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IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
8 
Describing trends, Language of change 
Below you can see a list of the most popular vocabulary used to describe trends. We use combinations of 
verb/adverbs and adjective/nouns to refer to changes in graphs. 
Trends 
Degree and speed 
Verb 
Noun 
Adverb 
Adjective 
Strong 
rise 
a rise 
dramatically 
dramatic 
Weak
increase 
an increase 
sharply 
sharp 
grow 
a growth 
enormously 
enormous 
climb 
a climb 
steeply 
steep 
boom 
a boom 
substantially 
substantial 
peak 
a peak 
considerably 
considerable 
go up 
N/A 
significantly 
significant 
rapidly 
rapid 
fall 
a fall 
moderately 
moderate 
decrease 
a decrease 
gradually 
gradual 
reduce 
a reduction 
slightly 
slight 
decline 
a decline 
minimally 
minimal 
dip 
a dip 
Figure 1: 
go down 
N/A 
level out 
a leveling out 
not change 
no change 
remain stable 
(a period of) 
stability 
remain steady 
N/A 
stay constant 
N/A 
maintain the 
same level 
N/A 
stand steady 
N/A 
fluctuate 
a fluctuation 
oscillate 
an oscillation 
be volatile 
a period of 
volatility 
Figure 1 example sentences: 
GM car sales 
increased significantly
from $5,000 to $105,000 between 1960 and 2010. 
There was 
a
significant increase
of $100,000 in GM car sales, from $5,000 to $105,000, between 
1960 and 2010. 
GM car sales 
saw a
significant growth
in GM car sales, from $5,000 to $105,000, between 1960 and 
2010. 
GM car sales 
registered a
significant rise
between 1960 and 2010. 
GM car sales 
reached a peak
at $105,000 in 2010. 
GM car sales 
had an enormous climb
of $100,000 between 1960 and 2010. 
Note:
Why is a 
‘past tense’
used in the examples above?
5
25
45
65
85
105
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
'000 dollars 
GM car sales 

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IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
9 
Exercise 1: Look at the graphs below. Then describe the changes. 
A (Car sales in ‘000)
 
B (Car sales)
 
C (Car sales) 
D (Net users in ‘000)
 
E (Net users)
 
F (Net users) 
G (Cases of polio in ‘000) 
 
H (Cases of polio) 
 
I (Cases of polio) 
J (Radio listeners in ‘000) 
 
K (Radio listeners)
L (Radio listeners) 
Note:
Use a
 ‘future tense’
to describe changes in items 
J
, 
K
and 
L
above. 
Example:
 
It 
is predicted
that the number of radio listeners 
will fall
to 45,000 people in 2030. 
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105

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IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
10 
Connecting trends 
Similar or different trends 
Figure 1 (Addition) 
 
 
 
Figure 2 (Contrast) 
 
 
 
Figure 1 example: 
GM car sales increased gradually to $24,000 in 1980, and then it continued its upward trend in the 
next four years to reach a peak at $105,000 in 2010.
 
Figure 2 example: 
There was a sharp increase in GM car sales between 1960 and 1990 until it reached a high of almost 
$95,000; however, sales began to decrease swiftly to under $65,000 in 2010. 
Exercise 2: 
Look at the graphs below. Then describe the changes trying to connect trends.
 
A (Net users in ‘000)
 
B (Net users)
 
C (Net users) 
 
D (Birds population in ‘000)
E (Birds population)
F (Birds population) 
 
5
25
45
65
85
105
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
'000 Dollars 
GM car sales 
5
25
45
65
85
105
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
'000 Dollars 
GM car sales 
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105
5
25
45
65
85
105

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IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
11 
Exercise 3: 
First, label the graph using the words and phrases below. Then describe the changes and connect the 
trends where relevant. 
1.
 
mild fluctuations 
2.
 
a peak 
3.
 
a period of instability 
4.
 
a significant increase 
5.
 
a partial growth 
6.
 
a record high 
7.
 
figures climbing back 
8.
 
a marked rise 
9.
 
a dramatic decrease 
10.
 
a period of slight volatility 
11.
 
a leveling out 
12.
 
a sharp decline 
13.
 
a plateau 
14.
 
figures remaining constant
Example (Numbers 1 & 5 above): 
There were 
mild fluctuations
in the number of the XYZ radio station from 1980 to 2000, ranging 
between 11 and 35 listeners
; however,
the figures saw 
a partial growth
over the next two years, 
reaching almost 25 thousand people. 
 
5
25
45
65
85
105
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
Thousand s 
The number of XYZ radio station listeners since 1940 with projections until 2030 

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IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
12 
Using the right prepositions 
It is important to use the right preposition when you are reporting the features and 
describing the numbers, prepositions like to, by, with and at when describing numbers and 
figures. Here are some examples to give you a basic idea of the differences: 
1.
Use 
to
when describing what happened to the number: 
In 2008, the rate of unemployment rose to 10%. 
2.
Use 
by
when describing the amount of change between two numbers: 
In 2009, the rate of unemployment fell by 2% (from 10% to 8%). 
3.
Use 
with
to give the idea of 'having' the number: 
He won the election with 52% of the vote. 
4.
Use 
at
to add the number on the end of a sentence: 
Unemployment reached its highest level in 2008, at 10%. 
Exercise:
 
Complete the sentences choosing the right preposition from the list below. 
1.
……… 1990 ……… 2000, there was a drop ……… 15%. 
2.
GM car sales peaked ……… 2,000 in 1999. 
3.
The chart shows a decline ……… 35% ……… the bird population. 
4.
There has been a significant increase ……… the number of people aged over eighty. 
5.
There have been dramatic cuts ……… the level of spending on the elderly, reaching a 
low …… 11%. 
6.
Profits rose ……… a low of 4.5 million to a high of 8 million in 2008. 
7.
Canada and Australia’s wheat exports fluctuated ……… 5 million and 6 million 
respectively. 
8.
There were significant improvements ……… healthcare ……… 1980. 
9.
The statistics show a reduction ……… 20% ……… energy costs as a result ……… the 
measures. 
10.
Profits fell ……… 10%, from 2,000 to 1,800 in 1970s. 
11.
The radio station experienced a fall ……… 36,000 listeners to a total audience ……… 
2.1 million. 
for 
at on 
to in by 
from between 
of 
up down
with 
and 
during 

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IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
13 
12.
The number of students fell ……… a low of 1,500 in the second half of the year. 
13.
Cases of AIDS shot ……… from 2,400 in 1996 to 4,000 in 2004.
14.
Demand reached a peak ……… 45,000 in early March. 
15.
The number of cars sold remained unchanged in 1999 ……… three million. 
16.
Students do between three ……… four hours homework a night. 
17.
The number of accidents ……… 1999 was slightly higher than that of 2000. 
18.
The figure rose steadily ……… the four years between 1997 ……… 2001. 
19.
Oil production rose dramatically at first but then leveled out ……… $70 a barrel. 
20.
There was an increase ……… 50,000 between 1990 and 1992. 
21.
……… 1994 ……… 1997, sales rose steadily ……… over 20,000. 
22.
DVD sales peaked ……… 60,000 ……… 1992 but then decreased ……… about 10,000 
over the next two years. 
23.
In the year 2000, sales started ……… 10,000. In the first month, there was a rise ……… 
around 2,000. 
24.
After some fluctuations, sales in 2000 reached their peak ……… just over 15,000, a 
rise ……… 5,000 since the beginning of the year. Sales increased ……… over 10,000 
between 1994 and 1997, but then dropped ……… more than 10,000 …………… 1997 
and 1999. 
25.
In 2008, the rate of unemployment rose …… 10%. 
26.
In 2008, the rate of unemployment rose …… 10%, from 2,000 to 2,200 cases. 
27.
There was a slight rise …… the number of men employed. 
28.
Experts expect there to be a fall …… approximately 30% over the next decade. 
29.
The introduction ……… DVDs led to a decline ……… 20% ……… video sales. 
30.
The figures show a drop ……… 5% ……… student numbers. 
31.
The health service program spent a total ……… $2.5 billion on staffing …… April 2002. 
32.
The survey hopes to track trends ……… consumer spending. 
33.
In 2009, the rate of unemployment fell ……… 2% (from 10% to 8%). 
34.
He won the election ……… 52% of the vote. 
35.
Unemployment reached its highest level ……… the year 2008 ……… 10%. 
36.
……… 2002, the cost of an average house in the UK was around £130,000. ……… 2007, 
the average house price had risen ……… almost £190,000, but it fell back ……… just 
under £150,000 ……… 2008. 
37.
Japan ……… two gold medals and a silver one stood ahead of the US ……… one gold 
and one bronze medal ……… 1968. 

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