Must-know language and grammar for Task 1 graphs and charts

 Pattern/trend - a track of changes over a period of time

The trend/pattern for margarine production was mostly upward until 2010.
The figures for car sales followed an upward trend/pattern until 2010.

 Figure - any number with or without a symbol, regardless of what it represents (ex: 34%,
$1,000, etc.)

After 2005, the figure for hydro power had increased dramatically, reaching almost 45% of
the total in 2008.

 Number – natural numbers

The number of visitors fell sharply to 4,000.

Visitor numbers fell sharply to 4,000.

 Quantity - the number or amount of something (NOT people)

The quantity of book sales increased substantially.

 Proportion - a number in comparative relation to a whole

The total budget was 15bln dollars. By 2011, the proportion of oil revenues in the budget had
reached more than 4 bln dollars.

 Percentage

The table illustrates the percentage of school children attending four different types of
secondary school from 2000 to 2009.

 Amount – volume or quantity (NOT number) of energy production, oil production, time,
precipitation, etc. You cannot use this word to refer to people.

Males and females aged between 25 and 40 spend the same amount of time online.
The amount of quality water declined dramatically between 1993 and 1994

 Rate - quantity, percentage, proportion or frequency of something, such as the birth rate,
crime rate, unemployment rate, etc.)

In 2009, the rate of unemployment fell by 2%

MAKING COMPARISONS:
Contrast:

 The Middle East produces high levels of oil; however, Japan produces none.
 The USA produces large amounts of natural gas.  In contrast/By contrast, South Korea
produces none.
 European countries make great use of solar power.  In comparison, most Asian countries us
this method of power generation very little.
 While Iran exports the largest amount of oil, the opposite/reverse is true for Turkey
 While Saudi Arabia exports the largest amount of oil, the same cannot be said for Turkey

 The Middle East produces high levels of oil, whereas/while Japan produces none.
 Whereas/while the Middle East produces high levels of oil, Japan produces none.

 Developing countries are more reliant on alternative energy than developed countries.

 Solar power generated far less energy than gas or coal.
 The Middle East produces twice as much oil as Europe.
 Western countries consume three times more oil than the Middle East.

Similarity

 Nigeria exported more oil than it consumed. Similarly / Likewise, Libya sold more oil than it
used domestically.
 Like Japan, South Korea does not produce any natural gas.
 The UAE produced the same amount of oil as Saudi Arabia.
 Both Iran and Kuwait saw an increase in export figures until 2002.

DESCRIBING CHANGES

 There was a substantial increase in house prices in Sweden

 House prices rose substantially in Sweden
 Sweden had a substantial increase in house prices
 Sweden experienced a substantial increase in house prices
 Sweden saw a substantial increase in house prices
 Sweden witnessed a substantial increase in house prices

DESCRIBING AMOUNTS OF CHANGES

 There was a 20% growth in China’s population (from 1 bln to 1.2 bln)
 China’s population grew by 20%.
 China saw a population growth of 20%.

 The figure for Canada almost doubled. (from 150 to 300)

 The figured for Canada almost halved. (from 300 to 150)
  The number of male students tripled. (from 40 to 120)
 The fertility rate quadrupled. (from 500 to 2,000)
 The number of fatal accidents decreased almost five-fold (from 150 to 30).
 HP saw a six-fold increase in sales. (from 20mln to 120mln)
 There was a 50% rise in the number of visits to the museum. (from 120 to 180)
 The number of arrests has increased by 300%. (from 50 to 200)

 (No change) From 2010 to 2017, Average house prices in Sweden plateaued/leveled
out/remained unchanged/remained constant at $95,000.

DESCRIBING HIGHEST AND LOWEST POINTS

 Demand reached a peak/high of 45,000 in March

 Demand hit a peak/high of 45,000 in March
 Demand rose to a peak/high of 45,000 in March
 Demand peaked at/hit the highest point of 45,000 in March.

 Demand hit a low/trough of 5,000 in December.

 Demand fell/dropped to a low/trough of 5,000 in December.
 Demand bottomed out/hit the lowest point of 5,000 in December.

ROUNDING UP AND DOWN

 994 – just under a thousand / just below a thousand / slightly less than a thousand
 1,007 – just over a thousand / just above a thousand / slightly more than a thousand
 965 – well under a thousand / well below a thousand / considerably less than a thousand
 1,040 – well over a thousand / well above a thousand / considerably more than a thousand
 Below 1,000 = close to / nearly / almost a thousand
 Below or above 1,000 = around 50 / approximately 50 / roughly 50

REFERENCING & AVOIDANCE OF REPETITION

 The number of males reached 300, and that of females rose to 350.
 The numbers of males and females reached 300 and 350 respectively.
 In 2005, both solar and wind power contributed equally to the total production; however,
during the five years that followed, the former became more common, while the latter was
the least harnessed.
 In 2015, the number of male students gradually rose to a peak of 4,100 in 2015, while the
figure/trend/pattern for females stayed constant at 3,800.
USEFUL STRUCTURES
 The upward pattern continued until it reached a high of 200 in 2006.
 The number of factories in Japan hit a peak of 26,000 in 2000, before falling back to 16,000
in 2006.
 The zoo witnessed a dramatic increase, with visitor numbers reaching 20,000 in 2005.
 After a brief rise to 23,000 in 2006, the number of visitors started to decline again.
 HP witnessed a surge to 2mln in sales figures, leaving the other two companies far behind.
PARAPHRASING FIGURES:
It is extremely important to use the following expressions wherever possible, rather than write in
digits all the time. This will show your vocabulary range for this type of task.
Percentages and fractions:
2% - a tiny percentage; a small percentage
10% or 1/10 – less than a tenth
9% - just under a tenth
25% or 1/4 - a quarter
27% - more than a quarter
33% or 1/3 - a third; one third
32% - almost a third
50% or 1/2 - a half
46% - close to a half
66% or 2/3 – two-thirds
67% - over two-thirds
75% or 3/4 – three-fourths; three-quarters
76% - just over three-fourths
95% - an overwhelming majority; a vast majority; almost all;

Key vocabulary for graphs and charts

VERBS

ADJECTIVE + NOUN ADVERBS