Handout 1

IELTS WRITING TASK 1

VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR

1. Words describing trends

Table 1: Words used to describe trends

Trend Verb Noun

• increase • increase
• rise • rise
• grow • growth
• go up • upward trend
• climb
• decrease • decrease
• decline • decline
• fall • fall
• drop • drop
• downward trend

• stabilize • stability
• remain/stay stable
• remain/stay
unchanged
• fluctuate • fluctuation

• hit the highest point

• reach a peak
• peak (at)

• hit the lowest point

• hit a low

1 Key Version
 Table 2: Adjectives & Adverbs

Adjectives (+ N) Adverbs (+ V)

Small changes • slight • slightly

• marginal • marginally
• moderate • moderately

Slow changes • gradual • gradually

• slow • slowly
• steady • steadily

Big changes • considerable • considerably

• significant • significantly
• substantial • substantially

Exercise 1: Match the graph with the most appropriate description.

fluctuated slightly

A-C climbed fluctuated wildly

sharply

fell sharply

increased gradually went down slightly

dropped
suddenly

remained the same/stable

1. A-C a. remained stable

2. C-D b. increased substantially
3. D-E c. fell slowly
4. E-G d. reached a peak
5. G e. dropped significantly
6. G-L f. rose gradually
7. J g. hit the lowest point
8. L-N h. fluctuated

2 Key Version
2. Structures describing changes
Example: Số lượng học viên ở Florida School là 1500 vào năm 2014 và con số này tăng lên
mức 2000 vào năm 2016.

No. Structure Example

The number of Florida School students

1 S + V + Adv + Number + Time period
increased significantly to 2,000 in 2016.

There was a significant increase of 500 in

There + be + a/an + Adj + N +
2 the number of Florida School students in
Number + in NP + Time period
2016.

S + experienced/saw/witnessed + The number of Florida School students

3 a/an + Adj + N + Number + witnessed a significant increase of 500 in
Time period 2016.

A significant increase of 500 was seen in

A/an + Adj + N + Number + was
4 the number of Florida School students in
seen + in NP + Time period
2016.

Time period + witnessed/saw + The year 2016 witnessed a significant

5 increase of 500 in the number of Florida
a/an + Adj + N + in NP School students.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the sentences using the given structures.

1. The number of cars fell gradually over the period from 1990 to 2000.
The number of cars ....................................................................................................
2. The research investment decreased significantly in 2005.
The year .....................................................................................................................
3. There was a slight fall in the sales of mangos in 2006.
The sales ....................................................................................................................
4. The quality of food in supermarkets has increased sharply.
There ..........................................................................................................................
5. There was a quick drop of $3 million in sugar imports in 1988.
1988 ...........................................................................................................................
6. The price of laptops dropped quickly over the period.
A quick drop ...............................................................................................................

3 Key Version
 7. There was an upward trend in the number of visitors to the website.
The number of visitors ...............................................................................................
8. The growth rate fluctuated wildly throughout the years.
There ..........................................................................................................................
9. The number of students applying to the university stabilized over the decade.
A stability ...................................................................................................................
10. The year 2000 saw a gradual growth in the house price in London.
The house price in London ........................................................................................

Table 3: Using prepositions in describing data

Preposition Usage Meaning Example

đứng tại mức (vào The crime rate stood at 5% in
stand at + data
1 mốc cố định) 2000.
The figure for rice export in
remain stable/remained
giữ nguyên tại mức Vietnam remained stable at $15
at the same at + data
million in 2015.
The amount of electricity
đạt mức cao nhất
peak at + data produced peaked at 10,000 units
là bao nhiêu
in 2000.
(verb) increase/decrease tăng đến/giảm The number of students
to + data xuống mức increased to 10,000 after 2 years.
to There was an increase to 10,000
(noun) an increase/ sự tăng đến/ giảm
in the number of students after 2
decrease to + data xuống mức
years.
(verb) increase/decrease tăng thêm/giảm đi The number of students
by
by + data bao nhiêu increased by 2,000 after 2 years.
There was an increase of 2,000 in
(noun) an increase/ sự tăng/giảm đi
the number of students after 2
decrease of + data bao nhiêu
years.
The amount of electricity
each a peak/reach the đạt mức cao nhất
of produced reached a peak of
highest point of + data là bao nhiêu
10,000 units in 2000.
The amount of electricity
hit a low/hit the lowest chạm mức thấp
produced hit the lowest point of
point of + data nhất là bao nhiêu
5,000 units in 1980.

4 Key Version
 The unemployment rate of
fluctuate/a fluctuation biến động trong
Vietnam fluctuated around 10%
around/ around + data khoảng
from 2007 to 2010.
between
… and… The unemployment rate of
fluctuate/a fluctuation biến động ở mức
Vietnam fluctuated between 8%
between… and…. giữa…. và….
and 12% from 2007 to 2010.

3. Structures for comparison

Example: Tỉ lệ giáo viên nữ ở bậc Tiểu học là hơn 90%, tỉ lệ giáo viên nam ở bậc Tiểu học là
gần 10%, số liệu vào năm 2010.

Table 4: Comparing data using:

à Simple sentence
• The percentage of female teachers at Primary school stood at over 90%, 10 times
as much as that of male teachers.
• Females accounted for over 90% of the teaching staff at Primary school as
opposed to/compared to/in comparison with only 10% male counterparts.
• At 90%, the figure for female teachers at Primary school was 10 times as much as
that of their counterparts.

à Adverbial clause
• There were 90% female teachers at Primary school while the figure for males
stood at only 10%.
• Females accounted for over 90% of the teaching staff at Primary school while their
counterparts made up only under 10%

à Relative clause
• The percentage of female teachers at Primary school, which stood at over 90%,
was over 10 times as much as that of males.
• Standing at over 90%, the percentage of female teachers was 10 times as much as
that of males.

5 Key Version
 Exercise 3: Comparing the following data using three different ways.
1. Số lượng người học tiếng Anh là 5,000 vào năm 2015 – Số lượng người học tiếng
Trung Quốc là 2,500 vào năm 2015.
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2. Tỉ lệ thất nghiệp của thanh niên Việt Nam là 10%. Tỉ lệ thất nghiệp của thanh niên
Mỹ là 12%. (Vào năm 2015).
.............................................................................................................................................
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3. Lượng nước tiêu thụ trên đầu người ở thành phố là 750 m3. Lượng nước tiêu thụ
trên đầu người ở nông thông là 1,250 m3 (Vào năm 2015).
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6 Key Version