WRITING TASK 1 - BOOK 1 (Charts With Trends)

A book is a gift you can open
again and again.

Garrison Keillor
IELTS
WRITING
TASK 1
Book 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. i
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... iv
UNIT 1 OVERVIEW OF IELTS WRITING TASK 1 .......................................................... 1
UNIT 2 LINE GRAPHS WITH TRENDS .......................................................................... 26
UNIT 3 BAR CHARTS WITH TRENDS ............................................................................ 45
UNIT 4 PIE CHARTS WITH TRENDS .............................................................................. 67
UNIT 5 TABLES WITH TRENDS ....................................................................................... 82
UNIT 6 FURTHER PRACTICE ........................................................................................... 99
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 108
APPENDIX............................................................................................................................... 110
i
UNIT 1 OVERVIEW OF IELTS WRITING TASK 1
AIM: This unit is aimed at providing students with an overview of Task 1 in IELTS writing. This
unit highlights the
 types of graphs/charts/diagrams in IELTS writing task 1,
 the question and sample report,
 the general structure of a report,
 the assessment criteria, and
 the technique in writing the opening paragraph and the closing paragraph
overview
Task 1 is one of the two tasks in the Writing module in IELTS. It must be a minimum of 150
words and it is recommended that you spend no longer than 20 minutes on this. Under-length
answers lose marks.
The Task 1 prompt is always a type of graphs/charts/diagrams. You have to write about the
information shown, describing the main features and making comparisons whenever relevant. You
have to refer closely to the graphs/charts/diagrams and, where relevant, illustrate your main points
with figures. You are not required to give any explanation for the data, but have to describe only
the information given in the task.
There are six different types of graphs/charts/diagrams classified on the basis of format.
- Line graphs
- Bar charts
- Pie charts
- Tables
- Processes
- Maps
There is another way to classify the graphs/charts/diagrams, which is based on the language used
to describe them as follows.
- Graphs/charts with trends
- Charts with no trends
- Processes and maps
The three textbooks in the series are designed to approach Task 1 in the second way.
1
Types of graphs
The six different types of graphs are illustrated as follows.
1. Line graphs
Line graphs use one line (single line graphs) or more than one line (multiple line graphs) to
compare items over time, to show frequency or distribution, and to show correlations. There are
horizontal and vertical axes. When time is a variable, it is put on the horizontal axis.
 Multiple line graph with trends
Number of visits to two new music sites on the web
180
160
140
120
100
'000s
Pop Parade
80 Music Choice
60
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Days
 Single line graph with no trends
35
30
Internet use (hours)
25
20
15
10
5
0
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Annual household incom e ($000)

Annual household income and Internet use
2
Discussion questions
a. What is the main information shown in each of the two line graphs?
b. What is the difference between the two line graphs?
c. What are the trends for the first line graph? What is the correlation in the second line
graph?
2. Bar charts
Bar charts use thick lines or bars or columns to compare sets of figures. Bars can be horizontal,
vertical or extended. Horizontal bars are used when labels are long; when the labels are short,
either horizontal or vertical bars will work. There are two types of bar charts: positive and
negative. Bar charts are easy to interpret because they ask people to compare distance along a
common scale, which most people judge accurately. Bar charts are useful in a variety of situations:
to compare one item to another, to compare items over time, and to show correlations.
 Vertical bar chart with trends
3
 Horizontal bar chart with no trends
Factors affecting work performance at a major company in Australia
Team spirit
Chance for personal development
Relaxed working environment
Competent boss
Job security
Respect from colleagues
Promotion prospects
Job satisfaction
Work environment
Money
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
45-60 18-30
 Extended bar charts with trends
Number and Sex of Employees

Diaz Messenger Service
100
Number of Employees
90
80
70
60
Men
50
40 Women
30
20
10
0
1970 1980 1990 2000
4
 Positive and negative bar chart with trends
a. What is the main information shown in each of the bar charts?
b. What are the trends for the bar charts with trends? What is the overall pattern in the bar
chart with no trends?
c. Which of the above bar charts can be changed into a line graph? Why or why not?
3. Pie charts
Pie charts show proportions, normally presented as percentages. The data in any pie chart can be
put in a bar chart. Therefore, a pie chart is used only when to compare one segment to the whole.
When one segment is compared to another segment, a bar chart, line graph, or a map is used– even
though the data may be expressed in percentages.
5
 Pie charts with trends
Main sources of energy in USA in 1980s and 1990s
1980
Nuclear
Hydroelectric power , 5%
power , 5%
Coal, 22% Oil , 42%
Natural
gas, 26%
6
 Pie charts with no trends
Electricity generated in Germany and France

from all sources and renewables in 2009.
a. What is the main information shown in each pair of the pie charts?
b. What are the trends for the pie charts with trends? What is the overall pattern in the pie
charts with no trends?
c. Can each pair of the above pie charts be changed into a line graph?
d. Can each pair of the above pie charts be changed into a bar chart?
7
4. Tables
A table is a display of information usually given in numbers. It is arranged in some orderly
fashion, usually in columns and rows. Tables provide us with an effective way of looking at
groups of related numbers. They present us with many specific pieces of information in a form
that makes it easy for us to compare those bits of data with each other.
 Tables with trends
Worldwide mobile phone sales in 2005 and 2006 (% share of market)

Company 2005 % Market Share 2006 % Market Share
Nokia 32.5 35
Motorola 17.7 21.1
Samsung 12.7 11.8
Sony Ericson 6.3 7.4
L.G 6.7 6.3
BenQ Mobile 4.9 2.4
Others 19.2 16.2
Totals 100 100
 Tables with no trends
FAVORITE PASTIMES FROM 30 - 50 YEARS OLD

TV Sport Reading Hobbies Music Beach Sleep
Canada 60 22 15 40 3 0 2
France / / 30 20 4 / /
England / / 30 21 4 / 20
Australia 65 30 15 45 5 30 4
Korea 22 21 60 45 2 2 4
China 15 25 60 50 0 5 5
USA 60 23 15 42 23 30 2
Japan / / 62 / / / /
8
a. What is the main information shown in each table?
b. What are the trends for the table with trends? What is the overall pattern in the table with
no trends?
c. Can each of the above tables be changed into a line graph?
d. Can each of the above tables be changed into a bar chart?
e. Can each of the above tables be changed into pie charts?
9
5. Processes
a. What is the main information shown in the above process?
b. What is the special feature of the process?
c. In what way are different steps in the process described?
10
6. Maps
The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for
the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.
a. What is the main information shown in the above map?
b. What is the special feature of the map?
c. In what way are the two suggested sites in the map described?
11
QUESTION and SAMPLE text
1. Question and sample text

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below shows the number of tourists from five countries to Australia in
different years from 1991 to 1999.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Number of visitors to Australia (in thousands)

Country of Residence 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
United States 259 267 288 310 393
Canada 51 48 55 61 75
United Kingdom 258 302 335 388 509
Germany 75 102 120 125 140
Other Europe 172 200 259 319 389
The table illustrates the number in thousands of visitors to Australia from the United States,
Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and other European countries over the 1990s.
Overall, the number of visitors from all these countries increased significantly over the
decade.
The biggest increase was in the number of visitors from other countries in Europe, which
more than doubled over the period, from 172,000 to 389,000. The largest number of visitors
came from the United Kingdom, which rose from 258,000 to 509,000. The number of
visitors from the United States also increased over the decade. There were considerably
fewer visitors from Canada although the figure rose over the same period from 51,000 to
75,000, with most of the increase occurring in the second half of the decade.
There were almost as many visitors from the United Kingdom as from all of the other
European countries, including Germany. However, by 1999 there were nearly as many
tourists from the other European countries as from the United States.
It is noticeable that the biggest number of visitors came from the United Kingdom.
(Adapted from IELTS foundation by Rachael Roberts, Joanne Gakonga and Andrew Preshous)
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Structure of report
An interpretation of a table/line graph/bar chart ... usually contains 3 structural parts: an opening
paragraph, a body and a closing paragraph as shown in the above sample report.
1. Opening paragraph
The opening paragraph usually consists of two statements.
 The first opening statement explains what you are describing. It should include the following
information:
kind of the graph + verb + what + where + when

- The table shows the number of visitors to Australia from a number of other countries
worldwide over the 1990s.
- The table provides information on how many people from different countries in the world
went to Australia for holiday from 1991 to 1999.
 The second opening statement includes a short description of the overview seen in the graph.
- It can be clearly seen that the number of visitors to Australia from all these countries
increased significantly over the decade.
- Overall, the number of visitors to Australia from all these countries rose by varying
degrees.
2. Body paragraphs
The number of paragraphs in the body varies based the data shown in the graph/chart. The way the
information is grouped in body paragraphs will be presented in detail in the following units.
3. Concluding statement
A simple concluding statement could include any of the following, where relevant: an additional
comment on a special feature, an overall summary of the main ideas or future implications
- Overall, the table indicates that Australia is increasing in popularity as a tourist
destination.
- It is noticeable to see that the biggest number of visitors to Australia was from the United
Kingdom over the decade.
13
Assessment criteria
IELTS academic writing scripts are marked on four basic criteria and each one has equal weight.
WHAT IS THE EXAMINER LOOKING FOR?
Task achievement  Have you written at least 150 words?
 Have you understood and reworded the topic of the chart(s)?
 Have you made an overview of the data?
 Have you grouped the data in a way that helps the reader to
understand the information?
 Have you included some data to support your description?
 Have you compared and contrasted the data in the chart(s)?
Grammatical Range  Have you used a variety of sentence structures?
and accuracy  Have you used noun phrases to express your ideas?
 Have you used appropriate verb tenses?
 Have you controlled your subject-verb agreement?
 Have you used correct prepositions?
 Have you used correct punctuation?
 Overall, is your grammar accurate?
Lexical resources  Have you used a variety of appropriate and academic words?
 Have you used correct word forms?
Have you spelled the words correctly?
Coherence and cohesion  Have you organized your answer in some logical way to
describe the data from the chart(s)?
 Have you included an overview sentence to tell the reader the
main idea of the chart(s)?
 Have you used a variety of appropriate linking expressions?
Have you used referencing pronouns and synonyms to avoid
repetition?
(Adapted from Lessons for IELTS advanced writing by NEWoriental)
14
LANGUAGE NOTES
1. Writing the opening paragraph
 Writing the first opening statement
The first statement in the opening paragraph usually explains what you are describing. It should
include the following information:
Type of chart Verb Description (what / where / when)
The line graph illustrates the number of ….

pie chart compares the proportion of...
bar chart presents the sales figures of...
table describes how many …
provides information on how much …
Use your own words to write the first opening statement. If you copy the title of an illustration or
the question word by word, the examiner will regard this as plagiarism and ignore the sentence.
This could affect your score. To avoid plagiarism, change the structure, the words and the way you
express the time period.
For example, the question for task 1 above reads as follows.
- The table below shows the number of tourists from five countries to Australia in different
years from 1991 to 1999.
This question can be paraphrased in the following ways:
- The table presents the number of travelers to Australia from the United States, Canada,
the United Kingdom, Germany and other countries in Europe over the 1990s.
Subject + verb + noun phrase + …
- The table illustrates the number of people from the United States, Canada, the United
Kingdom, Germany and other countries in Europe who visited Australia between 1990
and 1999.
Subject + verb + noun phrase (+ relative clause) + …
15
- The table provides information on how many people from the United States, Canada, the
United Kingdom, Germany and other countries in Europe visited Australia on holiday
over a nine-year period from 1990 to 1999.
Subject + verb + noun clause + …
 Writing the second opening/ overview sentence
The second opening statement includes a short description of the overview. In particular, in the
charts with no trends, the second opening statement indicates the overall pattern that can be seen
from the charts. In graphs/charts with trends, this statement states the overall trends which will be
described in detail in body paragraphs.
- It can be clearly seen that the number of visitors to Australia from all these countries
increased significantly over the decade.
- It can be clearly seen that there is one basic general trends: upward.
The following expressions can be used to begin the second opening statement.
It can be seen from the graph / table that ___________________________________
As the graph / table shows, ______________________________________________
As can be seen from the graph / table, _____________________________________
As is shown by the graph / table, __________________________________________
From the graph / table, it is clear / obvious / apparent / _____that ________________
2. Writing the closing paragraph
The closing paragraph usually has one statement. This statement can be written in one of the
following two ways.
 Express the overall trends/patterns which are stated in the overview statement again in
another way. If the closing statement is written in this way, it should be specific enough to
give the reader what is important in the graphs/charts.
- Overall, the table indicates that Australia is increasing in popularity as a tourist
destination.
16
 Indicate a special feature shown in the graph/chart.
- It is noticeable to see that the biggest number of visitors to Australia was from the United
Kingdom over the decade.
The closing paragraph does not include one of the following:
 Personal opinions
 Reasons for the overall trends or pattern shown in the graphs/charts
To signal the closing paragraph, you can use one of the following signals.
Overall,________________________________________
It is noticeable to see that _________________________
In general, _____________________________________
It is not surprising that ____________________________
practice
Practice 1: Study the following line graph and three responses. Decide which one is: an
expert response, a good average response and a weak response.
Discuss your ideas with your partner. Use the list of questions from the assessment criteria to
give three reasons for your decisions. Think about
- the opening statement

- the overview sentence
- the closing statement
- the vocabulary used
- the grammar used
- the way that data has been organized – is it logical and clear?
- the way the ideas are linked together
17
The graph below shows the consumption of fish and some different kinds of meat in a
European country between 1979 and 2004.
Response A
The graph illustrates the consumption of beef and three different kinds of meat in a particular
European country between 1979 and 2004. Overall, there is a difference in the consumption of
meat eaten over the period.
In 1979 beef was the most popular food with about 225 grams per person per week. Lamb and
chicken were eaten in similar consumption with around 150 grams. During this 25 years
period, the consumption of beef and lamb fell down dramatically to about 100 grams and 55
grams respectively. People ate much less fish with just over 50 grams in 1979. And the use of
fish declined to just below 50 grams. We can see that only the use of chicken rises.
(119 words)
18
Response B
The line graph provides information on the amount of beef, lamb, chicken and fish consumed
in a country in Europe from 1979 and 2004.
There was a sharp rise in the consumption of chicken per person per week, under 150 grams in
1979 to approximately 250 grams in 2004. With such a significant increase in the consumption
level, chicken becomes the most popular kind of meat at the end of the period.
On the other hand, the consumption of three other kinds of meat declined by varying degrees.
From the most popular meat, with about 225 grams consumed per person per week, beef
became less popular over the years, with the consumption falling to about 100 grams in 2004.
Likewise, the consumption of lamb falls from about 150 grams in 1979 to over 50 grams in
1979. The consumption of fish also declined, but much less significantly to just below 50
grams.
Overall, the consumption of chicken increased as opposed to that of the other three kinds of
meat over the period. 173 words
Response C
The line graph illustrates the amount of beef, lamb, chicken and fish consumed in a European
country from 1979 to 2004. Overall, while the consumption of chicken rose sharply, that of the
other kinds of meat fell by varying degrees.
In 1979 beef was the most popular of these foods, with about 225 grams consumed per person
per week. Lamb and chicken were eaten in similar quantities (around 150 grams), while much
less fish was consumed (just over 50 grams).
However, during this 25 year period the consumption of beef and lamb fell dramatically to
approximately 100 grams and 55 grams respectively. The consumption of fish also declined,
but much less significantly to just below 50 grams, so although it remained the least popular
food, consumption levels were the most table.
The consumption of chicken, however, showed an upward trend, overtaking that of lamb in
1980 and that of beef in 1989. By 2004 it had soared to almost 250 grams per person per week.
It is noticeable that chicken became increasingly popular over the years. (176 words)
19
Match the overall descriptions to each response
Description 1
This is a good average response. A variety of vocabulary has been used, and there are only a
few minor grammatical errors indicated by mistakes in prepositions. There is a good attempt
to compare and summarize the data, and an overview sentence has been included. There is a
good variety of sentence structures used. There is one minor verb tense in this response.
Description 2
This is a weaker response. The opening sentence has virtually been copied word for word
from the question, rather than being reworded. This response does not give an overview
sentence, but instead simply repeats the opening sentence. The main ideas are not arranged
logically and there is also a lack of facts for one main idea. Sentence structures and
vocabulary are repetitive and simple. There are also several verb tense errors because a date
which has been given for the table is in the past, verb tense usage must reflect this as well as
being consistent. This is also below the required word count.
Description 3
This is an expert response. The opening sentence has been paraphrased, rather than being
reworded. This response gives an overview sentence. Synonyms have been used in order not
to repeat vocabulary, and complex sentence structures have been used along with linking
language to ensure good overall coherence and flow. The data has been logically grouped,
summarized and compared to good effect.
20
Practice 2: Look at the following line graph. Decide if the following opening statements and
closing statement are appropriate or not. Write A if it is appropriate, I if it is inappropriate
and explain why.

The graph below shows the percentage of young people taking part in different
outdoor sports from 1975 up till now in the South West of England.
You should write at least 150 words.
Opening 1
______________ The line graph presented the proportion of young people who take up four
different kinds of outdoor sports in the South West of England from 1975 up till now.
Closing 1
______________ It is noticeable that the percentage of young people who swim rose sharply
from under 15% to 35%.
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Opening 2
______________ The line graph illustrates the percentage of young people taking part in
different outdoor sports from 1975 to the present year in the South West of England. It can
be seen clearly that ball games were the most popular in the past.
Closing 2
______________ Overall, there are two basic general trends: upward and downward.
Opening 3
______________ The line graph provides information on the proportion of young people
who participate in four outdoor sports in the South West of England from 1975 up till now.
Overall, during the period there has been a fall in the percentage of young people who take
part in certain outdoor sports, but not all the outdoor sports have become less popular.
Closing 3
______________ Obviously, swimming is the most popular sport now.
Opening 4
______________ The line graph presents how many young people join four different kinds
of outdoor sports in the South West of England since 1975. Obviously, swimming is the
most popular sport now.
Closing 4
______________ Obviously, swimming has become more and more popular because it is an
easy way to help people keep fit and healthy.
22
Practice 3: Study the bar chart and the line graph below. Then, write an opening paragraph
and a closing paragraph for each of them.
 Figure 1

The chart below shows the number of marriages and divorces in the United Kingdom
from 1961 to 2001.
23
 Figure 2

The graph below shows the percentage of households who had cars in Great Britain
from 1961 to 2000.
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THINGS TO REMEMBER
1. Kinds of graphs/charts  Line graphs with trends and with no trends
 Bar charts with trends and with no trends
 Pie charts with trends and with no trends
 Tables with trends and with no trends
 Processes
 Maps
2. Structure of a report  Three structural parts:
 Opening paragraph
 Body paragraphs
 Closing paragraph
3. Assessment criteria  Task achievement
 Grammatical range and accuracy
 Lexical resources
 Coherence and cohesion
4. Writing opening paragraph  Often 2 opening statements
 Statement 1: Main information (what where
when)
 Statement 2: Overall trends/patterns
 Do not copy the question word by word for the
statement 1. Paraphrase the question.
5. Writing closing paragraph  Often 1 closing statement
 Two ways to write the closing statement
 Repeat the overall trends/patterns in different
language with more specific information
 Give comments on a special feature
 Do not include your personal opinions or reasons
25
UNIT 2 LINE GRAPHS WITH TRENDS
AIM: This unit is aimed at providing students with
- an overview of line graphs with trends,
- the vocabulary and sentence structures to describe trends,
- the use of prepositions and articles, and
- the way to group the information in the body paragraphs.
Try it first
1. Study the following question for Task 1.

The graph shows the income of four cafes in New York over last year.
Changing trends in cafe income

200
180
160
140
000s Dollars
120 The Tea room

100 Internet Express
80 Wi-fi Cafe
60 Cafe Cool
40
20
0
J F M A M J J A S O N D
26
2. Think about these questions before you start.
a. What is the main topic of the line graph?
b. What are the trends for the four cafes’ sales over the whole period?
c. Which numbers will you select to write about the trend of each café?
d. What tense will you use?
e. What sentence structures and vocabulary will you need to use?
f. Can you give a comment on a special feature shown in the line graph?
3. Are these sentences about the line graph TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)?
a. There are two basic general trends: downward and fluctuation.
b. The earnings for the Tea Room were down over the year, falling significantly from
almost $160,000 a month to just under $40,000 in December.
c. There was a rise in Café Cool’s sales over the first ten months, followed by a sudden
increase to $120,000.
d. The income for Wi-fi Café was upward, doubling from $50,000 to nearly $100,000
between January and June, and then rocketed to around $190,000 in December.
e. The income for the Tea Room was lower in the winter months than for the other three
cafes.
27
Language notes
1. Verbs and nouns used in describing trends
The following vocabulary is useful when writing a report describing trends.
MEANING VERB NOUN
go down decrease(-d) same
fall (fell / fallen) same
drop(-ped) same
decline(-d) same
dip(ped) down and up /
plunge(-d) (big change) /
plummet(-ed) (big change) /
slump(-ed) (big change) /
go up increase(-d) Same
rise (rose / risen) same
grow (grew / grown) growth
rocket(-ed) (big change) /
leap(ed) (big change) leap
shoot up (shot up) (big change) /
soar(-ed) (big change) /
surge(-d) (big change) same
double(-d) /
treble(-d) /
increase threefold / fourfold /
no change level(-ed)off a leveling off at
remain(-ed) the same /
remain(-ed) stable /
remain(-ed) constant /
remain(-ed) unchanged /
stabilize(-d) a period of stability
constant change fluctuate(-d) fluctuation
vary (varied) variation
be erratic /
position peak(-ed) at
reach(-ed) a peak of
reach(-ed) a high of
reach(-ed) a low of
stand at (stood/stood)
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2. Adjectives and adverbs for degrees used in changes over time
MEANING ADJECTIVE / ADVERB

small change steady / steadily
slight / slightly
gradual / gradually
minimal / minimally
marginal /marginally
fractional / fractionally
moderate change moderate / moderately
large change sharp / sharply
steep / steeply
considerable / considerably
significant / significantly
dramatic / dramatically
substantial / substantially
exponential / exponentially
- The earnings for the Tea Room fell significantly from almost $160,000 a month to just
under $50,000 in December.
- There was a steady fall in the income of the Internet Express to June, but after that, the
figure rose steadily to approximately $130,000.
- Between January and July, the earnings of Wi-fi doubled from $50,000 to nearly $100,000
and then rocketed to around $190,000.
3. Sentence structures used to describe changes
The flowing are two typical sentence structures to describe trends and facts.
 Adverb patterns
Subject + verb + adverb
- The number of students increased substantially.

- The income of the Tea Room fell sharply.
29
 Adjective patterns
There + be + (a/n) + adjective + noun in __
- There was a substantial increase in the number of students.
- There was a sharp fall in the income of the Tea Room.
Subject + experience/witness/see (a/n) + adjective + noun in __

-
- School ABC experienced a sharp fall in the number of students.
- Company ABC witnessed a significant rise in the sales of computers.
4. Prepositions and articles
In Task 1, prepositions play an important role in illustrating time expressions or incorporating data,
so you are highly expected to use them precisely. Otherwise, there is a likelihood that a great
amount of information will be delivered in an incorrect way.
It decreased from 10 to 2 It started at 2 It dropped by 8
It peaked at 10 There was a drop of 8
It finished at 2
The following are the other versions of the Adverb Patterns and Adjective Patterns shown.
Subject + verb + by ______ from _____in _____ to _____ in
- The number of students increased by 1,000 from 1,000 in 2009 to 2,000 in 2012.
- The income of the Tea Room fell by about $11,000 from almost $160,000 in January to
just under $50,000 in December.
30
There + be + (a/n) + noun of ______ in _____ from ___ in ____ to ___ in ____
- There was an increase of 1,000 in the number of students from 1,000 in 2009 to 2,000 in
2012.
- There was a fall of about $11,000 in the income of the Tea Room from almost $160,000 in
January to just under $50,000 in December.
Similarly, articles do need to be employed accurately in your answers.
- The line graph provides information about the income trends of four cafes in New York
over a period of one year.
- It is noticeable that the income for the Tea Room is lower in the winter months than that for
the other three cafes.
5. Grouping data
Read the following sample report describing the line graph given TRY IT FIRST and make a
brief outline of the main features shown.

The graph shows the income of four cafes in New York over last year.
Changing trends in cafe income

200
150
000s Dollars
The Tea room

100 Internet Express
Wi-fi Cafe
50
Cafe Cool
0
J F M A M J J A S O N D
31
The line graph illustrates how much money was earned by four cafes in New York during
12 months last year. It can be clearly seen that there are two basic general trends:
downward and upward.
As regards the first, the earnings for the Tea Room were down over the year, falling
significantly from almost $160,000 a month to just under $50,000 in December.
By contrast, the income for the other three cafes went up by varying degrees. There was a
rise in Café Cool’s sales over the first ten months, followed by a sudden increase to
$120,000. Furthermore, the income for both Internet Express and the Wi-Fi Café also
ended the year up in December. The former experienced a steady fall to June, but after
that, income rose steadily, ending the year at approximately $130,000. Likewise, the trend
for Wi-fi was upward. Between January and July, earnings doubled from $50,000 to nearly
$100,000 and then rocketed to around $190,000.
It is noticeable that the income for the Tea Room was lower in the winter months than for
the other three cafes.
(Adapted from Improve your IELTS writing skills by Sam McCarter and Norman Whitby)
It can be seen from the sample report that there are two trends: the downward trend for the income
of the Tea Room and the upward trend for the sales of Café Cool, Internet Express and Wi-fi Café.
In the body of the above report, there are two paragraphs: the first describes the downward trend
and the second describes the upward trend.
Grouping the data into different body paragraphs based on the trends shown in the graphs with
trends is the most common way. The number of paragraphs you have in the body depends on how
many trends you identify from the graph and how complex the information is. If there are three
trends, for example upward, downward and stability, you may want to have one paragraph
describing the upward trend and downward trend and the other paragraph for the stability.
Otherwise, you can combine the upward trend and stability in one paragraph and the downward
trend in the other paragraph. In case there is one trend, you can group the information by
describing the items with the same or different levels of increase or decrease.
32
Look at the following line graph and think about the best way to group the data.

The line graph describes the number of people attending the cinema once a month or
more by age in Britain from 1984 to 2000.
As can be seen, one effective way is to group the data into two body paragraphs. The first
paragraph is to describe the data of the people aged 15-24 and those aged 35 and over because they
are different in the level of increase (the former had the strongest rise while the latter had the
lowest rise). The second paragraph focuses on the data of those aged 7-14 and 25-35 because they
had somehow the same increasing level of rise. In a word, the way you group the information in
the body paragraphs varies, mainly depending on the trends shown in the graph.
33
Read the following sample report to see how the data is grouped and make a brief outline for the
main features shown.
The line graph shows the percentage of people who went to the cinema once a month in
Britain from 1984 to 2000. Generally, cinema attendance increased significantly over the
period though the number of people watching films at the cinema varied with age.
From 1984, cinema attendance rose considerably across all age groups, but the increase was
the greatest for the 15-24 age group, which rose substantially from about 18% in 1984 to over
50% in 2000. Though the figure fluctuated between 1990 and 1995, this age group still went
to the cinema most frequently. Meanwhile, although older people (35 plus) were the least
frequent cinema goers, their cinema attendance also experienced a considerable rise with the
figure increasing from about 2.5% to over 10%.
Cinema attendance of 7 to 14 and 25 to 35-year olds followed a similar pattern from 1984 to
about 1997, which was characterized by a gradual increase to an average of 30% in 1994
followed by a decline after this date. However, from 1999 the trends differed in that 7 to 15
year olds went to the cinema less frequently while cinema attendance of 25 to 35 year olds
rose.
Overall, the most regular cinema goers were aged from 15 to 24 while the least frequent ones
were from 35 years old onwards.
(Adapted from IELTS Masterclass by Simon Haines and Peter May)
34
Practice
Practice 1: Match the parts of the graph 1 – 10 with the verbs a – j.
1. A – B a. hit a low
2. B – C b. fell and then leveled off
3. B – D c. remained flat/stable
4. D – F d. plummeted
5. F e. rose gradually
6. F – H f. fell gradually
7. G g. soared
8. I – J h. dipped
9. J – K i. fluctuated
10. L – M j. hit a peak
For sentences 1 – 10 below, use the verbs in the above exercise to replace the underlined text.
1. The price of computers dropped, followed by a period of stability.
2. The quantity of goods transported by road reached a peak in the year 2009.
3. The amount of money spent on books fell slightly and then quickly recovered.
4. The number of visitors to the website plunged in the first half of the year.
35
5. The purchase of book increased slowly but surely over the years.
6. The number of students majoring in Language Studies stabilized over the decade.
7. Attendance at the meeting decreased steadily last year.
8. The population growth rate was erratic during the previous year.
9. The number of members in the club reached the lowest point in March.
10. Car sales rocketed in December.
Practice 2: Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first
sentence.
Example:
There has been a substantial rise in the amount of money spent on fast food.
The amount ___________________________________________________________________
→ The amount of money spent on fast food has risen substantially.
→ The amount of money spent on fast food has shown a substantial rise.
1. Spice exports from Africa fluctuated slightly over the period.
There were ________________________________________________________________
2. The production of films has risen considerably.
There _____________________________________________________________________
3. There has been a marked decrease in research investment.
Research __________________________________________________________________
4. The purchases of online tickets dropped dramatically last month.
There _____________________________________________________________________
5. On the Internet, the number of sites rose substantially.
There was _________________________________________________________________
6. There was a sudden decrease in the sale of apples.
The sale ___________________________________________________________________
36
7. At the theme park, there were wild fluctuations in the number of visitors.
The number ________________________________________________________________
8. There was a gradual decline in rubber imports.
Rubber _____________________________________________________________________
9. The quality of food in supermarkets has increased fractionally.
There has _________________________________________________________________
10. The number of air travelers remained unchanged during the period.
There _____________________________________________________________________
Practice 3: Choose one preposition from the box to go into each of the gaps in the sentences
to describe the graphs that follow.
at in to of by from
1. There was an increase ____________________ 50,000 between 1990 and 1992.
2. ___________ 1994 ________1997, sales rose steadily _____________ over 20,000.
3. Overall, sales peaked _____________ nearly 60,000 _______________ 1992, but then
plummeted ______________ about 10,000 over the next two years.
4. In the year 2000, sales started ________________ around 10,000. In the first month, there
was a rise ___________________ around 2,000.
5. After some fluctuations, sales in 2000 reached their peak __________________ just over
15,000, a rise ___________________ 5,000 since the beginning of the year.
6. Sales increased __________________ over 10,000 between 1994 and 1997, but then
dropped ______________ more than 10,000 between 1997 and 1999.
37
Practice 4: Study the following line graph and write sentences describing the trends shown.
Example:
0-1
- The sales increased steadily from 10% in 1990 to 15% in 1992.
- There was a steady increase in the sales from 10% in 1990 to 15% in 1992.
38
_________________________________________________________________
1. 1 – 3
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. 3
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. 3 – 4
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
4. 4
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
5. 5 - 7
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
39
Practice 5: Study the following line graph and the report. Then, fill in the report with the
right words.
The graph shows the number of hours children aged 10 – 11 spend on watching TV
and computers from 2000 to the present.
The line graph shows (1) _____________ the hours children aged 10-11 spend on computers and
watching television have changed over the past few years. (2) _______________ in the past,
children spent more time watching televion and less time on computers but now this trend (3)
______________
Between 2000 and 2003, the time children spent on watching televison remained (4) _________, at
an average of 21 hours per week. Then, this figure (5) _________________________, reaching a
low of 15 hours per week by 2004. Since then, apart from a slight fluctuation, the figure (6)
__________________ at this level.
Computer use, on the other hand, (7) _____________________ a different trend, starting in 2000
at 3 hours per week and rising to a weekly figure of 10 hours in 2003. This was then followed by
40
(8) ______________ which reached 15 hours per week by 2004 and approximately 20 hours by
2007. Currently, this trend seems (9) __________________
Clearly, computer use is becoming (10) _________________________ TV viewing.
Practice 6: Study the following line graph and the sentences. Then reorder the sentences to
form a report.

The graph below shows the number of members taking part in different sports
activities at Santon Sports Club from 1990 to the present day.
1. In 1990 it was the third most popular activity, but it now is the most popular with almost 300
using the gym regularly.
2. It can be clearly seen that over the past 20 years some sports at the club have become more
popular, while the others have become less popular or have remained at virtually the same
level.
3. This number has fallen from almost 275 in 1990 to approximately 140 in the present day, with
the steepest decline occurring between 1990 and 1995.
4. There has been a steady rise in the number of club members regularly doing circuit training.
41
5. The line graph presents the number of people who play four different sports at Santon Sports
Club from 1995 up till now.
6. It is noticeable that circuit training has attracted most members in the present year.
7. Meanwhile, the number of people who go swimming has fluctuated over the period – 250 in
1990, falling and then rising by a small amount before falling back to 250 in the current year.
8. Fitness classes have also grown in popularity with the number rising from approximately 130
in 1990 from 230 in the present year.
9. On the other hand, there has been a decline in the number of club members taking part in
racquet sports over the period.
Practice 7: Study the following line graphs and make a brief outline grouping the main
features into different paragraphs for each graph. Then, write a report on one of the line
graphs.
Line graph 1

The graph below shows the differences in wheat exports over three different areas
from 1985 to 1990.
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
42
Line graph 2

The graph below shows the unemployment rates in the US and Japan between March
1993 and March 1999.
43
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Assessment criteria
1. Line graphs with  Trends - Task achievement
trends - Upward - Coherence and
- Downward cohesion
- Stable
- Fluctuate (upward, downward)
2. Verbs/Nouns of - Upward - Lexical resources

movements - Downward - Grammatical range
- Stable and accuracy
- Fluctuate (upward, downward)
3. Adjectives/Adverbs - Large change - Lexical resources
for degree - Moderate change - Grammatical range
- Small change and accuracy
4. Sentence structures  Adverb patterns - Grammatical range

- S + V + Adv and accuracy
 Adjective patterns
- There + be + Adj + noun
- S + V + Adj + noun
5. Prepositions and  S + V + Adv from …. to - Grammatical range
articles  S + V + Adv by … from …. to and accuracy
 S + V + Adj + noun of … from - Lexical resources
…. to
 S + starts/begins/ends/finishes
at …
6. Grouping data  Upward and downward + - Task achievement
Stable/Fluctuate - Coherence and
 Downward + upward cohesion
 Downward (biggest→ smallest)
 Upward (biggest → smallest)
 ……..
44
UNIT 3 Bar charts with trends
- an overview of bar charts with trends,
- the techniques in joining two or more changes together,
- the use of linking signals to achieve coherence and cohesion
- the way to have the correct style of writing
- the way to group the information in body paragraphs
Try it first

The bar chart shows the percentage of Australian graduates in full-time
employment four months after graduating between 1995 and 2001.
86
84
82
80 Male
Female
78
76
74
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
a. What is the main topic of the bar chart?
b. What verb tense will be used in the description?
c. What are the overall trends for two genders?

45
d. How many ways are there to approach and organize a description of this bar chart with
trends?
e. Which figures will you select to write about the trend of each gender?
f. What sentence structures and vocabulary will you need to use?
g. Can you give some comments on some special features shown in the bar chart?
3. Read the model text below. Match paragraphs 1 - 5 with summaries a – e.
a. Main information ____________

b. An overview _________
c. Data for males _________
d. Data for females _________
e. Closing comment ___________
1. ______ Similarly, as for female graduates, apart from some fluctuations, their figures also
witnessed an overall increase from 78% in 1995 to 83% in 2001. A further point of interest is that
while there was a sharper growth in the proportion of men in work in 1996, the number for women
remained constant at 83% from 2000 to 2001, and in the final year, employment figures were equal
for both genders.
2.__________The bar chart illustrates the number of recent graduates who found full-time work
within four-month period after graduating.
3.___________Looking at the details, in 1995, just over 80% of recent male graduates were
working. Subsequently, despite some fluctuations, there was a steady increase in men’s figures
until 2001, with sharper rises in 1996 and 2000, followed by falls. This was especially marked in
2000 when the male employment rate grew by 2% to a peak of 85%, before dropping to 83% the
following year.
4. _______________ It is noticeable that the percentage of women in work was consistently lower
than it was for men, except in 2001.
5.___________In general, employment levels experienced an overall upward trend during the six-
year period for both sexes.
46
Language notes
1. Joining two changes together
A good answer in IELTs Writing Task 1 does need to consist of a wide range of sentence
structures. Moreover, in order to upgrade your descriptions about graphs/charts with trends, the
writer does need to show his/her competence of coordinating changes together. Accordingly, a
number of ways are suggested to join two or more than two changes/trends in one complex
sentence.
 Sequencing expressions
Certain connectors are considered as helpful devices to clearly show the sequence of the changes
seen in the graphs/charts.
Then, ____________________________________________________
After that, _________________________________________________
Subsequently, _____________________________________________
Following this, _____________________________________________
At this point, _______________________________________________
- In 1995, just over 80% of recent male graduates were working. After that, there was a steady
increase in men’s figures until 2001, with sharper rises in 1996 and 2000.
- In 1995, just over 80% of recent male graduates were working. Subsequently, despite some
fluctuations, there was a steady increase in men’s figures until 2001, with sharper rises in
1996 and 2000.
 Relative clauses
Relative clauses can be used to link two changes over time.
which __________________________________________________
, which is followed by ______________________________________
, followed by _____________________________________________
, after which ______________________________________________
- The students spent 3% less on accommodation, which fell from 23% to 20% of the total
expenditure.
47
- There was a rise in Café Cool’s sales over the first ten months, (which was) followed by a
sudden increase to $120,000.
- There was a rise of 2% in the percentage of females in full time work from 1995 to 1996,
followed by a fall to 1995 level one year later.
 Adverb clauses of time

Adverb clauses of time can also be used to indicate the chronological order of the changes seen in
the graph/chart.
After _________________, _______________________________

Before _______________, _______________________________
Having + pp __________, _______________________________
- After the proportion of male graduates declined steadily to over 78% in 1997, the figure
soared to a peak of around 83% in 2000 before stabilizing at this level the following year.
- Having declined steadily to over 78% in 1997, the proportion of male graduates soared to a
peak of around 83% in 2000 before stabilizing at this level the following year.
2. Linking signals
In order to achieve cohesion and coherence as well as to enhance academic style of your answer,
you are recommended to make the best use of linking signals to clearly show a new part of the
graph/chart, to compare different trends illustrated and to highlight significant or interesting
features as follows:
 Indicate overall trend

As known, the second opening statement in the opening paragraph includes a short description of
the overall trends seen in the graph. There are some expressions that can be used to signal the
overall trend as follows.
Overall, __________________________________________________
In general, ________________________________________________
It can be seen from the graph / table that ________________________
As can be seen from the graph / table, __________________________
From the graph / table, it is clear / obvious / apparent / _____that _____
48
- In general, employment levels experienced an overall upward trend during the six-year
period for both sexes, but the percentage of women in work was consistently lower than it
was for men, except in 2001.
 Introduce new part

In order to designate that a new part of the paragraph is being analyzed, you can use one of the
following expressions.
Looking at the details, _______________________________________

As regards_____________, ___________________________________
Regarding _______________,_____________________ ____________
As for ____________________, _______________________________
With respect to _________________, ___________________________
- Looking at the details, in 1995, just over 80% of recent male graduates were working.
- As for female graduates, apart from some fluctuations, their figures also witnessed an overall
increase from 78% in 1995 to 83% in 2001.
 Compare & contrast

One important task in describing graphs/charts with trends is to make comparisons where relevant.
Therefore, it is very common for you to compare similar trends and contrast different trends when
describing the data. The following expressions are very popular for comparing and contrasting.
COMPARISON STRUCTURE WORDS

Sentence connectors Clause connectors Others
Similarly, and like (+ noun)
Likewise, both ... and (be) similar (to)
also not only ...but also (be) the same as
too as the same is true for
just as
- Similarly, as for female graduates, apart from some fluctuations, their figures also witnessed
an overall increase from 78% in 1995 to 83% in 2001.
- Similar to the employment trend of men, the figure for women also witnessed an overall
increase from 78% in 1995 to 83% in 2001.
49
- The same is true for the employment trend of women when their figure also witnessed an
overall increase from 78% in 1995 to 83% in 2001.
CONTRAST STRUCTURE WORDS

Sentence connectors Clause connectors Others
However, but despite (+noun)
Nevertheless, while in spite of (+noun)
By comparison, whereas differ from
Conversely, (be) different (from)
In contrast, (be) dissimilar to
By contrast, (be) unlike
- Employment levels experienced an overall upward trend during the six-year period for both
sexes. However, the percentage of women in work was consistently lower than it was for men,
except in 2001.
- While there was a sharper growth in the proportion of men in work in 1996, the number for
women remained constant from 2000 to 2001, and in the final year, employment figures were
equal for both genders.
- Despite the overall upward trend during the six-year period for both sexes, the percentage of
women in work was consistently lower than that for men, except in 2001.
 Highlight special features

With a view to earning a higher mark, it is of great importance for a writer to include significant
features and interesting points of a graph or chart in his/her answer. The following are some
expressions you can use to highlight the special features of the graph/chart being described.
What stands out from the graph/ chart is that ____________________________

The most striking feature of the graph/ chart is that _______________________
Another interesting point is that ______________________________________
One particularly interesting fact highlighted by the data/ figure given is that __
A further point of interest is that ______________________________________
50
- In general, employment levels experienced an overall upward trend during the six-year period
for both sexes, but the percentage of women in work was consistently lower than it was for
men, except in 2001.
- A further point of interest is that while there was a sharper growth in the proportion of men in
work in 1996, the number for women remained constant from 2000 to 2001, and in the final
year, employment figures were equal for both genders.
3. Use correct style
 Avoiding informality
A report is required to be written in the academic style, so the language must be formal. The
following is an example of an informal writing style.
- Here’re the details. In 1995, a lot of male graduates were working (80%). And there’s a
steady increase in men’s figures until 2001. In 2000, the male employment rate grew much to
a peak of 84%, before dropping.
The following informal usages should not be used in reports.
 Contractions
- here’re, there’s ….. These should not be used. Write here are, there was instead.
 Colloquial words
- A lot of , much These are very common, informal expressions. For countable nouns, use
many and for uncountable nouns, use a great deal of
 A sentence beginning with And, But, So,
- And there’s You should not begin a sentence beginning with and.
 An incomplete sentence
- before dropping It is an incomplete sentence.
An improvement of the above paragraph would read:
- Looking at the details, in 1995, a large number of male graduates (just over 80%) were
working. Then, there was a steady increase in men’s figures until 2001. This was especially
marked in 2000 when the male employment rate grew significantly to a peak of just over 84%
before dropping to 83% in the following year.
51
 Avoiding narrative style
A report is not a story, so you should not use a story-telling style with no specific facts to illustrate
changes. The following is an example of what to avoid.
- Here are two graphs. They show that there were many changes in the kinds of jobs the people
of Alia mostly did in the last century, most people worked in agriculture, as farmers, and they
continued in this way for many years. Later, however, a change gradually happened in the
workforce.
An improvement of the above paragraph would read:
- It can be clearly seen from the two graphs that there were many changes in the kinds of jobs
the people of Alia mostly did in the last century. In the 1920s, a massive majority (80%) people
worked in agricultural sector. Then, in the 1930s, a large number of people moved to big cities
to work in factories.
 Using compact style
One of the ways for you to score high in Task 1 is to use the concise and precise language. The
following can help you to have the right language.
Present participle clauses
It is important to note that the present participle clauses, ending in -ing is active in meaning. It
does not indicate the present tense at all, and can be used for any tense.
- Between 1860 and 1900 the temperature remained steady. During that time, the temperature
rose and fell by no more than 0.1 Centigrade.
can become
- Between 1860 and 1900 the temperature remained steady, rising and falling by no more than
0.1 Centigrade.
Another typical expression is seen in the following sentence.
- The US had by far the greatest share of the information technology market, accounting for
44% of Internet connections.
- Spending on holidays rose over the period, increasing from $1,053 million to $1,230 million.
52
Present participle clauses are also often with prepositions with and can include noun and adverbs.
- The developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America experienced the most dramatic
growth, with Africa having around 5% per annum.
- Spending on holidays rose over the period, with the expenditure increasing from $1,053
million to $1,230 million.
Past participle clauses
The past participle (ending in -ed and en) is used for the passive and is very useful in academic
writing.
- The bar chart illustrates the number of recent graduates who found full-time work within four-
month period after graduating.
can become
- The bar chart illustrates the number of recent graduates (who were) full time employed within
four-month period after graduating.
Commas
- The percentage of female graduates employed full time increased by 5%, from 78% in 1995
to 83% in 2001.
- The percentage of female graduates employed full time increased from 78% in 1995, an
increase of 5%.
Prepositions at and with
- The greatest percentage of male graduates who found full time jobs was in 2000, at 85%.
- The lowest percentage of female graduates who found full time jobs was in 1978, with
78%.
- The number for women remained constant at 83% from 2000 to 2001.
Parentheses
- Looking at the details, in 1995, a large number of male graduates (just over 80%) were
working.
53
- In 2000, the male employment rate grew significantly to a peak (85%), before dropping to 83%
in the following year.
4. Grouping data
Read the following sample report describing the bar chart given in TRY IT FIRST. Then make a
brief outline for the main features shown in the line graph to see how the main information is
chosen and arranged.

The bar chart shows the percentage of Australian graduates in full-time employment
four months after graduating between 1995 and 2001.
86
84
82
80 Male
Female
78
76
74
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
The bar chart illustrates the number of graduates who found full-time work within a four-month
period after graduation from 1995 to 2001. In general, employment levels experienced an
overall upward trend during the six-year period for both sexes.
Looking at the details, in 1995, just over 80% of male graduates were working. Subsequently,
despite some fluctuations, there was a steady increase in men’s figures until 2001, with
sharper rises in 1996 and 2000, followed by falls. This was especially marked in 2000 when
54
the male employment rate grew by 2% to a peak of 85%, before dropping to 83% the following
year.
Similarly, as for female graduates, apart from some fluctuations, their figures also witnessed
an overall increase, from 78% in 1995 to 83% in 2001. A further point of interest is that while
there was a sharper growth in the proportion of men in work in 1996, the number for women
remained constant at 83% from 2000 to 2001, and in the final year, employment figures were
equal for both genders.
It is noticeable that the percentage of women in work was consistently lower than it was for
men, except in 2001.
It can be seen from the bar chart that there is one overall upward trend for both genders. With this
bar chart, there are two possible ways to group the information: (1) Describe the data of both males
and females in each year (2) Describe the data for males in one paragraph and the data for females
in the other body paragraph. It is clearly seen that the second way is better and clearer because we
can see the trend for each sex easily. The important thing is that we have to link these two
paragraphs using the appropriate signals.
Look at the following bar chart and think about the best way t

This bar chart illustrates the number of students studying different subjects at
university level over a five-year period.
55
140000 Medicine and
Dentistry
120000
100000 Biological Sciences
80000
Physical Sciences
60000
40000
Computer Sciences
20000
0 Engineering and
96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01
Technology
With this bar chart, it is clearly seen that there are two trends: the upward trend (for Medicine and
Dentistry, Biological Sciences and Computer Sciences) and the downward trend (for Physical
Sciences and Engineering and Technology). With these two trends, we can have two paragraphs in
the body: one describing the majors with the upward trend, and the other paragraph is for the
majors with the downward trend. In each body paragraph, we can arrange the majors based on
their popularity or degree of increase or decrease to achieve a logical description. Read the
following sample report for more information.
The bar chart shows how many students were studying five different subjects at university level
between 1996 and 2001. According to the chart, some subjects became more popular over this
period, while others dropped in popularity.
There was a slight increase in the number of students taking Medicine and Dentistry, from just
under 40,000 in 1996 to nearly 50,000 in 2001, although this remained the least popular
subject of the five. Biological Sciences showed a steady increase over the five- year period,
from 80,000 to over 90,000. Also, there was a sharp increase in the popularity of Computer
Sciences, especially between 90/00 and 00/01 when the numbers increased by nearly 30,000.
In contrast, there was a slight fall in the number of students studying Physical Sciences.
Meanwhile, Engineering and Technology showed a steady drop in popularity, from nearly
140,000 to just over 120,000. However, together with Computer Sciences, Engineering and
Technology was still one of the two most popular subjects in 2001.
Overall, Dentistry was the least popular major as opposed to Computer Sciences and
Engineering and Technology.
56
In short, similar to line graphs with trends, for bar charts with trends, the most common way is to
group body paragraphs based on the trends shown in the charts. The number of paragraphs you
have in the body depends on how many trends you have from the graph or chart and how complex
the information is. If there are three trends, for example (upward, downward and fluctuation), you
may want to have one paragraph describing the upward trend and downward trend and the other
for the fluctuation. Otherwise, you can combine the upward trend and fluctuation in one paragraph
and the downward trend in the other paragraph. If there is one trend and two genders, two groups
of people, etc, we can think about grouping the data according to the number of genders or groups
of people. However, we must not forget to describe trends for each gender or group of people and
make comparisons where relevant.
Practice
Practice 1: Study the bar chart. Then, join the changes in the sentences using as many ways
as you can. Make any other necessary changes.
Example
The number of people using trains rose from just under 20% in 1960 to about 26% in 1980. It
fell back to about 23% in 2000.
 The number of people using trains rose from just under 20% in 1960 to about 26% in 1980.
Then, / Subsequently, the figure fell back to about 23% in 2000.
 There was a rise in the number of people using trains from just under 20% in 1960 to
about 26% in 1980, followed by a fall to about 23% in 2000.
 The number of people using trains rose from just under 20% in 1960 to about 26% in 1980
before the figure fell back to about 23% in 2000.
 After rising from just under 20% in 1960 to about 26% in 1980, the number of people
using trains fell back to about 23% in 2000.
57
The chart below shows the different modes of transport used to travel to and from work
in one European city in 1960, 1980 and 2000.
1. The use of tube was relatively stable. It fell from around 27% of commuters in 1960 to 22% in
1980. It climbed back to reach 25% by 2000.
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. The figure for car commuters increased significantly from just over 5% in 1960 to 23% in
1980. It had reached almost 40% by 2000.
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3. The popularity of buses declined substantially since 1960. It dropped from just under 40% in
1960 to 27% in 1980 and only 15% in 2000.
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
58
Practice 2: Complete the following report with the appropriate words and phrases.

The chart shows student expenditure over a three-year period in the United Kingdom.
Note: Other includes non essential consumer items and credit repayments
The bar chart shows changes in the amount of money (1) _____________________ on different
items by the students in the United Kingdom over a three-year period between 1996 and 1999.
Overall, students spent more money on entertainment and essential travel but less on the other
items.
(2) ___________________, the students spent 3% less on accommodation, (3) ____________fell

from 23% to 20% of the total expenditure. (4) ___________________ , there was a 2% decrease in
the spending on food, bills and household goods, (5) ___________________ declined from 20% to
18%. (6) ______________________________, course expenditure went down by 3% from 10% to
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7%. Children, (7) _______________________ constituted 1% of students’ budget in 1996 are not
presented in 1999.
(8) ________________________________, there was a 5% growth in the spending on

entertainment, at 26% of the total expenditure in 1996, (9) ______________ a rise to 31% in 1999.
(10) __________________________________________, the spending on the other non-essential
items and credit repayments grew by 4%, making up16% of total expenditure. The figure for
essential travel increased by 3% (11) ___________________ non-essential travel underwent a 1%
fall.
(12) ______________________, with the exception of expenditure on travel, the most significant
general change was a shift from spending on essential items to spending on non-essential ones.
Practice 3: Study the bar chart and the report below. Then, improve the writing style of the
report by replacing the phrases/sentences in bold with more formal expressions.
The chart below gives information about global sales of games software, CDs and
DVD or video.
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The bar chart shows the changes in the sales of video material / DVDs, games software and CDs
around the world in billions of dollars over a three-year period. (1) It’s seen that the sales of
videos / DVDs and games software increased. (2) But the sale of CDs went down slightly over
the period.
(3) Let’s look at the details. Between 2000 and 2003, the sale of videos and DVDs rose by
approximately 13 billion dollars. In 2000, just under 20 billion dollars worth of these items were
sold. (4) And in 2003, this figure rose to a little over 30 billion dollars. (5) It’s an increase of
approximately 13 billion dollars.
The sale of games software rose during this period (6) as well. (7) But the figure rose less
sharply. The sale increased from about 13 billion dollars in 2000 to just under 20 billion dollars
three years later. By contrast, during the same time period, the sale of CDs went down slightly. (8)
Because the figure fell from 35 billion dollars in 2000 to about 32.5 billion dollars in 2003.
(9) You can see that the sales of videos / DVDs and games software increased. (10) And the sales
of CDs went down slightly over the period. (11) It can’t also be denied that although the sales of
CDs fell, (12) they were very big when looking at the others.
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Practice 4: Study the bar chart and the report below. There are 10 mistakes in the report.
Find the mistakes and correct them.

The chart below shows the International passenger movement by air from the UK to
different countries in 1991 and 2001.
The bar chart provide information on air travel by passengers from the UK to a number of other
countries in 1991 and 2001. It can be clearly that in all cases, there was an increase in passenger
movements over the decade.
Look at the details, most passengers went to Spain with over 27 million people travel in 2001. This
figure more than trebled since 1991. The second greatest volume of traffic was with the US, with
17 million air passenger movements, an increase of approximately 8 million in ten years. On the
other hand, the other countries that showed significant rises were the Irish Republic was nearly
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10 million passenger movements and Italy and the Netherlands and about 7 million people
travelling to each of these places.
At the lower end of the scale, roughly 4 millions people travelled to Switzerland and Portugal in
2001, but these figures also increased since 1991.
It is noticeable that Spain and Irish Republic seem to be the most popular destinations for the UK
air passengers in 1991 and 2001.
Practice 5: Study the following bar chart and and think of possible ways to group the data in
the body paragraphs. Then, write a simple outline for the data in the body paragraphs.

The bar chart shows the changes in the average house prices in five cities in 1990-
2002 compared with 1989.
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Practice 6: Study the following bar charts and write a report on one of them.
Bar chart 1

The chart below shows the average growth in domestic products in wealthy countries,
countries that have adopted a global approach to business and countries that have
not.
64
Bar chart 2

The chart below shows the contribution of three sectors – agriculture, manufacturing,
and business and financial services – to the UK economy in the twentieth century.
65
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Assessment criteria
1. Bar charts with  Trends/changes over time - Task
trends - Upward achievement
- Downward - Coherence and
- Stable cohesion
- Fluctuate(upward or downward)
2. Join changes  Sequencing expressions: First, - Grammatical
then, after that, … range and
 Relative clauses: which, who, accuracy
when, where, … - Lexical resources
 Adverb clauses of time: Before,
After, …
3. Linking signals  Indicate overall trends - Coherence and
 Introduce new part cohesion
 Compare and contrast Grammatical
 Highlight special features range and
accuracy
4. Use correct style  Avoid - Grammatical
- informality range and
- contractions accuracy
- colloquial words - Lexical resources
- sentences with FANBOYS at - Coherence and
the beginning cohesion
- incomplete sentences
 Use compact style
- -ing clause
- -ed clause
- comma
- with / at
- parentheses (….)
5. Grouping data  Trends - Task
 Genders achievement
 Age groups - Coherence and
 Countries cohesion
 .....
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UNIT 4 pie charts with trends
- an overview of pie charts with trends
- the expressions of fractions and variations on percentages,
- the way to incorporate data, and
- the way to group the data in the body paragraphs.
TRY IT FIRST

The following pie charts show the results of a survey into the most popular leisure
activities in the United States of America in 1999 and 2009.
comparisons where relevant. You should write at least 150 words.
Leisure activities 1999

bicyclingyoga, 5%
soccer, 17%
, 12%
jogging , 7% camping, 8%
swimming, 9
%
walking, 29% aerobics, 13

%

weigtlifting
bicycling, 10% soccer, 18%
, 7%
jogging , 3%
camping, 9%
swimming, 1
8%
walking, 31%
aerobics, 4%
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a. What is the main topic of the two pie charts?
b. How many activities are there in each pie chart?
c. Are the activities the same in each pie chart?
d. What tense will you use?
e. What sentence structures and vocabulary will you need to use?
f. Can you give a comment on a special feature shown in the pie charts?
3. Match A - E with 1 - 5 in the two columns below.
A. Yoga had disappeared from the list of 1. which stayed almost unchanged at
preferred activities around 9%.
B. It is clear that walking was the most 2. and 2009 with around 30% of Americans
popular activity in both 1999 saying that they preferred it.
C. While the list of activities remained 3. with less than 5% of respondents to the
almost identical over the decade, survey choosing them.
D. The number of people who went jogging 4. and had been replaced by weightlifting,
and did aerobics also dropped which was chosen by one in ten
significantly, Americans.
E. The one exception to this trend was 5. there were a number of changes in their
camping relative popularity.
Language notes
As with any task 1, it is important to note that you should not keep repeating the same structures
and vocabulary. The key language when you write about pie charts
is proportions and percentages. In order to show your range of vocabulary, you can also use
fractions.
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1. Expressions of fractions
Approximating figures Fractions

around a tenth
about a fifth
approximately a quarter
approaching a third
almost half
nearly two thirds
close to three quarters
(well/just) under
(well/just) over
(slightly) more/less than
- Aerobics comprised over one tenth of the total in 1999 and the number increased
gradually to 18% 10 years later.
- In 1999, almost a fifth of surveyed people preferred soccer, which comprised almost the
same number in the next 10 years.
- Over a quarter of the surveyed attendants chose walking as their leisure activity in 1999.
2. Variations on percentages
Percentage Proportion/amount/number/ majority Fraction

89% the overwhelming majority/ the vast majority
a massive 89%, a hefty 89%
73% a significant/ vast majority approximately three quarters
66% a large proportion precisely two thirds
48% a good proportion almost a half

35% just over a third
25% a small number exactly a quarter
15% a small minority
5% a tiny minority, a modest minority, a small fraction
an insignificant amount, a modest 5%, a
mere 5%
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- In 1999, a good proportion of respondents to the survey enjoyed walking in their free time.
- A very small number of the attendants did yoga to relax in 1999, and this activity was then
replaced by weightlifting, which was chosen by one in ten Americans.
- A minority of the Americans (12%) were interested in bicycling in 1999.
3. Incorporating data
In describing trends and making comparisons, it is important to illustrate the trends with
appropriate facts. There are various ways of incorporating data in describing charts, as shown
below.
Below is the list of verbs which can be used to incorporate data in your description.
Verbs Proportion/fraction/
make up 21% of …
constitute nearly half of …
stand at a significant percentage of …
comprise the majority of …
account for
record
consist of
amount to
represent
You have different ways to incorporate data in your description with the above verbs as follows.
 Subject + appropriate verb
- Walking accounted for the largest percentage in both years, at 29% and 31% respectively.
- Aerobics comprised a very small proportion in 2009.
 A relative clause (which + appropriate verb)
- Walking, which constituted 29% in 1999, remained fairly the same in the next 10 years
and still ranked first among the given segments.
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 -ing participle clause
- Yoga, amounting to only 5% of the total, was the least popular leisure activities chosen by
the Americans.
- In 2009, swimming doubled in popularity over the previous decade, rising from 9% to
18%.
 Number as subjects
- 18% of the Americans stated that soccer is their favorite leisure activity.
4. Grouping data
Read the following sample report describing the pie charts given in TRY IT FIRST. Then make
an outline to see how the main information in the body paragraphs is chosen and arranged.

The following pie charts show the results of a survey into the most popular leisure
activities in the USA in 1999 and 2009.
bicycling yoga, 5% soccer, 17%

, 12%
jogging , 7% camping, 8%
swimming, 9
%
walking, 29% aerobics, 13

%
71
weigtlifting
, 10%
bicycling soccer, 18%
, 7%
jogging , 3%
camping, 9%
swimming, 1
8%
walking, 31%
aerobics, 4%
The two charts illustrate how the preferred leisure activities of Americans changed between
1999 and 2009. Generally speaking, while the list of activities remained almost identical over
the decade, there were a number of changes in their relative popularity.
It is immediately evident that walking was by some distance the most popular pastime in both
years, accounting for just under a third of the preferences expressed. Of equal note is that by
2009, yoga had disappeared from the list of preferred activities and had been replaced by
weightlifting, which was chosen by one in ten Americans.
Among the less popular activities, the most notable development was that the proportion of
people who went swimming doubled, making it equal second in popularity with soccer at
18%. In stark contrast, around as half as many Americans went cycling in 2009 as compared to
ten years earlier, with the result that it became less popular than camping, at 7% and
9% respectively. Likewise, the number of people who went jogging and did aerobics
also dropped significantly, with less than 5% of respondents to the survey choosing them.
Overall, walking and soccer remained the two most popular leisure activities in two years given.
As can be seen, there are 8 different activities with 16 different figures over two periods of time.
The writer of the report also bases on the trends and the differences between the data to group the
data. In the body, you can see two paragraphs. The first paragraph is to compare the activities
based on their popularity and they are the most important details: the biggest number (walking)
and the smallest number (yoga, which then is replaced by weightlifting). The second paragraph
describes the two opposite trends: upward trend for walking and swimming and the downward
trend for aerobics, jogging and cycling.
72
Look at the following pie charts and think of the best way to group the data.

The charts show changes in spending habits of people in the UK between 1971 and
2001.
You can see that there are two trends: (1) upward trend for Computers, Restaurants and Cars and
(2) downward trend for Books, Food, Furniture and Petrol. The most important details are that Car
and Food made up the two biggest item of expenditure in both years but they experienced different
trends. With this analysis, you can group the data in the body into two different paragraphs. One
paragraph will describe the upward trend and the other describes the downward trend. In the
description, you are expected to indicate the most important details and compare the significant
differences between the data as you do in describing line graphs and bar charts.
In short, the way to group the data in the body will vary from task to task, but typically you will be
looking at two body paragraphs. As you write your paragraphs, you want to think of three key
ideas:
- highlight the most important details.
- group similar trends together and compare them with the different trends
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- arrange the data according to the degree of rise or fall to achieve coherence.
Practice
Practice 1: Fill in the blank with the alternative ways of describing proportions or fractions if
possible.
Percentages Proportion/ amount/ number/ Fractions

majority/ minority
77% _________________________ just over three quarters
75% three out of four ________________________
32% _________________________ almost a third
5% a very small number ________________________
85% _________________________ a very large majority
12% a minority ________________________
49% _________________________ close to one half
26% about one in four ________________________
Practice 2: Do the tasks below.

Task 1: The phrases in the list are alternative ways of describing proportions. Divide the list
into four groups that each has similar meanings.
three quarters almost half one third 75 per cent one in three nearly half 26 per
cent 48 per cent about one in four 33 per cent three out of four just under one half
just over a quarter close to one half
A B
C D
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Task 2: These adjective-noun collocations can also be used to describe proportions. Write the
adjectives next to the correct meaning in the table. Can you add more to the list?
the vast majority a tiny minority a massive 85 per cent a modest twelve per cent
a hefty 85 per cent a mere twelve per cent the overwhelming majority
Very big
Very big (used before numbers)
Very small
Not very big (used before numbers)
Task 3: Rewrite sentences 1-5, replacing the phrases in italics with an alternative expression.
1. We see from the chart that 23 per cent of students failed to finish their university degree.
2. In 1990, nine out of ten Engineering students were male, but by 2000 this figure had fallen
to exactly three quarters.
3. In 1960, 34 per cent of Science graduates went into the teaching profession but in 1970, the
figure was just ten per cent.
4. Exactly one half of the student populations were members of the Union in 2001, but five
years later the figure was 64 per cent.
5. Ninety-two per cent of people surveyed felt that mixed sex schools were preferable.
Practice 3: Rewrite the following sentences by using the language of incorporating data
given.
Example:
In 1980, it is clear that oil constituted 42 % of all main sources. (which)

- In 1980, it is clear that oil, which comprised 42% of all main sources, was the largest
sector.
- The most important source of energy in 1980 was oil, which made up 42% of all main
sources.
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The pie charts show the consumption of energy resources in the United States of
America in 1980 and 1990.
Main sources of energy in USA in 1980s and 1990s
1980
Nuclear
Hydroelectric power , 5%
power , 5%
Coal, 22% Oil , 42%
Natural
gas, 26%
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1. In 1980, it is clear that oil constituted 42 % of all main sources. (-ing clause)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. However, in 1990, this proportion decreased and made up 33 % of all sources. (at)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Similarly, the percentage of gas was slightly higher in 1980 compared to the year 1990,
accounting for 26 % and 25 % respectively. (Verb)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Hydroelectric power made up similarly 5 % of all main sources in these two years. (with)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. However, the use of coal was different, comprising 5 % in 1980 but it increased by 5 % and
made up 10 % of all sources. (Number as subject)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Practice 4: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words/phrases.
The two pie charts illustrate household expenditure in a specific country in 1920 and 2000.
(1)_________________________, whereas food and the group recreation and other items were
still the main proportions over the period, there were opposite changing trends between them.
In 1920, food expenditure was the largest percentage which (2) _________________ more than
70% but this number decreased significantly to just over (3) __________________ of the total
spending in 2000.
Conversely, higher than (4) _________________ of expenditure in 2000 was recreation and other
items, which was followed by a considerable rise (5) ____________________ 7.7%. As a result,
the largest spending (6) ____________________recreation and other items instead of food in
2000.
There were also some (7)______________________ growths over 80 years. While expenditure for
clothing almost (8) ______________________to 4.5%, travelling and communication increased by
11% from just higher than 3%.
In addition, there were some (9) ___________________ during this period. For example, in both
1920 and 2000, the percentages of household goods and the group fuel and light (10)
_____________________ at around 3.2% and 6.4% respectively.
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Practice 5: Study the following pie charts and make a brief outline for each. Then write a
report for one of the pie charts.
Pie charts 1

The charts show changes in spending habits of people in the UK between 1971 and
2001.
Computers 1971
Books
2% Furniture
6%
9%
Restautants
7%
Petrol
10%
Food
44%
Cars
22%
Books 2001
Computers
1%
Food 12%
14% Furniture
8%
Restaurants
14%
Cars
43% Petrol
8%
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Pie charts 2

The charts below show the annual spending of a particular UK university from 1981 to
2001.
80
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Assessment criteria
1. Pie charts with  Trends/ changes over time - Task achievement
trends - Upward - Coherence and
- Downward cohesion
- Stable
- Fluctuate (upward or
downward)
2. Expressions of  Approximating figures - Grammatical range and
fractions  Fractions accuracy
- Lexical resources
3. Variations on  Proportion/amount/number/ - Coherence and
percentages majority cohesion
 Fraction Grammatical range and
accuracy
4. Incorporating data  S + Verb - Grammatical range and
- Walking accounted for 29% accuracy
of people. - Lexical resources
- Coherence and
 Relative clause + Verb
cohesion
- Walking, which accounted
for 29% of people, was the
second most popular leisure
activity.
 -ing clause
- Walking, accounting for
29% of people, was the
second most popular leisure
activity.
 Number as subject
- 29% of people chose
walking as their leisure
activity.
5. Grouping data  Trends - Task achievement
 Genders - Coherence and
 Age groups cohesion
 Countries
 .....
81
UNIT 5 TABLES WITH TRENDS
- an overview of tables with trends
- the way to compare the data
- language for describing trends over time
- and the way to group the data in the body
Try it first

The table shows spending in the UK by visitors from Europe and purpose of visit
between 2002 and 2006.
You should write at least 150 words
Spending in UK: visitors from Europe and purpose of visit 2002 to 2006
Spending (£ million) Growth 2005 - 06
Europe 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Holiday 1,640 1,784 2,141 2,373 2,655 11.9
Business 1,833 1,848 1,994 2,237 2,614 16.9
Visiting friends /relatives 1,061 1,273 1,471 1,655 1,830 10.5
Miscellaneous 1,001 962 1,002 1,365 1,454 6.5
All visits 5,549 5,882 6,623 7,656 8,573 12.0
a. What is the main topic of the table?
b. How many years are illustrated in the table?
c. How many different purposes are mentioned in the table?
d. What is the trend for each purpose?
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e. What does the growth column refer to?
f. Which row/column of information offers you the overview?
g. Can you give a comment on a special feature shown in the table?
h. What is the clear tendency for the global view?
i. Is there any exception apart from the general trend?
3. Which of these statements would be the most suitable general description for
the data above? Which would be most suitable to include as specific
information? Write G for General, S for Specific.
a. As for the expenditure on all visits, the increase at the beginning of the period was much
lower than that in the later period.
b. The table illustrates data on the expenditure of European visitors to the UK according the
purpose of visit over a span of 4 years.
c. The most significant expense was on holidays which rose from 1,640 million pounds to
2,655 million pounds over the period.
d. The amount of money Europeans spent for different reasons in the UK increased during the
period given.
e. Although the budget for miscellaneous was the lowest, there was also a steady rise from
1001 million pounds to 1,454 million pounds over the period.
f. The table depicts the reasons why people from Europe came to the UK and the amount of
money they spent from 2002 to 2006.
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Language notes
1. Comparing the data
One of the tasks in describing the graphs/charts is to make comparisons where relevant. Therefore,
it is important for you to know how to use comparison and contrast structures to make sharper
comments or to interpret the data rather than describe or list the figures only. Accordingly, more
significant features can be interpreted and highlighted in your answers. The following are some
structures for comparing and contrasting.
 Connectors
_____________ compared with/ to _____________________

________________ as opposed to ______________________
_______________, while/whereas/ but ___________________
In contrast,/ However,/ On the other hand, ______________
Similarly,/ Likewise,/ In the same way, __________________
______________ despite / in spite of ____________________
- The number of males who were employed full time rose quickly while that of their female
counterparts fell significantly.
- The number of males who were employed full time rose as opposed to that of their female
counterparts.
- The number of males who were employed full time rose quickly. However, the corresponding
figure for females fell significantly.
 Structures
S+V Adverb of degree Fraction The scale of being compared
close to a/one quarter of the (total) number/percentage of
almost a third of the amount/percentage of
A (have/ …) nearly half
approximately three quarters
about a quarter as many (C. noun) as
just over half as much (U. noun) as
just under three quarters as large as
B
twice as high as
three times ….
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- The number of males who were employed full time was nearly twice as high as that of females.
- The sale of the Café Cool was approximately half as much as that of the Internet Express.
Subject Verb Adverb of degree

double
treble
A quadruple
increase almost twice
nearly threefold
more than three times
- The sales of the Café Cool almost doubled over the period.
- The sales of the Tea Room fell more than three times over the year.
Subject Verb Comparison

A be the short adjective +est Noun
becomethe the second
the the least
the most long adjective
the second most
the least
- Swimming was the most popular sport in the club over the period.
- Cycling was the second most popular activity for the people in the 35-45 age group.
Subject Verb Comparison

A short adjective + er than B
be
A more long adjective B
A be (not) as adjective as B
- Swimming was more popular than cycling over the period.
- Cycling was as popular as jogging in 1998.
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Study the table below and look for patterns in passenger death rates in country A in relation to the
modes of land transport. Then read the examples given to illustrate the structures given above.
Passengers death rate in Country A by different modes of transport

Rates per billion passenger kilometers
Modes of transport
1996 2001 2006 2007 2008 Average 2006 – 2008
Motorcyle 115.8 100.3 94.4 97.0 94.6 104.0
Foot 76.9 75.3 62.5 58.5 56.2 70.5
Pedal cycle 56.9 49.6 46.8 43.4 41.3 48.8
Water 9.4 9.5 9.0 9.5 9.0 9.2
Car 6.1 5.1 3.7 3.5 3.0 4.6
Van 3.8 3.8 2.2 2.2 1.7 2.7
Rail 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.4 0.4 0.9
Bus and coach 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.8 0.5
Air 0.2 0.5 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2
- The death rate among the car and van users declined by more than half, falling from 6.1
per billion passenger kilometers to 3.0 and 3.8 to 1.7 respectively.
- Cycling, despite a significant decrease from 56.9 per billion to 41.3, remained the third
most dangerous type of land transport.
- Motorcylcing was the most dangerous type of transport, averaging more than twice as
many fatalities as cycling, and more than twenty times as high as cars.
- Regarding buses and coaches, the road death almost trebled over the period under view,
increasing from 0.3 per billion passenger kilometers to 0.8. Buses and coaches were still
the second safest type of vehicle transport.
86
2. Describing trends over time
In the IELTS writing task 1, some graphs/ charts/ tables are used to indicate the trends over
different periods of time given; thus, mixed verb tenses are expected to be deployed to deliver
interpretation accurately; it would be best to use:
 Past Simple to talk about ‘finished’ time, e.g. in 2000, etc.
 Present Perfect to talk about ‘unfinished’ time or time ‘until now’, e.g. since 2007, 2010 –
present, etc
 Future tense to talk about predictions in future time, e.g. in 2030, next year, etc
We often use the following expressions when talking about future or predicted data because the
simple future is a little too certain.
predicted
It is anticipated
estimated
forecast that Subject will + Verb
projected
expected
set
Subject (be) predicted to + Verb
anticipated
estimated
…
The prediction is that subject + will + Verb
Subject will Verb
- It is predicted that the proportion of the world's population will double in 2030.
- Between 1950 and 2030, the proportion of the world's population is expected to double.
- The prediction is that the world's population will double in 2030.
- The proportion of the world's population will double in 2030.
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3. Grouping data
Read the following sample report describing the table given in TRY IT FIRST. Make an outline to
see how the information in the body paragraphs is chosen and arranged.

The table shows spending in the UK by visitors from Europe and purpose of visit
Spending in UK: visitors from Europe and purpose of visit 2002 to 2006
Spending (£ million) Growth 2005 - 06
Europe 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Holiday 1,640 1,784 2,141 2,373 2,655 11.9
Business 1,833 1,848 1,994 2,237 2,614 16.9
Visiting friends /relatives 1,061 1,273 1,471 1,655 1,830 10.5
Miscellaneous 1,001 962 1,002 1,365 1,454 6.5
All visits 5,549 5,882 6,623 7,656 8,573 12.0
The table depicts the reasons why people from Europe came to the UK and the amount of
money they spent from 2002 to 2006. Overall, it is clear that the amount of money Europeans
spent for different reasons in the UK increased over the period.
It can be seen that the most significant expenditure was on holidays which rose from £1,640
million to £2,655 million over the years with the 2005 – 2006 growth rate of nearly 12%.
Business had the sharpest 2005-2006 growth rate at nearly 17% with the expenditure
climbing from £1,833 million in 2002 to £2,614 million in 2006. The spending on visiting
friends or relatives also increased from £1,061 million to £1,833 million. As for the
miscellaneous, although the expenditure on this category was the lowest, there was also a
steady rise from £1,001 million to £1,454 million over the period.
In contrast, the expenditure on all visits showed a different picture, in which the increase at
the beginning of the period was much lower than that in the later period from £5,549 million to
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£5,888 million in 2002-2003 compared to almost a £1 million increase every year till the end of
the period. The growth rate of this category from 2005 to 2006 was 12%.
Overall, visitors from Europe seem to spend more on holidays and business in the UK
(Adapted from Ready for IELTS by Sam McCarter, Macmillan Exams, 2010)
It can be seen that in the body, there are two different paragraphs. The first body paragraph
describes the data for the reasons with consecutive rises from the biggest to the lowest expenditure.
The second body paragraph is for the reason with differences in the level of rise between two
periods (2002-2003 and 2004-2006).
It is usually harder to describe tables than bar charts and pie charts mainly because they lack the
visual organization in the latter. However, the same principles apply as to graphs: look for trends
and compare where relevant. .
When you are given a table to describe, you should look for the data from both the rows and the
columns. When you look for the data from the rows (across), you look for the trends (upward,
downward, fluctuate and stable). When you look for the data from the columns (down), you look
for highest numbers and lowest numbers.
trends
high numbers
low numbers
89
Look at the following table and apply the principles shown above.

The table below highlights data on the number of travelers using three major British
airports between 1998 and 2003.
Airport visitors, 1998 – 2003 (millions of travelers per year)

Airports 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Heathrow 27.2 36.4 48.2 37.1 33.2 45.6

Gatwick 36.5 41.9 44.4 47.3 51.1 69.3
Stansted 17.3 26.6 39.9 43.3 43.3 43.3
If you look across the table, you have the information about the trends over the years. You can see
that all the three airports became more popular but the number changed differently (upward with
fluctuation for Heathrow, consecutive upward for Gatwick and upward and then stability for
Stansted). You can also see the biggest rise in Stansted, followed by Gatwick and then Heathrow.
If you look down the table, you have the information about the most popular airport and the least
popular one. According to the table, Gatwick had the highest number of passengers, followed by
Heathrow and then Standsted. One special feature is that although Standsted was the least popular
airport, it witnessed the largest rise compared to the other airports.
Therefore, you can group the information in the body paragraphs as follows.
- The most popular airport and its consecutive rise in the number of passengers (Gatwick)
- The second most popular airport and its fluctuating rise in the number of passengers
(Heathrow)
- The least popular airport and its rise and then stability in the number of passengers (Standsted)
90
The following is the sample report of the above table. Read the sample carefully and make a
simple outline for it.
The table provides information about how many people visited the UK through three major
airports over a five-year period between 1998 and 2003. Overall, it can be seen that there was
a fluctuating trend in the number of travelers who travelled via Heathrow, while the other two
airports saw an upward trend.
Looking at the details, the number of passengers at Heathrow started at 27.2 million in 1998
and then increased remarkably to reach the highest point of 48.2 million in 2000. In 2002, the
figure dropped to 33.2 million. In the last year, there was a slight growth to 45.6 million. On the
other hand, Gatwick began at 36.5 million in 1998. After that, the figure rose substantially for
the next three years to 47.3 million. In 2003, Gatwick hit a peak of 69.3 million passengers.
However, looking at Standsted Airport, the number of passengers using this airport started at
the lowest point of 17.3 million travelers in the first year. After this point, the trend increased
significantly to 43.3 million in 2001. In the last two years, it remained stable at 43.3 million
passengers.
It is noticeable that Gatwick airport was always the most popular over the period.
(Adapted from IELTS advantages: writing skills by Richards Brown and Lewis Richards,
IELTS Advantage, 2011)
Practice
Practice 1: Data expression & incorporation
Task 1: Rewrite the following sentence in at least 3 different ways (numbers, fractions and
percentages) using the data from the table given.
1990 1995
1200 1800
- The number of cars went up by 600 from 1,200 to 1,800 (Number)
- ________________________________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________________________________
- ________________________________________________________________________
91
Task 2: Use fractions to complete the following sentences.
1992 1994 1996 1998

1000 800 400 100
1. Between 1992 and 1994, the figure fell by __________________________
2. From 1994 to 1996, the number of cars dropped by _________________________
3. The figure in 1998 was ________________________ the 1992 total.
Task 3: Complete the following sentences using data from the table and the words or phrases in
the box given below.
three times/ quadrupled/ sixfold/ doubled/ twofold increase/ four times/ trebled
1992 1994 1996 1998

500 1000 3000 12000
1. The number of cars ____________________________ between 1992 and 1994.
2. The number of cars _________________________ between 1994 and 1996.
3. The number of cars ___________________ from 1996 to 1998.
4. There was a ______________________ between 1992 and 1996.
5. The number of cars went up ________________ between 1992 and 1996.
6. The figure in 1996 was ______________ the 1992 figure.
7. The number of cars in 1998 was ______________________ the 1996 figure.
92
Practice 2: Study the following table and do the tasks that follow.

The table shows the number of mobile phones sold in millions for a period of six years.
Nokia Ericsson Samsung Motorola Apple

2006 345 74 117 210
2007 436 102 154 165 2.3
2008 475 95 202 108 12
2009 442 57 238 59 24
2010 463 42 282 39 42
2011 422 33 330 40 89
2012 335 28 396.5 28 135.8
Task 1: Complete the following sentences with the given clues, using techniques of
incorporating and commenting on data.
1. Samsung and Apple/ demonstrate/ consistent rise/ sales/ during the six-year period/ Samsung
finishing/ the highest level of sales/ 396.5 million in 2012.
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. While/ Apple/ lowest number of sales/ at the start/ a mere 2.3 million/ in 2007/ this/ soar/ just
under 136 million/ by the end of the period/ parallel the growth of Samsung’s sales/ and/ put/
Apple in third highest position.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
93
Task 2: Complete the following description with the phrases given the box below. Then
highlight words or phrases for incorporating and commenting on data.
a. achieving only 28 million sales each

b. from a previous high of 475 million
c. before leveling out and decreasing far less dramatically from 2010 where they
were at 42 million
d. with a total of 335 million
e. rising rapidly from 2006 to 2008 before dropping in 2009
The table provides information on how many mobile phones were sold by five different brands
from 2006 to 2012. Overall, some mobile phone brands increased their sales while the others lost
their popularity over the period.
Nokia had a higher number of sales than Apple at the end of the period
(1)__________________________. However, this was a marked drop (2)________________in
2008. Nokia’s sales were slightly erratic in general, (3)____________________, then repeating the
cycle by improving to 463 million in 2010 before slipping downwards to its final result in 2012.
Meanwhile, the other two brands, Motorola and Ericsson, followed a more persistently downward
pattern. Both suffered the lowest number of sales overall,
(4)__________________________________in 2012. Ericson’s sales dropped rapidly from the
highest point of 102 million in 2007, (5)___________________________________.
Overall, Samsung and Apple improved their sales, Motorola and Ericson showed dramatic drops
and Nokia had a mixed performance with a negative trend at the end of the period.
Practice 3: Give the correct forms of the following verbs which indicate trends over time.
According to the chart, the urban population of the world (1) ________________(rise) steadily
since 1950. At that time, it (2)______________ (be) at a level of just under 1 billion people and
(3)_________________(rise) gradually until the year 2000 when the number of people living in
cities (4)______________(be) roughly double its previous level. It still
(5)_________________(increase) now and (6)__________________ (grow) more rapidly since
2005 when it (7)________________(overtake) rural population levels. The numbers of city
94
dwellers (8)___________________ (predict/ rise) further and it (9)________________(project)
that they (10)_______________(reach) just under 5 billion by 2030.
Practice 4: Study the following table and complete the sentences using the prompts given.

The tables below give information about the world population and distribution in 1950
and 2000 with an estimate of the situation in 2050.
World population 1950 – 2050

World population 1950 2000 2050
(billions) 2.5 6.0 9.0 (estimated)
Distribution of World population by Region
Africa 9% 13% 20%
Asia 56% 60% 59%
Europe 22% 12% 7%
Latin America 6% 9% 9%
North America 7% 5% 4%
Oceania < 1% 1% 1%
1. 1950/ 2050/ the world population/ expect/ rise/, growing from 2.5 billion to 9.0 billion
people.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Asia/ project/ retain/ their major share of the world population (56% to 59%)/ so/ their
population/ probably/ continue / grow/ in line with/ world growth.
_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
3. It/ estimate/ Africa and Latin America/ see/ similar upward trends/ their proportion of the
global population/ rising by 11% and 3% respectively.
_________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
95
4. However/ population figure/ Europe/ forecast/ decline/ about two-thirds/ a span of 100 years
from 1950 to 2050.
_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
5. Prediction / be / that /population / North America / fall / 3% / 4% / 2050.
__________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Practice 5: Write one report on one of the following tables.
Table 1

A small tropical island has been developed into a tourism destination.
You should write at least 150 words
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Present day

% of island covered in forest 37 24 18 18 17 17
Number of bird species 67 63 32 30 41 44
% of population (fishing) 80 78 63 42 35 30
% of population (tourism) 15 15 26 38 43 50
% houses with running water 0 35 70 95 95 95
% houses with electricity 0 0 50 94 97 97
% of school-aged children at school 34 35 32 76 80 91
96
Table 2

The table below shows the total length (in kilometers) of High-Speed Rail tracks of
China, France, and Japan in 1990, 2010, and projections for 2020.
Length of High – speed rail (km)

1990 2010 2020
China 0 3,529 13,126
France 720 1,871 3,976
Japan 1,832 2,534 3,625
97
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Assessment criteria
1. Tables with trends  Trends/ changes over time - Task achievement
- Upward - Coherence and
- Downward cohesion
- Stable
- Fluctuate (upward or
downward)
2. Comparing data  Connectors - Grammatical range and
 Structures accuracy
 - Lexical resources
3. Describing trends  Past simple - Coherence and
over time  Present continuous cohesion
 Present perfect Grammatical range and
 Future tense/Predictions accuracy
- Lexical resources
4. Grouping data  Trends - Task achievement
 Genders - Coherence and
 Age groups cohesion
 Countries
 Means of transport
 Visitor purposes
 .....
98
UNIT 6 FURTHER PRACTICE
assessment criteria
IELTS Writing task 1 is marked based on the four basic criteria as shown in the first unit. If you
closely follow the criteria shown, your writing will be much improved.
1. Task achievement
Have you written at least 150 words?
Have you understood and reworded the topic of the chart(s)?
Have you made an overview trend of the data?
Have you grouped the data in a way that helps the reader to understand the information?
Have you included some data to support your description?
Have you compared and contrasted the data in the chart(s)?
2. Grammatical range and accuracy
Have you used a variety of sentence structures?
Have you used appropriate verb tenses?
Have you controlled your subject-verb agreement?
Have you used correct prepositions?
Have you used correct punctuation?
Overall, is your grammar accurate?
3. Lexical resources
Have you used a variety of appropriate and academic words?
Have you used correct word forms?
Have you spelled the words correctly?
4. Coherence and cohesion
Have you organized your answer in some logical way to describe the data from the chart(s)?
Have you included an overview sentence to tell the reader the main idea of the chart(s)?
Have you used a variety of appropriate linking expressions?
Have you used referencing pronouns and synonyms to avoid repetition?
99
Practice
Practice 1: The following graph shows the number of visitors to Tabard Towers Theme Park
each month last year. Following the graph, there are 13 statements about the data. Decide
which sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the diagram. More than one sentence
may describe the same data.
1. In the last three months of the year, attendances were off their September peak, falling back
by 30,000 visitors a month till the end of the year.
2. From May to September, the number of people visiting the theme park monthly rose by
approximately 70%.
3. During the first four months, visitor numbers rose gradually.
4. The gradual rise in visitor numbers from 30,000 to approximately 45,000 in the first four
months was followed by a sharp increase in May.
5. Between April and May, the increase in the number of visitors was at a much slower pace
than in the previous three months.
6. In July, the number of visitors climbed dramatically.
7. In July, there was a dramatic increase in visitor numbers to just short of 140,000 people,
followed by a sudden decline in August.
100
8. In July, visitor numbers soared and then suddenly fell back again in the following month.
9. August saw a sharp turnaround in attendances with the number leaping from just under
80,000 to 140,000 people.
10. The period between May and September saw a steady growth in the number of visitors
from 70,000 to 140,000.
11. Attendances at the theme park can be divided into three distinct periods: January to May,
June to September and October to December.
Practice 2: This exercise contains a range of mistakes, e.g. spelling and grammar that
students often make in the language that they use to write about graphs. Some of the
sentences have more than one mistake. Identify and correct them.
1. There was sharply decrease of the number of people attending the theatre over the period.
2. The charts indicate that the price of the various types of cars fell down considerably.
3. It was predicted that industrial production in Western countries level off, while that in the
so-called Tiger economies will rise in the early 1990’s.
4. The price of computers has dramatically reduced over the period.
5. As it can be seen, the rate of increase slowed over the five last years of period.
6. It is estimated that the number of cars on the road plunge when road pricing is introduced.
7. Sales hit a peak in late summer and then felled back in the consequent months.
8. There was, according to the graph, no significant changes to sales from 1973 to 1976.
9. The birth rate raised quite slowly over the period.
10. The amount of students has been increased from 2011 to 2,000 in 2012.
101
Practice 3: Read the report and fill in the gaps with the appropriate words.
The table below provides information on the sales of mobile phones worldwide in
2005 and 2006.
Worldwide mobile phone sales in 2005 and 2006 (% share of market)

Company 2005 % Market Share 2006 % Market Share
Nokia 32.5 35
Motorola 17.7 21.1
Samsung 12.7 11.8
Sony Ericson 6.3 7.4
L.G 6.7 6.3
BenQ Mobile 4.9 2.4
Others 19.2 16.2
Totals 100 100
The table gives information on (1) ________________________ of mobile phone

manufacturers for two consecutive years, 2005 and 2006. Overall, the market share of Nokia,
and Sony Ericson rose while that of Samsung, L.G, BenQ Mobile and others fell over the
period.
In both years, Nokia was clearly the market leader, (2) _________________32.5% of all
mobile phones in 2005, and (3) ____________________ (3.5%) in 2006. This is a greater
market share than its two closest competitors, Motorola and Samsung, added together.
Motorola increased its market share from (4) ________________________________ in 2006.

(5) _______________________, Samsung saw its share of the market decline slightly from
12.7% to 11.8%.
The other companies listed each had a (6) ______________________ of the market. Sony
Ericsson’s share increased from 6.3% in 2005 to 7.4% in 2006 (7) ____________ L.G.’s
102
decreased slightly from 6.7% t6o 6.3%. BenQ Mobile’s share more than (8) _____________
from 2005 to 2006: from 4.9% of the market to only 2.4%.
Other mobile phone manufacturers (9) _______________________ 19.2% of the market in

2005 – more than all the companies mentioned (10) _______________ Nokia. However, in
2006, the other companies only made 16.2% of mobile phone sales – less than both Nokia and
Motorola.
It is noticeable that Nokia was the biggest mobile manufacturer in the period.
Practice 4: Study the line graph and the sentences. Then rearrange the sentences in the right
order of a report.
The graph below gives information from a 2008 report about the consumption of
energy in the USA since 1980 with projections until 2030.
103
1. It can be seen from the graph that in 1980, 35 quadrillion units of oil and petrol was
consumed in the USA while more than15 quadrillion units and 20 quadrillion of coal and
natural gas was consumed respectively.
2. In this year, less than 5 quadrillion units of energy was obtained from nuclear, solar and
hydropower.
3. In 2030, oil and petrol is expected to be mostly consumed to get energy while the second
most consumed energy source is anticipated to be coal.
4. The line graph compares the consumption of energy in the USA from 1980 with projections
till 2030.
5. Then, the consumption of all these energy sources kept on increasing with some
fluctuations.
6. As is presented in the graph, petrol and oil are the main two sources of energy while the use
of coal is estimated to increase in the coming years.
7. The consumption of nuclear, solar/ wind and hydropower will also increase and is set to
reach over 5 quadrillion units.
8. It is projected that in 2030 the consumption of petrol and oil will reach over 50 quadrillion
units while that of coal and natural gas will rise from 20 quadrillion units to 30 quadrillion
units.
Practice 5: Study the following pie charts and think of possible way to group the information
in the body paragraphs.

The charts below show the world traffic volume measured in passenger-kilometre-miles.
104
World traffic volume
railways, 9 high speed , 0% , 0% , 0% , 0%

% transport
, 9%
buses automobile
, 29% , 53%
23.4 trillion pkm 1990
53 trillion pkm 2020
103 trillion pkm 2050
105
Practice 6: Study the following line graph and identify the 12 mistakes in the report. Then
correct the mistakes.
Use the list of questions from the assessment criteria for your decisions. Think about
- the vocabulary used
- the grammar used
- the way that data has been organized – is it logical and clear?
- the introductory sentence
- the overview sentence
- the way the ideas are linked together

The chart below shows information about changes in average house prices in five
different cities between 1990 and 2002 compared with the average house prices in
1989.
106
The given bar chart illustrates how the average house prices in five different cities located in five
different countries from 1990 to 2002 as compared to the prices in 1989.
The average house prices fell significantly by 5% in New York (the USA), 7.5% each in Tokyo
(Japan) and London (the UK). By contrast, the average house prices increased slightly in Madrid
(Spain) and Frankfurt (Germany).
The average house prices fell down only in Tokyo by 5%. And the prices increased in all the other
four cities. The increase was least pronounced in London, where it was 12%. In all the other cities
it was below 5% with the smallest number (2%) was in Frankfurt.
Overall, there were significant differences in the average house prices over the period.
107

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UNIT 1 OVERVIEW OF IELTS WRITING TASK 1 .......................................................... 1

UNIT 2 LINE GRAPHS WITH TRENDS .......................................................................... 26

UNIT 3 BAR CHARTS WITH TRENDS ............................................................................ 45

UNIT 4 PIE CHARTS WITH TRENDS .............................................................................. 67

UNIT 5 TABLES WITH TRENDS ....................................................................................... 82

UNIT 6 FURTHER PRACTICE ........................................................................................... 99

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 108

 Multiple line graph with trends

Number of visits to two new music sites on the web

 Single line graph with no trends

Annual household incom e ($000)

b. What is the difference between the two line graphs?

 Vertical bar chart with trends

Factors affecting work performance at a major company in Australia

 Extended bar charts with trends

Number and Sex of Employees

a. What is the main information shown in each of the bar charts?

Main sources of energy in USA in 1980s and 1990s

Coal, 22% Oil , 42%

Electricity generated in Germany and France

Worldwide mobile phone sales in 2005 and 2006 (% share of market)

 Tables with no trends

FAVORITE PASTIMES FROM 30 - 50 YEARS OLD

a. What is the main information shown in each table?

c. Can each of the above tables be changed into a line graph?

d. Can each of the above tables be changed into a bar chart?

e. Can each of the above tables be changed into pie charts?

a. What is the main information shown in the above process?

b. What is the special feature of the process?

c. In what way are different steps in the process described?

a. What is the main information shown in the above map?

b. What is the special feature of the map?

1. Question and sample text

Number of visitors to Australia (in thousands)

kind of the graph + verb + what + where + when

(Adapted from Lessons for IELTS advanced writing by NEWoriental)

1. Writing the opening paragraph

 Writing the first opening statement

Type of chart Verb Description (what / where / when)

The line graph illustrates the number of ….

Subject + verb + noun phrase + …

Subject + verb + noun phrase (+ relative clause) + …

Subject + verb + noun clause + …

 Writing the second opening/ overview sentence

2. Writing the closing paragraph

- the opening statement

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

______________ Obviously, swimming is the most popular sport now.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Changing trends in cafe income

120 The Tea room

a. What is the main topic of the line graph?

d. What tense will you use?

e. What sentence structures and vocabulary will you need to use?

Subject + verb + by ____ from _in _ to ___ in

2. _ 1994 1997, sales rose steadily ___ over 20,000.

After _, _______________