Graphs with a trend

Try it first!

Task 1 Writing: How to write about graphs with a trend

One type of question in Task 1 is to write about a graph which shows trends, which are
changes over time. You can be asked to write about different types of graphs, such as
line graphs, pie charts, tables or bar charts. For graphs with trends, you will see a
time period in the title of the graph (e.g. the annual earnings o f three bakeries in London,
2000 - 2010 ).

1 Try writing an answ er for the essay question below. You w ill need to:
• write an introduction to the topic of the graph in your own words (paragraph 1 );
• give an overview of the main ideas in the graph (paragraph 2 );
• describe the most important changes and numbers (paragraphs 3 and 4):
• write a minimum of 15 0 words.
In the exam, you have 20 minutes for Task 1.

The graph shows data about the annual earnings of three bakeries in London,
2000- 2010.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.

- Bernie's Buns
- Lovely Loaves
- Robbie’s Bakery

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
year

2 Think about these questions before you start.

• What is the main topic of the graph?
• How could you rewrite the introduction in your own words?
• What are the general trends for the three bakeries over the whole period?
• Which numbers will you select to write about in paragraphs 3 and 4?
• What grammar and vocabulary will you need to use?
• Can you give your personal opinion about what happens in the graph?

3 Are these sentences about the graph true (T) or false (F)? Use a dictionary to
help you.
1 There was an upward trend in the income of Bernie’s Buns over the period.
2 The earnings of Robbie’s Bakery fluctuated significantly between 2 0 0 0 and 2 0 0 5 .
3 The income of Lovely Loaves saw a considerable decline over the decade.

7 G raphs w ith a trend

 r Spotlight 1
Re-wording the introduction

It is essential to rewrite the introduction in your own words. This section shows you an
easy and effective way to do this for any Task 1 question.

The chart shows information about visitors to Australia, 2000-2008.

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

1 Look at the extract from an essay question above. The topic is visitors to
Australia. Complete these tw o possible w ays of rewriting it.
1 The graph shows information about how many p....................v................. Australia,
over an eight-year period between 2000 and 2 0 0 8 .
2 The graph illustrates data about the number of p.................... w................. v.................
Australia, over an eight-year period between 2 0 0 0 and 2 0 0 8 .

2 Complete these tw o rewrites of the topic Car sales in the USA, 2000-2010.
1 The graph shows information about how many ...
2 The graph illustrates data about the number o f...

If the topic is about an uncountable noun, like money, you should use how much or the
amount of. Here are two examples for the graph on page 79.
The graph shows information about how much money was earned by three bakeries in London, over
a decade between 2000 and 2010.
The graph highlights data about the amount o f money which was earned by three bakeries in
London, over a ten-year period between 2000 and 2010.

3 Complete these tw o rewrites of the topic Coffee production in Kenya,

1999-2006.
1 The graph shows information about how much ...
2 The graph highlights data about the amount o f...

4 Complete this table.

topic how much / how many the number of / amount of

1 Unemployment rates, "The- graph siW S 'The graph shows data

India and Brazil irtforwicrlitfrt o?oo\s\ h0\/Y abeiAT -the rwmber o f
(1995-2000) M any people- people v^ho
W\erf\plpyed in ... lAn&nfiplpyed in . . .
r ........
Tip 2 DVD sales, UK and USA
Many topics are about
money or people. Think (2005-2008)
about w hat th e graph is
showing. Words like 3 Chocolate production,
spending, investment and Colombia (1997-2007)
expenditure are about
money, and phrases like
home ownership and
unemployment are about 5 W rite an introduction for these tw o topics.
people. You can th en use
th e word money or people 1 Gas production in Russia (2 0 0 3 -2 0 0 8 )
in your introduction. 2 Employment rates in the public sector, UK (2 0 0 6 -2 0 1 0 )

7 Graphs w ith a trend

 L Spotlight 2
Writing an overview

In paragraph 2 of your Task 1 answer, you need to write a general overview of the
main trends and most important information in the graph. Don’t write any numbers or
percentages in this paragraph.

1 Look at the graph about bakeries on page 79 and discuss these questions.
1 What was the general trend for the earnings of the three bakeries?
2 Which were the most popular bakeries in 2 0 0 0 and in 2010?
The first thing you should 3 Is there anything else you could talk about in the overview?
write about in the overview
is the general movements
of the lines over the whole 2 Match the tw o halves of these phrases for describing general trends.
period. Do they go up, go 1 There was a significant upward trend a trend in the income of Lovely Loaves,
down or fluctuate?
2 The earnings of Lovely Loaves saw b significantly over the period,
3 There was a downward c in the income of Bernie ’s Buns.
4 The income of Bernie’s Buns fluctuated d a dramatic increase in the last
5 The income of Robbie’s Bakery witnessed five years,
e a considerable fall over the period.

Read this overview and find synonyms for the phrases below.
Overall, what stands out from the graph is that there were considerable upward trends in the
income o f both Bernie’s Buns and Robbie’s Bakery, while the earnings o f Lovely Loaves saw a
substantial fall over the period in question.
1 in general overall
2 it can be seen that
3 the income of Bernie’s Buns and Robbie’s Bakery rose
r,P
If you don’t have much 4 whereas
time, just describe the
general trends in the 5 the income of Lovely Loaves went down significantly
overview. If you can, wnte
6 the time period covered by the graph
about a n o th e r interesting
idea, but make sure you
give yourself enough time After you have described the general trends, if you have time, you can select another
to finish the whole task.
interesting idea from the graph to write in the overview.

Match the phrases in italics in these sentences (1-2) w ith their definitions (a-b).
1 Another interesting point is that Lovely Loaves was the most popular bakery in 2 0 0 0 ,
but in 2 0 1 0 Robbie’s Bakery earned m ore money than the others.
2 In addition, the highest income in the period was for Robbie’s Bakery in 2 0 1 0 .
a the peak income in the ten years
b the highest figures at the start and the end of the period

Add the w ords from the box on the left to the correct places in this sample
is period overview.
sa w than
Overall ^stands out from the graph that there were considerable trends in the income of
upw ard w as
both Bernie’s Buns and Robbie’s Bakery, the earnings of Lovely Loaves a substantial fall
w hat w h ile over the in question. Another interesting point is that Lovely Loaves the most popular
bakery in 2 0 0 0 , but in 2 0 1 0 Robbie’s Bakery earned more money the others.

6 W rite an overview for the graph on types of employment in the Check and
challenge section on page 90.

7 Graphs w ith a trend

Spotlight 3
Language to describe changes 1:
Verbs and adverbs
In paragraphs 3 and 4, you will need to have a good range of grammar and vocabulary to
describe the changes in the graph, including the use of verbs and adverbs, e.g. The income
o f Lovely Loaves rose slightly.

1 Put the past simple of these verbs in the correct column of the table below. Use
a dictionary to help you if necessary.
jiid k rtr decrease double drop fall go down go up grow halve improve
increase jump plummet plunge rise rocket shoot up soar surge

verbs to describe verbs to describe verbs to describe verbs to describe

increases decreases big increases big decreases

declined

Verbs which describe big increases or decreases, like soared or plummeted, don’t need an
adverb, because we already know that they describe a large change. However, all the
verbs in the first two columns of the table above need an adverb, to tell the reader what
kind of increase or decrease you are talking about.

2 Which of the adverbs in the box below describe:

1 a big change? dramatically 5 a slow change?
2 a small change? 6 a comment by the writer?
3 a medium-size change? 7 a consistent increase or decrease?
4 a fast change?

considerably d r a s t ic a lly gradually m arginally

negligibly rapidly rem arkably sharply significantly
slightly steadily strikingly

3 Look again at the graph on page 79 and complete these sentences w ith a
suitable verb and adverb.
1 The income of Bernie's Buns...............between 2 0 0 6 and 2 0 0 8 .
2 The amount of money earned by Robbie’s Bakery.................between 2 0 0 8 and 2 0 1 0 .
3 Earnings of Lovely Loaves...............between 2 0 0 4 and 200 5 .

4 The verbs and verb phrases in bold in these sentences all describe changes.
Check their meaning in a dictionary and add any more that you know.
• Income fluctuated and then levelled off.
• Income hit/reached a peak.
• Earnings dipped slightly and recovered.
• The figure remained stable in the first three years.
• Income increased steadily year on year.
• Income hit a trough.
• Earnings worsened in the last three years.
 r Spotlight 4
Language to describe changes 2:
Adjectives and nouns

You can also describe changes using adjective and nouns. Most of the vocabulary is the
same, but you need to learn the adjective and noun forms.
There was a considerable rise in the income o f Robbies Bakery.
The income o f Robbies Bakery saw/experienced/witnessed a considerable rise.

1 Complete this table w ith the noun forms of the verbs.

past simple verb noun past simple verb noun

rose fluctuated 9.
fell plunged 10 .
levelled off decreased 11 .

declined dipped 12.

soared recovered 13 .
plummeted jumped 14 .
increased surged 15 .
dropped grew 16 .

In most cases, to form an adjective, you just need to remove the —ly from the adverb, e.g.
sharply - sharp. In some cases, you need to change the spelling of the adjective a little bit.

2 W rite the adjectival form of these adverbs. Check your spelling in a dictionary.
1 dramatically drama'Ho 2 steadily 3 considerably
4 negligibly 5 remarkably

3 Write a sentence w ith an adjective and noun to describe each of these changes
in the graph on page 79.
1 Bernie’sBuns, 2 0 0 6 -2 0 0 8 "There m s a c o n s iderable rise in income.
2 Robbie’s Bakery. 2 0 0 7 -2 0 0 8
3 Bernie’sBuns, 2 0 0 1 -2 0 0 2
4 Lovely Loaves, 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5

4 Rewrite these sentences, changing them to verb-adverb or adjective-noun.

1 Sales of DVDs in the UK rose sharply between 2 0 0 1 and 2 0 0 4 .
There was in the UK between 2 0 0 1 and 2 0 0 4 .
2 Chocolate production in Colombia saw a significant fall.
Chocolate production in Colombia....................
Tip 3 There was a steady growth in average incomes in Europe between 1998 and 2 0 0 4 .
In Spotlights 3 and 4, you
have studied verb-adverb Average incomes in Europe.................. between 19 9 8 and 2 0 0 4 .
phrases and adjective-
noun phrases. It is
important to practise both, 5 Write some sentences about yourself, and get a partner to rewrite them.
and to feel confident with
Example: "The 6W+ a? ch oco\ afe 1 a+e before my I5UTS e*am rcse
them in the exam.
drama+icaiiy.
"There was ...
7 G raphs w ith a trend
 Model answer: Graphs with a trend

The graph shows information about the amount of levelled off at just under E40,000 until 2006. Then the
money which was earned by three bakeries in London, figure went up significantly, finishing at around
over a ten-year period between 2000 and 2010. E65,000 in 2010. If we look at Robbie's Bakery, the
Overall, what stands out from the graph is that there trend was similar. Having remained stable at
were considerable upward trends in the income of both approximately ESS,000 in the first half of the decade,
Bernie's Puns and Robbie's Bakery, while the earnings income then rose sharply, reaching nearly E l 00,000
of Lovely Loaves saw a considerable fall over the period in 2 0 0 S. There was then a gradual rise to around
in question. Another interesting point is that Lovely E l 05,000 in 2010.
Loaves was the most popular bakery in 2000, but in By contrast, the income of Lovely Loaves went in the
2010, Robbie's Bakery earned more money than the opposite direction. Takings fluctuated around E90,000
others. until 2004. After that, despite falling sharply to just
Looking at the details, as regards Bernie's Puns, over E40,000 in 20 OS, the figure then levelled off in
income started at E20,000 in 2000, then there was a the last 1wo years.
fluctuation over the next three years, at which point it

(2 1 7 words)
1 Read the model answer. In paragraphs 3 and 4, find:
1 another phrase to introduce a new line of the graph: as regards, ...
2 two more phrases which mean about, to describe numbers: ju s f under, ...
3 another grammar structure to join two ideas together: Having regained stable, ...
4 a linking phrase which means on the other hand
5 two synonyms of income

2 Rewrite these sentences from the model answ er in another w ay.

1 Income then rose sharply. "TViere ...
2 There was then a gradual rise to around £ 1 0 5 ,0 0 0 . The figure ...

3 Work with a partner. W hat other phrases or structures could you use from this
model answ er?

Linking phrases to introduce new sections of the graph

You can see that in the model answer, the writer uses the linking phrases as regards and I f
we look a t ... to show that a new part of the graph is being discussed. This is a good way
to improve the organization and academic style of your answer.
Similar phrases are Regarding, Asfo r and With respect to.
When you use these linking phrases, you generally need to repeat the subject of the
sentence.
Regarding the income o f Bernie's Buns, it started at £20,000 in 2000, and then ...

4 Rewrite these sentences using the linking phrases in brackets.

1 The income of Robbie’s Bakery began at just under £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 . (with respect to)
2 The amount of money which was earned by Bernie’s Buns in 2 0 0 0 was £ 2 0 ,0 0 0 .
{if we look at)
3 The earnings of Robbie’s Bakery remained stable during the first five years of the
graph, {as fo r )
4 Income for Lovely Loaves fluctuated considerably between 2 0 0 0 and 2 0 0 5 .
{regarding)

5 Look back at the answer you w rote in Exercise 1 on page 79, and add some
linking phrases from Exercise 4 where appropriate.

7 Graphs w ith a trend

Exam skills 1: Joining two changes together

In paragraphs 3 and 4, you need to join changes together into longer sentences.
Income remained, stable between 2000 and 2004, and then there was a steady rise in the next
twoyears.
There are lots of ways you can join two ideas together in an interesting way.

1 Read this paragraph and underline all the linking words and phrases w hich mean
and then.
Income of Bernie’s Buns started at £ 2 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 0 , and after that there was a slight
rise to £ 2 3 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 1 . Following this, the figure fell slightly to £ 2 1 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 2 ,
after which income rose sharply in 2 0 0 3 . At this point, the number levelled off until
2 0 0 5 . Next, there was a slight dip in 2 0 0 6 , but this was followed by a sharp increase to
£ 6 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 8 . Subsequently, income went up gradually in the last two years.

2 Join these changes together using the linking phrase in brackets. Make any other
necessary changes.
1 Income began at just over £ 8 0 ,0 0 0 . Income went up slightly to £ 9 5 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 1 .
(iand then)
1(\ootfie> began a+ jiAS+ cn&c-£$0,000, and -hnen i+ wex\\ i/p sliglrhy \o &\*>,000
in z m
2 There was a steady fall to £ 8 0 ,0 0 0 . Income recovered to £ 9 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 4 . (after
which)
3 Earnings dropped sharply to just over £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 . There was a slight dip. (At this point)
4 There was a slight rise to just under £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 . The figure went down considerably.
(Subsequently)
5 Income fell significantly to £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 . The number levelled off. (Next)

Despite ... and Having ...

You can also use these two structures to join together two changes. Make sure you study
how to use them carefully. Don’t forget: if you use the Having structure, you need the past
participle (e.g. Having/alien ...).

3 W hat are the irregular past participles of these verbs?

1 fall fallen 2 grow 3 rise

4 Choose the correct form of each verb. Check the model answ er if you need to.
1 Despite falling /fell sharply to just above £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 , the figure then rose in 2 0 1 0 .
2 Having remained / remaining stable at £ 5 5 ,0 0 0 , income then rose sharply in 2 0 0 8 .

5 Rewrite these sentences using the w ords in brackets.

1 There was a steady decline to £ 8 0 ,0 0 0 , and then income recovered to £ 9 0 ,0 0 0 in
2 0 0 4 . (Despite...)
2 Earnings dropped sharply to just over £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 , but then rose slightly. (Having...)

6 Use the linking phrases from Exercise 1 and despite/having to join these ideas to
form a good paragraph. Check your answ er on page 123.
Income of Lovely Loaves began at just over £ 8 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 0 . There was a slight rise to
around £ 9 5 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 1 . The figure went down steadily to £ 8 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 3 . There
was a slight increase to around £ 9 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 4 . There was a sharp fall to just over
£ 6 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 5 . Income dipped in 2 0 0 6 . There was a negligible increase to just
under £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 7 . Income fell considerably to £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 8 . The figure
levelled off in the last two years.

7 G raphs w ith a trend

 Exam skills 2: Prepositions and articles

In Task 1, examiners are looking to see how accurate your writing is. Using the correct
prepositions is a way to make it more precise.

1 Read this paragraph and choose the correct prepositions.

As regards Robbie’s Bakery, income started 1 to /at £ 5 5 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 0 and remained
stable 2 at / to this figure 3 during / until 2 0 0 5 . At this point, there was a sharp rise
4 to / at £ 7 0 ,0 0 0 . Between 2 0 0 7 and 2 0 0 8 , the figure went up 5 to / by around
£ 3 0 ,0 0 0 , 6 to / from £ 7 0 ,0 0 0 7 a t / to nearly £ 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 . Finally, income grew
gradually, and peaked 8 at / to £ 1 0 5 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 1 0 . If we look at Lovely Loaves,
earnings fluctuated 9 between / at £ 8 0 ,0 0 0 and £ 9 0 ,0 0 0 in the first five years, and
then there was a sharp fall 10 to I at £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 8 . Finally, the figure levelled off
11 to / at £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 , and finished 1 2 to / at the same figure.

2 Check your answers to Exercise 1, then work with a partner to complete these
rules for using prepositions.
1 With started and finished, use ...0.1.
Example: Income started ...0.t... £ 5 5 ,0 0 0 .
2 With increases or decreases, u se..................
Example: There was a sharp rise..................£ 7 0 ,0 0 0 .
3 With remained stable and levelled off, u se..................
4 With peaked, use..................
5 To describe how much something increases or decreases, u se..................
Example: The figure went up....................around £30,000.
6 To describe the range of fluctuation, use..................
Example: Earnings fluctuated..................£ 8 0 ,0 0 0 and £ 9 0 ,0 0 0 .

3 Add the missing prepositions to this paragraph.

If we look at Bernie’s Buns, income started £ 2 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 0 , and then there was a
slight rise £ 2 5 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 1 . At this point, the figure fell back just over £ 2 0 ,0 0 0 ,
followed by a slight increase just under £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 . Earnings then levelled off £ 3 9 ,0 0 0 ,
and then fell marginally £ 3 8 ,0 0 0 . Income then rose £ 2 3 ,0 0 0 , £ 3 8 ,0 0 0 £ 6 1 ,0 0 0 . In
the next two years, there was a gradual rise around £ 6 2 ,0 0 0 , and then the figure
peaked around £ 6 5 ,0 0 0 .

4 Write paragraphs 3 and 4 for the graph about types of employment in the Check
and challenge on page 90. When you have finished, check your prepositions.

r ~ .......................... , ............. " ^

Using correct articles
Another way to make your writing more accurate is to use articles (a!an and the) correctly.

5 There are 12 more missing articles in these paragraphs. Add them in the correct
places and compare your answers with a partner.
T ip
Many languages do not use Graph shows information about amount of money which was earned by three bakeries
articles at all, and therefore in London, over ten-year period between 2 0 0 0 and 2 0 1 0 .
it can b e difficult to use
Overall, what stands out from graph is that there was downward trend in income of
them correctly. Use a
grammar book to do some Lovely Loaves, while amount of money earned by other two bakeries rose over period
extra practice on articles, t
in question.
will help you in both Task 1
Turning to details, as regards Lovely Loaves, figure started at just over £ 8 0 ,0 0 0 in
and Task 2 .
2 0 0 0 , and then there was considerable fluctuation until 2 0 0 5 . Following this, its
income levelled off at just under £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 until 2 0 0 7 . Having fallen sharply to
£ 4 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 8 , income of Lovely Loaves then remained stable during last two years.
7 Graphs with a trend
Exam skills 3: Commenting on the data
in a graph

To take your Task 1 essay to the next level, try to comment on the data, rather than just
give a list o f numbers. Add one or two comments to show that you understand and can
interpret the graph. Here are some ways you can do this.
• Compare the different parts o f the graph, using a relative clause:
The income o f Lovely Loavesfell significantly to around £40,000 in 2008, which meant that it
earnedf a r less than the other bakeries.
• Comment on the peak:
There was a considerable rise in the takings ofRobbie's Bakery in the last twoyears to £105,000,
thisfigure being the peak level o f income during the whole period.
• Add an extra verb to give emphasis:
The income o f Robbie's Bakery rose sharply in 2008, rocketing to just under £100,000.
• Add a superlative:
Lovely Loaves earnedjust over £80,000 in 2000. This meant that it had the highest income o f
the three bakeries in thatyear.
• Group data into a period o f time:
There was a significantfluctuation in the income o f Lovely Loaves in thefirst h a lf o f the decade.

1 Use the ideas above to complete these comments on the graph on page 79.
1 The earnings of Bernie’s Buns were £ 2 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 0 , !.««&§+........
.i??.£{?.$&..#£. .)?..# feni £5
2 The income of Lovely Loaves fell sharply in 2 0 0 5 , p.................. to just over £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 .
3 The income of Robbie’s Bakery remained stable in the first.................. of the period.
4 There was a sharp rise in the income of Robbie’s Bakery between 2 0 0 5 and 2 0 0 8 ,
which meant that it earned fa r.................. than the other bakeries.
5 Lovely Loaves’ income fell considerably to £ 4 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 8 . This meant that it had
th e .....................income of the three bakeries.

2 Complete the comments in this paragraph with one word in each gap.
If we look at Bernie’s Buns, it started at £ 2 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 0 , which was the 1 .................
income of the three bakeries at this point. After that, it started to rise and went up
sharply to around £ 6 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 0 8 , which meant that it earned 2 ..................money
than Lovely Loaves. Finally, the earnings of Bernie’s Buns rose gradually, 3 ................
at around £ 6 5 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 10 .

3 Look at the graph on page 90 and complete these sentences w ith a comment.
1 Forty-eight per cent of people worked in the
private sector in 2000 , which m ean t...
2 There was a slight rise in the percentage of
people who worked in the public sector, to just
over 50% in 2 0 1 0 , this figure being ...
3 The percentage of people employed in the
public sector rose sharply between 2002 and
2 0 0 4 , soaring...
4 The percentage of people who worked in the
private sector went down steadily to 20 % in
2 0 1 0 . This m ean t...

7 G raphs w ith a trend

 Next steps 1: Writing about graphs with
a future trend

Sometimes in the exam you can be asked to write about a graph with a future trend.
You should write your answer in the same way as before, but instead o f using the past
simple, change the grammar and use future tenses.

1 Look at this essay question and discuss how to w rite an answ er to it.

The graph below shows predictions about the number of people who w ill study
three major world languages between 2020 and 2030.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.

S tu d en ts of three world lan gu ages, 2020-2030

800
English
c 700- Spanish
<u
-C
600 Mandarin
w
500-
2 1 400
E=
= E 300

2 00 -

100 -
0-
2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030
year

2 Change the phrases in bold in these sentences to the future, using will.
1 The number of students of Spanish rose considerably.
The number of students of Spanish. . . D5.£ . )d&rc\toIy. __
2 There was a steady rise in the number of people who study English.
There..................in the number of people who study English.
3 The number students of Mandarin rocketed.
Tip
Try to use academic The number of people who study Mandarin....................
phrases for describing
fu tu re trends to make your
writing more interesting. 3 Match the two halves of these sentences containing academic phrases.
For example: 1 The number of students of English a the number of students of Spanish is
It is estimated that the
number of students of 2 By 2 0 30, the number of students likely to increase steadily,
Spanish will rise of Mandarin b is set to reach over 700 million,
significantly.
3 Projections show that c will have risen sharply to over 500
million.

4 Use the language in Exercise 3 to w rite some sentences of your own about the
graph in Exercise 1.
Example: fcy Z-OZ-ft, 4Vie> niMlber o f s-twden+s o f Mandarin \/M
iUhave CN&rtaken
s+aden+s o f Spanish.

5 Write an answer for the graph in Exercise 1. Compare it with the sample student
answer on page 128.

7 Graphs w ith a trend

 Next steps 2: Tables and bar graphs with trends

It is common in the IELTS W riting paper to be asked to describe a table or bar graph
w ith a trend, not only a line graph. Make sure you practise writing all different forms o f
trend questions, so that you feel confident in the exam.

1 W rite an answ er for this Task 1 question containing a table w ith a trend. Then
compare your answ er w ith the sample student answ er on page 128.

The table below highlights data on the number of travellers using three major
British airports between 1998 and 2003.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.
Tip
When you describe this Airport visitors, 1998-2003 (millions of travellers per year)
kind of table, to make it
easier to understand and airport 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
see the trends, you can
draw it quickly as a line Heathrow 27.2 36.4 48.2 37.1 33.2 45.6
graph in your notebook
Gatwick 36.5 41.9 44.4 47.3 51.1 69.3
before you start.
Stansted 17.3 26.6 39.9 43.3 43.3 43.3

2 W rite an answ er for this essay question containing a bar graph w ith a trend.

The graph below shows the number of visitors to three museums between 2000
and 2005.

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

Museum visitor numbers, 2000-2005

MET, New York

Edo-Tokyo
National, China

I I I !
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

7 Graphs w ith a trend

 Check and challenge

Re-wording the introduction

CH ECK Rewrite these sentences using the words in brackets.
1 The chart shows information about how many people worked from home, in the USA
and UK, between 2 0 0 5 and 2 0 1 0 . {the number of)
2 The chart highlights data about the amount of electricity which was consumed in
India and Pakistan between 2 0 0 4 and 2 0 1 0 . {how much)

C H A LLEN G E W rite an introduction for this topic: Literacy rates, EU and Africa (2000-2010).

Language to describe changes

CH ECK Rewrite these sentences using a different structure.
1 The number of passengers who travelled via Gatwick Airport rose sharply.
2 There was a slight dip in the number of visitors to the British Museum.

CH A LLEN G E Use a dictionary to check the meanings of the verbs in bold.

1 Sales bottomed out in 1992, and then rose.
2 The number of travellers using Stansted leapfrogged the number using Heathrow.

Joining two changes together

CH ECK Rewrite this sentence twice, once w ith despite and once w ith having.
DVD sales went down significantly in 1995, but then recovered in 1996.

CH A LLEN G E Rewrite these sentences using the structure indicated.

1 Despite falling in 1998, DVD sales then levelled off for the next three years.
Having...
2 Having risen steadily for five years, the unemployment rate then fell sharply.
Despite...

Next steps
Look online at a newspaper like The Times, the Guardian or the Independent, and find one or
two articles with graphs. Write down any useful vocabulary and use it when doing Task 1.

Practice question
Have a go at writing an answer for this Task 1 question. Try to use the key language and
writing skills you have studied in this unit. When you finish, compare with the sample
answer on page 123.

The graph compares employment rates in three sectors of the economy , in the
UK, 2000-2010.

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

Employment rates, by sector, in the UK economy, 2000-2010

50—^
---- 7---------- ^
—♦ — Public sector

—* — Self-employed
__
* *

f i i — r i i t i i i i h
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

7 Graphs w ith a trend