IELTS Writing Task 1: describing a line graph

Test Tip
Useful introductory expressions:
The graph shows / indicates / depicts / illustrates
From the graph it is clear
It can be seen from the graph
As can be seen from the graph,
As is shown / illustrated by the graph,
Example: The graph shows the percentage of children using supplements in a place
over a year.

Useful time expressions:

over the next... / for the following... (for the following two months... over the next six
months...)
from ... to / between ... and (from June to August... between June and August...)
during (during the first three months...)

Warning!
Per cent is the word form of the symbol %. We can write 10% or 10 per
cent. Percentage is the noun form: The percentage of children using supplements.
NOT The percent of children...

Note!
You can use a combination of adjective + noun, or verb + adverb, to avoid repeating
the same phrase.
Example: There was a sharp decrease in the numbers. The numbers decreased
sharply.

Language for graphs

This exercise focuses on some basic language, which you need to describe
graphs. Look at the graph below. Following the graph, there are 25 statements
about the data.

remain (-ed, -ed)

unchanged, steady, stable, constant, plateau, fixed/static

From January to March the percentage of children using supplements remained fairly
static at approximately 10%.
The percentage of children taking dietary supplements was relatively stable during
the first two months of the year.
During the first two months, supplement use remained fairly unchanged.
fall (fell, fallen), decrease (-ed, -ed), drop (dropped, dropped), plunge (-ed, -ed),
decline (-ed, -ed)
slight (slightly), steady (steadily), gradual (gradually), gentle (gently), slow (slowly)
downward trend

It then fell gradually in March.

There was a slight decrease in the use of dietary supplements in March.
The graph shows a slight decrease in March.
Supplement use experienced a steady decrease in March.
Supplement use decreased slightly in March.

fluctuate (-ed, -ed)

wildly

It went up and down widely over the next two months.

It fluctuated for the following two months.

rise (rose, risen), grow (grew, grown), climb (-ed, -ed), shoot up (shot up, shot up)
dramatic (dramatically), sharp (sharply), significant (significantly), rapid (rapidly)
upward trend

There was a significant increase in the percentage of children taking dietary

supplements between June and August.
The period between June and August saw a dramatic growth in the use of dietary
supplements.
 Between June and August, the percentage of children taking dietary supplements
shot up dramatically.
The greatest rise was from June to August when it rose by 22% for two consecutive
months from June to August.

peak (-ed, -ed), reach (-ed, -ed)

The percentage of children taking dietary supplements was at its highest level in
April.
Supplement use peaked at close to 25% in April.
It reached a peak of 25% in April.

fall (fell, fallen), decrease (-ed, -ed), drop (-ed, -ed)

dramatic (dramatically), sharp (sharply), significant (significantly), rapid (rapidly)

Between August and October, this figure dropped dramatically to 11%.

From August to October, there was a drop of 14% in the percentage of children taking
dietary supplements.
Between August and October, There was a considerable fall in the percentage of
children using supplements.
This was followed by a sharp drop of 14% over the next two months.
Supplement use experienced a dramatic fall between August and October.

fall (fell, fallen), decrease (-ed, -ed), drop (dropped, dropped), plunge (-ed, -ed),
decline (-ed, -ed), reach (-ed, -ed) its lowest point
slight (slightly), steady (steadily), gradual (gradually), gentle (gently), slow (slowly)
downward trend

Between October and December, the decrease in the use of dietary supplements was
at a much slower pace than in the previous two months.
Supplement use continued to fall steadily over the next two months until it reached its
lowest point in December.
It fell to a low of only 5% in December.

IELTS Writing Task 1: introduction

One the hardest part of IELTS writing module is writing the introduction. If you
have a good technique for this, then the rest of the task is easy.

The first thing to note is that writing about Tables, Graphs and Diagrams is not the
same as writing an essay in IELTS writing task 2:

 You are NOT asked to give your opinion on the information, but generally to write
a report describing the information factually.
 It is NOT necessary to write an introduction like in an essay for this writing task.
You are writing a report, which means that you do NOT begin with a broad
general statement about the topic.
  You do NOT need to write a conclusion which gives any kind of opinion about the
significance of the information.

Three steps to keep up

1. Identify the main idea behind the graph or table. This will be the focus of your first
sentence.

2. Consider the details of what is being shown - the units of measurement and the time
frame - and decide how much you need to include.

3. Consider the language to use - the introductory expressions, the tenses of the verbs,
the correct expressions of time and I or measurement etc.

Three possible ways to start

1. Refer to the visual directly (e.g. This graph shows the population of Canada in from
1867 up to 2007.) However, this method is not advisable, since the instructions in the
IELIS test will normally give you just this information. If you copy directly from the paper
you are wasting time, since the examiner cannot assess your English from a copied
sentence.

2. Refer directly to the main message conveyed by the visual (e.g. There was a sharp
increase in the population of Canada from 1867 up to 2007.) This way is perfectly
acceptable, and shows that you are able to recognise the main concept or message
that the graph or table shows.

3. Combine the two (e.g. The graph shows that there was a sharp increase in the
population of Canada from 1867 up to 2007.) This is also acceptable, and is often used
as a convenient way to start. In order to use this method, it is necessary to use a few
fixed expressions, which refer to the text itself, like those below.

Introductory Expression

 The graph/table shows/indicates/illustrates/reveals/represents...

 It is clear from the graph/table...
 It can be seen from the graph/table...
 As the graph/table shows,...
 As can be seen from the graph/table,...
 As is shown by the graph/table,...
 As is illustrated by the graph/table,...
 From the graph/table it is clear....

It is always best to avoid using personal pronouns. Instead of saying We can see from
the graph..., it is better to use the passive or impersonal constructions.
Most of the above expressions can be followed by a clause starting with that.

Several of the above expressions can be followed by a noun or noun phrase.

Several of the above expressions must be followed by a main clause.

Warnings

1. Avoid using the phrase: according to the graph. This is because the
phrase according togenerally means that the information comes from another person
or source, and not from our own knowledge. (For example, According to Handbook, the
Archaic Period started around 7000 BCE and ended around 1200 BCE.)
In the case of a graph or table that is shown, the information is there right in front of
you, the writer, and also the reader, and so you know it does not come from another
source.

2. The expressions as can be seen from the graph or as is shown/illustrated by the

table do NOT contain the dummy subject it. Avoid these expressions if you think you
are going to forget this unusual grammar.

3. Avoid using the word presents. It requires a sophisticated summarising noun to

follow. (For example: The graph presents an overview of the population growth of
Canada between 1867 and 2007.)

Exercise: Describe the following graph