LINE GRAPH

DESCRIBING CHANGES AND TRENDS

Trends Verbs Nouns

rise a rise
increase an increase
go up growth
climb an upward trend
grow a doubling
double a surge
surge
soar
rocket
fall a fall
decline a decline
decrease a decrease
drop a drop
go down a reduction
plunge a plunge
plummet

do not change a leveling off at

remain/stay + stable/steady/unchanged
maintain the same level
level off at
stabilize at

Position stand at reach/hit a high/peak of

peak at reach/hit a low of
reach

Constant changes fluctuate (around) a fluctuation

ADJ AND ADV FOR DEGREE OF CHANGE

Degree Adjective Adverb

Very extensive change dramatic
enormous
tremendous
Extensive change substantial
considerable
significant
remarkable
Average change noticeable
marked
moderate
Small change slight
small
minimal

ADJ AND ADV FOR SPEED OF CHANGE

Speed Adjective Adverb

Quick change rapid
quick
sharp
swift
steep
Slow change steady
gradual
slow
Unexpected change sudden
unexpected
abrupt

USEFUL STRUCTURES

1. S + V

E.g. The number of tourists to Ho Chi Minh City decreased dramatically at the end of 2020.

2. There + be + (a/an) + adj + N + in

E.g. There was a steep increase in the sales of convenience food in the first quarter of the year.

There was a dramatic decrease in the number of tourists to Ho Chi Minh City at the end of 2020.

3. S (time/place) + see/witness/experience + (a/an) + adj + N

Hochiminh City witnessed a dramatic decrease in the number of tourists at the end of 2020.

The end of 2020 saw a dramatic decrease in the number of tourists to Hochiminh City.

4. From…to: Spending on holidays rose over the period from $1000 million to $1200 million.
5. With + N +Ving: Spending on holidays rose over the period with the expenditure increasing from
$1000 million to $1200 million.
6. Ving: Spending on holidays rose over the period, increasing from $1000 million to $1200 million
7. With + N: Spending on holidays rose over the period with an increase from $1000 million to
$1200 million

Practice 1: The graph below gives information about car ownership in Britain from 1971 to 2007.

The graph shows changes in the number of cars ______ household in Great Britain ______ a
period of 36 years.
Overall, car ownership in Britain increased ______ 1971 and 2007. In particular, the percentage
of households with two cars rose, while the figure for households ______ a car fell.
In 1971, ______ half of all British households did not have regular use of a car. Around 44% of
households had one car, but only about 7% had two cars. It was uncommon for families to own
three or more cars, ______ around 2% of households falling into this category.
The one-car household was the most common type from the late 1970’s ______, although there
was little change in the ______ for this category. The biggest change was seen in the proportion
of households without a car, which fell steadily over the 36-year period ______ around 25% in
2007. In contrast, the proportion of two-car families rose steadily, reaching about 26% in 2007,
and the proportion of households with more than two cars rose ______ around 5%.

Fill the gaps in the essay with the following words:

 almost, to, figures, per, between, by, over, with, without, onwards

Practice 2: The graph below gives information about international tourist arrivals in five different
parts of the world.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.

International = foreign

Tourist = visitor = traveler = holiday maker

Different = various

Part = area = region = place = destination

Attractive, popular  the most/least attractive place

Introduction:

The graph shows/ indicates/ illustrates/ depicts + the number of/ the percentage of/ the proportion of/
the amount of + N + Ving/ Ved + Place + Time.

The graph shows the number of foreign visitors coming to five different areas of the world over the
period of 15 years since 1990.
Overall/ In general, it can be seen that the international tourist arrivals in five regions increased from
1990 to 2005. Especially, North America and Central and Eastern Europe were the most popular
destinations.

Overall, all five places witnessed growth in international travel over the period and it seems that North
America and Central and Eastern Europe attracted more travelers than other areas.

Body:

In 1990, the number of visitors to North America was 70 million people, more than twice as many as
that to the second most popular destination, Central and Eastern Europe. After rising steadily and
peaking at 91 million, tourist arrivals to North American decreased slightly by around 1 million in the last
five years. The number of tourists going to Central and Eastern Europe, on the other hand, doubled to
60 million in the first five years and increased further, catching up with North America at approximately
90 million in 2005.

Over 20 million tourists visited South-East Asia in 1990. The number had risen gradually to nearly 50
million visitors by 2005.

Sub-Saharan Africa and South America were two regions with fewest visitor numbers in 1990 (just about
10 million each). However, from 1995 to 2005, Sub-Saharan Africa was more visited than South America,
attracting over 20 million and 18 million tourists respectively in 2005.

(200 words – by Ms. Vu Thi Thu Trang)

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Practice 3: The Graph below shows average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person in the United
Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.

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