recent past to the present: …has risen, etc.
Write a conclusion. One sentence is enough. You can use the following phrases:
Generally. …; All in all. ; On average. …; Overall, It is clear/evident/obvious that,…
Other verb sequences stages you can use:

– … rose from … to …

– … rose… and increased… from… to…

– … rose…., increasing from … to…

– … rose…., overtaking… in…. and outstripping…. in …

– Rising from … to… (sales) overtook… and outstripped.

– .. rose … overtaking … in …» and reaching a peak … in …

– … rose … before leveling off…

– ….fell…, before rising….

– …..fell…, after rising.. /after rising fell…

– …..rose/fell.. from … to…. while/whilst/whereas/… rose/fell…

With our IELTS preparation online classes, you can now learn better with useful tips and vocabulary to describe a graph or a chart.

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