Graphs: Vocabulary

Passengers at a London Underground Station

Complete this essay describing the graph above.

A. slight increase B. fluctuation C. significantly D. sharp increase E. a peak

F. drop quickly G. rapid rise H. rises I. decline J. with a plateau

B
The graph shows the (1)______ in the number of people at a London underground station over
the course of a day.

The busiest time of the day is in the morning. There is a (2)______ between 06:00 and 08:00,
with 400 people using the station at 8 o’clock. After this the numbers (3)______ to less than 200
at 10 o’clock. Between 11 am and 3 pm the number (4)______, (5)______ of just under 300
people using the station.

In the afternoon, numbers (6)______, with less than 100 using the station at 4 pm. There is then a
(7)______ to (8)______ of 380 at 6pm. After 7 pm, numbers fall (8)______, with only a
(10)______ again at 8pm, tailing off after 9 pm.

Overall, the graph shows that the station is most crowded in the early morning and early evening
periods.
Task 2: complete the following gaps with appropriate word.
IELTS Writing Task 1: line graph exercise

The graph below shows UK acid rain emissions, measured in millions of tonnes, from four
different sectors between 1990 and 2007.

Fill the gaps using these words:

produced, reaching, fell, responsible, saw, considerably, terms, drop, dramatic

The line graph compares four sectors in (1) ______ of the amount of acid rain emissions that
they produced over a period of 17 years in the UK.

It is clear that the total amount of acid rain emissions in the UK (2) _______ _____ between
1990 and 2007. The most (3) ______ decrease was seen in the electricity, gas and water supply
B
sector.

In 1990, around 3.3 million tonnes of acid rain emissions came from the electricity, gas and
water sector. The transport and communication sector was(4) ______ for about 0.7 million
tonnes of emissions, while the domestic sector (5) ______ around 0.6 million tonnes. Just over 2
million tonnes of acid rain gases came from other industries.

Emissions from electricity, gas and water supply fell dramatically to only 0.5 million tonnes in
2007, a (6) ______ of almost 3 million tonnes. While acid rain gases from the domestic sector
and other industries fell gradually, the transport sector (7) ______ a small increase in emissions,
(8) ______ a peak of 1 million tonnes in 2005.
Graphs: Vocabulary
This is part of a short introduction to writing about Graphs.

Overview:
Graphs: Getting the Main Idea
Graphs: Grouping Information
Graph Vocabulary: Words
Graph Vocabulary: Numbers
Types of Graphs

You need to know some special vocabulary for graphs.

In the IELTS exam, you have to write only 150 words, so show how much vocabulary you know.
You don’t need to repeat the same words!

Movement (Verbs): Up

Rose
Went up
Increased
Grew
Shot up
Surged
Rocketed

Movement (Verbs): Down

Fell
Declined
Dropped
Decreased
Sank
Went down
Plunged
Plummeted

Prepositions

Between 1995 and 2000

From 1995 to 2000
Sales rose from 200 to 250
Sales fell to 150 in March
Sales fell by 50%

Adverbs and intensifiers

slightly
 a little
a lot
sharply
suddenly
steeply
gradually
gently
steadily

No Movement: (Verbs with Adjectives, Verbs)

remained steady
were unchanged
did not change
remained constant
remained stable
stabilized

Tops and Bottoms

reached a peak
peaked
reached their highest level
fell to a low
sank to a trough
reached a bottom

The graph shows the fluctuation in the number of people at a London underground
station over the course of a day.
The busiest time of the day is in the morning. There is a sharp increase between 06:00
and 08:00, with 400 people using the station at 8 o’clock. After this the numbers drop
quickly to less than 200 at 10 o’clock. Between 11 am and 3 pm the number rises, with a
plateau of just under 300 people using the station.
In the afternoon, numbers decline, with less than 100 using the station at 4 pm. There is
then a rapid rise to a peak of 380 at 6pm. After 7 pm, numbers fall significantly, with
only a slight increase again at 8pm, tailing off after 9 pm.
Overall, the graph shows that the station is most crowded in the early morning and early
evening periods.