Starting Presentation Verb Description

Type
The/ the given / the diagram / table / shows / represents the comparison
supplied / the figure / / depicts / of…
presented / the illustration / enumerates / the
shown / the graph / chart / illustrates / differences…
provided flow chart / presents/ gives / the changes...
picture/ provides / the number
presentation/ pie delineates/ of…
chart / bar graph/ outlines/ information
column graph / describes / on…
line graph / table delineates/ data on…
data/ data / expresses/ the proportion
information / denotes/ of…
pictorial/ process compares/ shows the amount of…
diagram/ map/ contrast / information
pie chart and indicates / on...
table/ bar graph figures / gives data about...
and pie chart ... data on / gives comparative
information on/ data...
presents the trend of...
information the percentages
about/ shows data of...
about/ the ratio of...
demonstrates/ how the...
sketch out/
summarises...

Increase rise / increase / a rise / an increase

go up / uplift / / an upward
rocket(ed) / climb trend / a growth /
/ upsurge / soar/ a leap / a jump /
shot up/ improve/ an improvement/
jump/ leap/ move a climb.
upward/
skyrocket/ soar/
surge.

Decrease fall / decrease / a fall / a

 decline / plummet decrease / a
/ plunge / drop / reduction / a
reduce / downward
collapse / trends /a 
deterioriate/ dip / downward
dive / go down / tendency /  a
take a nosedive / decline/ a drop / a
slum / slide / go slide / a collapse /
into free-fall. a downfall.

Steadiness unchanged / level a steadiness/ a

out / remain plateau / a
constant / remain stability/ a static
steady / plateau /
remain the same /
remain stable /
remain static

Gradual increase   an upward trend /

------------ an upward
tendency / a
ceiling trend

Gradual decrease   a downward trend

 ------------ / a downward
tendency / a
descending trend

Standability/ Flat level(ed) off /  

remain(ed)  No change, a flat,
constant / a plateau.
remain(ed)
unchanged /
remain(ed)
stable /
 prevail(ed)
consistency /
plateaued /
reach(ed) a
plateau / stay(ed)
uniform
/immutable /
level(ed) out/
stabilise/
remain(ed) the
same.

Preparation for the IELTS Academic Writing task 1:

Being able to understand and describe graphic information or data is an important academic
skill. IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 tests your ability to describe factual information,
presented in a graphic and diagrammatic form, clearly and accurately.

Describing Facts and Figures:

A fact is different from an opinion because it is objective and often involves measurement.
For example, the graph on the left shows what a group of students think about a film they
have just seen.
Having looked at this graph, you could say that half the students did not like the film. Or you
could say that 50 percent of the students did not like the film. You could be even more
specific and state that 15 out of 30 students did not like the film. These are all facts.

Describing Trends:
Line graphs are used to show a trend or pattern which usually takes place over a period of
time. It is important to look at the overall pattern on a line graph as well as the significant
features within it.
You must show the examiner that you have considered all the presentation and every
important data given there and you have chosen the right facts to write down in your
presentation. Don't write every detail presented in the graph. This will cause to reduce your
score.

Summarising:
In the IELTS test, there maу be a lot of information to describe, in a limited number of
words. If is essential that you select the appropriate details and organise the material in a
relevant way in order to fulfil the task requirements satisfactorily.
Compare:
When you interpret graphs, tables and charts, you will find that you have to compare and
contrast some of the details. Your examiner will be checking that you can structure your
answer well and connect your ideas appropriately. The following table may help you do this.
- If you employ too many linking words or structures or if you use these transitional words or
structure incorrectly then you will lose marks.

Grouping Information:
When organising your answer it may also help to 'group' some of the information. This is
particularly the case when there is a lot of data, as in the graph on the right.
- Don't interpret the important facts and information inaccurately and check that your
sentences are grammatically correct.

Describing A Process:
In Writing Task 1 you may occasionally be asked to describe a process or other pictorial
information such as a cycle or map. In order to produce a report describing a process you
should take a similar approach to the one you used in describing data. You should examine
the information carefully - which will be in pictorial form - and make sure you understand it.
Look specifically at the beginning and the end of the process. Then, following the same
principles as outlined in previous units, you should provide an opening sentence that
summarises the overall function of the process.
- Never copy the text that appears in the question. Copying the sentences from the question
will decrease your IELTS score.If you need to use the sentences or words appeared in the
question, try to use a different sentence structure or synonyms for the words.

You will also be given an answer booklet. You have to write your essays in the answer
booklet. Notes are not acceptable and essays under the word limit will be penalised.

You are given graphic or pictorial information and you have to write a description of this
information. Bar charts, line graphs, pie charts and tables are most frequently given for this
task. However, you could also be given an object or series of pictures or diagrams or a flow
chart to describe.

If graphs are used there may be just one – usually a line graph or a bar chart. However, there
could also be more than one of the same type of graph or a combination of graphs and charts.
For example, you could get a bar chart and a pie chart together or a line graph and a table.

The chart below shows the amount of leisure time enjoyed by men and women of different
employment status.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below. You should
write at least 150 words.

Leisure time in a typical week in hours - by sex and employment status, 1998-99.
Model Answer 1:

The chart shows the duration of leisure enjoyed by men and women in a typical week in
1998-99, according to their gender and employment status.

Male enjoyed more leisure time than women, and employed people had less free time for
pastime activities than retired and unemployed people.

Among the full-time employed people, men had about 45 hours of leisure time on an average
per week compared to 38 hours for women. No data is given for the part-time employed men.
Women from this category, enjoyed 40 hours of leisure time in a week. This figure is slightly
more than the employed women, perhaps because of their employment nature.

Unemployed and retired people had the longest period of leisure activity both for men and
women, and men had a slightly more hours to spare than women. As expected, the retired and
unemployed people enjoyed about 78 to 82 hours per week which is longer than people from
other employment status. Lastly, housewives enjoyed approximately 50 hours of pastime
which was more than the employed women but less than the unemployed and retired women.

Your performance in Task 1 will be assessed on the criteria below:

Task Achievement
Being able to follow the instructions properly. Being able to write a clear, accurate and
relevant description of the information. Being able to focus on the important trends presented
as graphic information.

Coherence and Cohesion

Being able to organise your writing using a suitable structure. Using connective words to link
sentences and paragraphs logically.

Lexical Resources
Being able to use a wide range of vocabulary naturally. Being able to spell accurately and
using the appropriate word formation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Using the appropriate grammatical structures accurately Using a variety of sentence
structures.