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Describing Quantities 
Look at the patterns below and the examples carefully so that you can describe different numbers and 
amounts in your report correctly. 
The number of + Plural Countable Noun + Singular Verb Form 
The number of people out of work fell by 99,000 to 2.39 million in the three months to 
October. 
The amount of + Singular Uncountable Noun + Singular Verb Form 
The amount of rainfall doubles between May and June. 
The proportion of + Countable or Uncountable Nouns + Singular Verb Form 
The proportion of spending on furniture and equipment reached its peak in 2001, at 23%. 
The percentage of + Countable or Uncountable Nouns + Singular Verb Form 
The percentage of people using their phones to access the Internet jumped to 41% in 2008. 
The figures for Countable or Uncountable Nouns + Plural Verb Form 
The figures for imprisonment fluctuated sharply over the period shown. 
 

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IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
18 
Varying your language 
As with any task 1, this is important. You should not keep repeating the same structures. 
The key language when you write about pie charts is proportions and percentages. 
Common phrases to see are "the proportion of…" or "the percentage of…". However, you 
can also use other words and fractions. These are some: 
A large number of people 
over a quarter of people 
a small minority 
A significant number of people 
less than a fifth 
This table presents some examples 
of how you can change percentages 
to fractions or ratios: 
Percentage Fraction 
80% four-fifths 
75% three-quarters 
70% seven 
in 
ten 
65% two-thirds 
60% three-fifths 
55% more 
than 
half 
50% half 
45% more than two fifths 
40% two-fifths 
35% more than a third 
30% less than a third 
25% a 
quarter 
20% a 
fifth 
15% less than a fifth 
10% one in ten 
5% 
one in twenty 
If the percentages are not exact as above, then you can use qualifiers to make sure your 
description remains accurate. Here are some examples: 
77% just 
over 
three 
quarters 
77% approximately 
three 
quarters 
49% just 
under 
a 
half 
49% nearly a half 
32% almost 
a 
third 
Percentage proportion / number / 
amount / majority / minority 
75% - 85% a very large majority
65% - 75% a significant proportion
10% - 15% a minority
5% 
a very small number
The words above are interchangeable, though number is for countable nouns and amount 
is for uncountable nouns.
Here are 3 useful techniques for describing percentages: 
1.
English speakers usually put the percentage at the start of the sentence. 
2.
Use 
while
, 
whereas
or 
compared to
(after a comma) to add a comparison. 
3.
Use "the figure for" to add another comparison in the next sentence. 

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