Vocab for describing visuals

(Source: completetestsuccess.com)

Increasing Categories

 The number of people watching TV and movies increased from 1980 to 2020.

 The number of people watching TV and movies grew from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people watching TV and movies rose from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people watching TV and movies climbed from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people watching TV and movies went up from 1980 to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was an increase in the number of people watching TV and
movies.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a growth in the number of people watching TV and
movies.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a rise in the number of people watching TV and
movies.

Decreasing Categories
  The number of people playing video games decreased from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people playing video games declined from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people playing video games dropped from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people playing video games fell from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people playing video games went down from 1980 to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a decrease in the number of people playing video
games.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a decline in the number of people playing video
games.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a drop in the number of people playing video games.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a fall in the number of people playing video games.

Stable Categories
  The number of people playing music stayed at the same level from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people playing music was constant from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people playing music remained stable from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people playing music remained unchanged from 1980 to 2020.

Fluctuating Categories

 The number of people studying fluctuated from 1980 to 2020.

  From 1980 to 2020, there were fluctuations in the number of people studying.

Rate vs Amount
To help you understand, let’s look at these two images.

Even though both hills are 1 km high, we can see that they climb upwards at different rates.
The rate is how steep the hills are, and the amount is the 1 km climb.
You can see how this applies to a Task 1 question in the image below.

Don’t worry!
You don’t need to know the exact angle (∠) to describe the rate.
You’ll just describe the rate in a general way, using the adverbs and adjectives below.
Adverbs of Rate
 steeply
 rapidly
 gradually
 slowly
Adjectives of Rate
 steep
 rapid
 gradual
 slow
Adverbs of amount
  dramatically
 substantially
 significantly
 considerably
 modestly
 moderately
 slightly
 marginally
Adjectives of amount
 dramatic
 substantial
 significant
 considerable
 modest
 moderate
 slight
 marginal
So why do we need to separate rate from amount?
Because adverbs and adjectives of rate can only be used with some graphs.
We can only use them when we see the angle (∠) of the increase or decrease.
For example, the way the information is presented in the bar graph and line graph below
allows us to see the angle (∠) of increase or decrease for each category.
However, the pie charts and table only show numbers, so no angles are visible.
Therefore, we can only use the adverbs and adjectives of rate with the bar graph and the line
graph.
On the other hand, we can see the amount of change in all four questions above.
That means we can use adverbs and adjectives of amount with all chart types.
A side note that you might find interesting is that all four graphs above represent the same
information.

Examples of Descriptive Vocabulary

Even though there are several suitable adverbs and adjectives in each of the descriptions
below, we never use more than one.
Increasing Categories

 The number of people watching TV and

movies increased steeply/rapidly/dramatically/substantially/significantly/
considerably from 1980 to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was
a steep/rapid/dramatic/substantial/significant/considerable increase in the number
of people watching TV and movies.
 The number of people reading books increased modestly/moderately from 1980 to
2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a modest/moderate increase in the number of
people reading books.
 The number of people working
out increased gradually/slowly/slightly/marginally from 1980 to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a gradual/slow/slight/marginal increase in the number
of people working out.

Decreasing Categories
  The number of people baking decreased gradually/slowly/slightly/marginally from
1980 to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a gradual/slow/slight/marginal decrease in the
number of people baking.
 The number of people gardening decreased modestly/moderately from 1980 to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was a modest/moderate decrease in the number of
people gardening.
 The number of people playing video
games decreased steeply/rapidly/dramatically/substantially/significantly/
considerably from 1980 to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there was
a steep/rapid/dramatic/substantial/significant/considerable decrease in the number
of people playing video games.

Big or No Rate Changes in Categories

In the next set, we will look at adverbs and adjectives you can use when there’s a big change
in the rate (suddenly/sharply/sudden/sharp) and adverbs and adjectives for when there is no
change in the rate (steadily/consistently/steady/consistent).
  The number of people doing woodwork increased by about 10 from 1980 to 1990
and suddenly/sharply increased to 200 people in 2000. After that,
it steadily/consistently decreased until 2020.
 From 1980 to 1990, there was an increase of about 10 in the number of people doing
woodwork, and there was a sudden/sharp increase to 200 people in 2000. After that,
there was a steady/consistent decrease.

Stable Trends & Fluctuations

And now, adverbs and adjectives to describe stable trends and fluctuations.
  The number of people playing
music remained completely stable from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people studying remained relatively stable
from 1980 to 2020.
 The number of people studying fluctuated slightly from 1980
to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there were slight fluctuations in the
number of people studying.
 The number of people playing board
games fluctuated wildly/considerably/substantially from
1980 to 2020.
 From 1980 to 2020, there
were wild/considerable/substantial fluctuations in the
number of people playing board games.

Vocabulary for Estimates

Sometimes, the questions will show you exact numbers, like in the
table below.
For questions like this, just copy the number into your essay.
However, some questions don’t show the numbers like this, and
you need to use the y-axis to estimate, such as in the line graph
below.

For graphs like this, you can never be 100% sure what the number
is.
To make sure we are correct, we use approximations.
You will find examples of these below.

 The number of people painting in 1980

was approximately/roughly/about/around 100.
 The number of people painting in 2000
was approximately/roughly/about/around/just above/just
over 100.
 The number of people painting in 2020
was approximately/roughly/about/around/almost/just
below/just under/nearly 100.
You can see that some of these words were only used when
‘painting‘ was definitely above 100, some when ‘painting‘ was
definitely below 100, and others can be used in all situations.
 Definitely above: just above, just over.

 Definitely below: almost, just below, just under, nearly.

 Above or below: approximately, roughly, about, around.

Vocabulary for Predictions

So far in this lesson, all of the data we looked at was in the past.
However, there are times when the question will contain future
predictions, like in the chart below.
As there’s no guarantee that these predictions will come true, we
cannot use grammar structures like ‘will’ or ‘going to’ to describe
them.
Instead, we must use phrases like these;
 is expected to

 is forecast to

 is predicted to

 is projected to

 is shown to
Here’s an example;
 The number of people doing woodwork increased by about 10
from 1980 to 1990 and suddenly increased to 200 people in
2000. After that, it has steadily decreased, and this trend is
predicted to continue until 2040.