Dominic Coles IELTS Blog

www.dcielts.com

Report

These charts show the changes in the number of dairy and arable farms in the UK
and the changes in the arable crops grown between 2006 and 2011

The line graphs show that there were almost twice as many dairy farms as arable
farms throughout this period, with the numbers fluctuating around 2000 farms and
1000 farms respectively. However, this difference did narrow by 2011, when the
number of dairy farms had ...fallen from 2000 to approximately 1900, while arable
farms had risen slightly to just under 1000. Although arable farming fluctuated only
slightly, there was a steady decrease in dairy farms from 2007 onwards from a high
of around 2050.

The pie charts show that while there were the same five main crops in 2006 and
2011, there was a notable change in the proportion of these crops. In 2006, wheat
and corn accounted for just over and under one third of arable farming respectively,
with potatoes, rape seed and barley all around 10%. By 2011, however, almost a
quarter of arable farmland was devoted to rape seed and corn and wheat were 5%
less common than before. There was little or no change in potatoes and barley.

In conclusion, the main changes were the growth of rape seed farming and the fall
in dairy farms.

Structure

The introduction simply summarises the question and what the charts and graphs
show.

There is one main paragraph for each set of charts and graphs.

The conclusion is a simple summary sentence - one sentence long picking out the
main points.
 Dominic Coles IELTS Blog
www.dcielts.com

Approximations and numbers

respectively: this is a useful word for when you have two sets of parallel figures

just over/around/approximately/under: this is the language of approximation and

is usefulto avoid using too many figures in your report. It is good for summarising.

Fractions

a quarter of/one third of: this is another usefulway of using more language (IELTS is a
language test) and summarising information

The language of change

Note that the two pie charts belong to different periods and so are not static charts but
show a change over time

Notice also how it is possible to write a good report, while only using some fairly basic
variations of trend language. The key is to use the language precisely by using adjectives
and adverbs to qualify the change words:

a steady fall

fluctuated slightly