Academic IELTS Task 1 – Useful Vocabulary for Graphs and Diagrams

To get a high score in Task 1 writing of the academic IELTS you need to give accurate and strong description and analyses for the provided graph(s) or diagram. In this minimum 150 word essay it is easy to keep repeating words and numbers. However, this is not good to achieve a high score. In order to get a great band level on this section of the IELTS, you must use a variety of vocabulary that not only describes but also emphasizes the changes, similarities and differences in the data. You should review and practice the vocabulary below.

Verbs

These verbs are alternatives to the basic rise and fall vocabulary. One benefit of using them is that sometimes they help you avoid repeating too many numbers. If you have a strong verb, you don’t always have to give the exact figure.

Up Verbs

Verbs	Example
soar	the use of water soared in March
leap	the prices leap to 90% in one year
Climb	populations climbed to over one million by 1980
Rocket	use of cars rocketed in the first decade
Surge	a surge of migration is seen in November

Notes:

• “Soar “and “rocket” are both very strong words that describe large rises. “Rocket” is more sudden. You probably do not need to qualify these verbs with adverbs.
• “Leap” shows a large and sudden rise. Again, you probably do not need to qualify it with an adverb.
• “Climb” is a relatively neutral verb that can be used with the adverbs below.

Down verbs

Verbs	Example
Sink	The cost of housing sunk after 2008
Slip back	Use of electricity slipped back to 50 in May
Dip	Divorce rate dipped in the 60s
Drop	A drop in crime can be seen last year
Plummet	Tourists to the city plummets after September

Notes:

• “Plummet” is the strongest word here. It means to fall very quickly and a long way.
• “Drop”  and “drop” are normally used for fairly small decreases
• “Slip back” is used for falls that come after rises
• “Drop” and “Dip” are also frequently used as nouns: “a slight dip” “a sudden drop”

Adjectives and adverbs

This is a selection of some of the most common adjectives and adverbs used for trend language. Please be careful. This is an area where it is possible to make low-level mistakes. Make sure that you use adjectives with nouns and adverbs with verbs:

• a significant rise – correct (adjective/noun)
• rose significantly – correct (adverb/verb)
• a significantly rise – wrong

Please also note the spelling of the adverbs. There is a particular problem with the word “dramatically:

• dramatically – correct
• dramaticly – wrong
• dramatically – wrong

Adjectives of Degree

Adjective	Example	Adverb	Example
Significant	A significant change	Significantly	Changed significantly
Dramatic	A dramatic shift	Dramatically	Sifts dramatically
Sudden	A sudden rise	Suddenly	Has risen suddenly
Substantial	A substantial gain	Substantially	Gained substantially
Sharp	A sharp decrease	Sharply	Had decreased sharply

Notes:

• “sudden” and “sharp” can be used for relatively minor changes that happen quickly
• “spectacular” and “dramatic” are very strong words only used for big changes

Steady Adjectives

Adjective	Example	Adverb	Example
Consistent	A consistent flow	Consistently	Flowed consistently
Steady	A steady movement	Steadily	Moved steadily
Constant	Constant shift	Constantly	Sifted constantly

Small adjectives

Adjective	Example	Adverb	Example
Slight	A slight rise	Slightly	Rose slightly
Gradual	A gradual fall	Gradually	Has fallen gradually
Marginal	A marginal change	Marginally	Had changed marginally
Modest	A modest increase	Modestly	Increases modestly

Notes:

• “marginal” is a particularly useful word for describing very small changes

Other useful adjectives

These adjectives can be used to describes more general trends

Adjective	Example
Upward	By looking at the five data points, there appears to be a clear upward pattern in prices
Downward	Over the past quarter century there is a downward trend in use of pesticides
Overall	The overall shift in the market seems to favor the use of nuclear power

Notes:

• “overall” can be used to describe changes in trend over the whole period: very useful in introductions and conclusions
• “upward” and “downward” are adjectives: the adverbs are “upwards” and “downwards”