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Linking Words for Academic Task 1

In this lesson, we look at a range of linking words that you can use in Academic Task 1. We
have divided these into different categories.

Comparing and contrasting

Also- The number of laptop sales also increased.
Compared with/to- Compared to the sales of phones, laptop sales barely increased.
However- Laptop sales increased, however they didn't increase nearly as much as
phone sales.
On the other hand- Phone sales, on the other hand, have increased dramatically since
2000.
While- While laptop sales increased, phone sales increased much more.
Although- Although laptop sales increased, phone sales increased much more.
By contrast- Phone sales increased dramatically. By contrast, computer sales have
shrunk year after year.
In comparison- Phone sales increased dramatically. In comparison, computer sales
have shrunk year after year.
Similar to/ different from - Similar to computers, laptop sales increased consistently
until 2012.
Like/ unlike- Like computers, laptop sales increased consistently until 2012.
Except for- Sales of all products are expected to increase except for computers.
Further- Further, by 2030 phone sales are expected to be the largest of all categories.
Albeit- Laptop sales increased, albeit at a slower rate than mobile phone sales.

Result
As a result of- As a result of consistent increases in sales, mobile sales will have
generated the most money by 2030.
Resulting in- Sales continued to rise consistently resulting in mobile phones overtaking
computer sales in 2012.
Therefore- Computer sales registered slower growth and were therefore overtaken by
phone sales in 2012.
Meaning that- Mobile phone sales reached 9 million meaning that mobiles had become
the most popular product by 2012.
English Pro Tips
Transitioning
Turning to- Turning to computer sales, there has been a marked increase in sales since
2012.
Looking at- Looking at the other categories we can see some big differences.
Moving (on) to- Moving on to computer sales, there was a large decrease in sales from
2012 onwards.
As for- As for computer sales, they experienced a very different trend.

Sequencing
First(ly)- Second(ly)- Third(ly)- Firstly, looking at the sale of laptops, there was a large
increase prior to 2012.
Next- Next, laptops also saw large increases in sales.
Then- Then, after 20 years, sales start to decrease.
Finally- Finally, wine is transported to the supermarket.
Before/after- Computer sales increased before decreasing from 2012 onwards.

Sequencing with time

In 2011 the sale of phones overtook computer sales.
By 2030, computer sales are predicted to have completely diminished.
Before/After 2012, computer sales were greater than mobile sales.
Prior to 2012, computer sales were greater than mobile sales.
Computer sales remained the highest until 2011.
Between 1980 and 2012, computer sales were higher than laptop and mobile sales.
Throughout the period, sales of laptops have consistently been smaller than computer
sales.
At the beginning/end of the period, sales were at their highest.

Pronouns
Using pronouns (I, me, he, this, etc.) is a good way to avoid repetition and make your
writing more concise.
Laptop sales increased every year until they finally began to plateau in 2012.
('they' refers back to 'Laptop sales)
Laptop sales increased until 2012. After that, they began to plateau.
('that' refers back to '2012')
Laptops increased in sales until 2012. Afterwards their sales began to gradually
decrease.
('their' refers back to 'laptops')
English Pro Tips
Using synonyms
Computer sales began to fall in 2012. This drop is expected to continue until 2030.
('drop' is a synonym for 'fall')
Computer sales grew in the first 10 years, between 1995 and 2005, but then dropped
over the following decade. ('decade' is a synonym for '10 years')
Computer sales grew in the first 10 years. This increase did not last long. ('grow' and
´increase are synonyms in these sentences)
After that, computer sales began to level out. This plateau lasted for several years
until the sales began to register a gradual decline. ('level out' and 'plateau' are
synonyms in these sentences)
Mobile sales shot up from 2012 onwards. This dramatic increase in sales meant
that phone sales outnumbered the sales of laptops and computers. ('shot up' and
'dramatic increase' are synonyms in these sentences).
Mobile phone sales overtook the sale of computers in 2012 and eventually
surpassed laptop sales as well. ('overtook' and 'surpassed' are synonyms in these
sentences)

Make sure to do the

quizzes in this lesson to
make sure that you
learn these useful
linking words.

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