Hi, I’m Jonathan Mitchell, an IELTS Writing examiner and academic English specialist.
When describing charts, graphs, or tables in IELTS Academic Task 1, your ability to write about trends and comparisons clearly and precisely is essential.
Examiners award high bands when your report shows variety in sentence structure and vocabulary — especially when describing changes over time or comparing data between categories.
In this lesson, I’ll show you how to describe trends, comparisons, and changes accurately, with natural examples and useful academic phrases.
In most Academic Task 1 visuals, you’ll either describe:
Some tasks even require both. Recognising which one applies helps you choose the right grammar and vocabulary.
When describing trends, focus on direction, degree, and speed of change.
Trend Type | Verbs (for subjects) | Nouns (with ‘in’) | Adverbs / Adjectives (for degree) |
Increase | rise, climb, grow, go up | an increase, a rise, a growth | sharply, steadily, gradually |
Decrease | fall, drop, decline, go down | a fall, a drop, a decrease | dramatically, slightly, significantly |
No change | remain stable, stay constant | stability | roughly, nearly, about the same |
Fluctuation | fluctuate, vary | fluctuation, variation | mildly, irregularly, inconsistently |
Example:
The number of online shoppers rose steadily from 2000 to 2020.
Car sales fluctuated around 500,000 units over the ten-year period.
Band 8 Tip: Use the correct tense — past for completed data (rose, declined), present for ongoing trends (rises, declines).
Mixing verbs and adverbs adds precision and variety.
Basic | Better (More Descriptive) |
Sales increased. | Sales increased sharply in 2010. |
The rate fell. | The rate fell gradually over the next decade. |
Numbers remained stable. | Numbers remained relatively constant until 2015. |
For visuals that don’t show time (like pie charts or single-year bar charts), focus on comparative language.
Purpose | Examples |
Equality | as…as, the same as, similar to |
Inequality | higher/lower than, more/less than, whereas |
Superlatives | the highest, the lowest, the most significant |
Example Sentences:
Band 8 Tip: Use a variety of comparative forms, but keep sentences concise. Overly complex phrasing reduces clarity.
Combine sentences for cohesion and variety:
While smartphone usage increased significantly, landline subscriptions declined steadily over the same period.
Electricity consumption in households was higher in urban areas than in rural ones, where it remained stable.
These contrasts show relationships clearly and improve Coherence and Cohesion scores.
Examiners look for precise quantifiers and modifiers. Avoid vague expressions like “a lot” or “a bit.”
Degree | Example |
Large | increased dramatically / significantly / substantially |
Moderate | rose steadily / gradually / moderately |
Small | declined slightly / marginally |
Sudden | dropped sharply / rapidly / abruptly |
Example:
Tourism numbers increased dramatically after 2015, reaching a peak of 3 million visitors.
Accuracy with time phrases also affects your score.
Incorrect | Correct |
In 10 years, it increased by 5%. | Over a 10-year period, it increased by 5%. |
From 2010 to 2020, it rise 10%. | From 2010 to 2020, it rose by 10%. |
In the year of 2015, it fall. | In 2015, it fell. |
Band 8 Tip: Use “by” to express amount of change (rose by 10%), and “to” to express final value (rose to 50%).
Task: The line graph shows the number of visitors to three museums between 2010 and 2020.
✅ Sample Answer:
Overall, all three museums experienced an upward trend, although the British Museum consistently attracted the highest number of visitors. Between 2010 and 2015, attendance at the Science Museum rose sharply from 400,000 to 800,000. In contrast, the National Gallery saw a gradual increase over the same period, reaching approximately 600,000 visitors by 2020.
Notice how each sentence:
Mistake | Explanation | Correction |
Using informal verbs (go up, go down) | Too casual for academic tone | Use increase, decline, fall, rise |
Confusing “by” and “to” | Changes meaning | rose by 10% (amount), rose to 50% (final point) |
Describing every figure | Hurts coherence | Focus on overall trends |
No comparison or linkers | Feels disconnected | Use while, whereas, in contrast |
Try writing one sentence for each situation below:
✅ Sample Answers:
Before finishing Task 1, ask yourself:
If yes, you’re demonstrating control of Task Achievement and Lexical Resource at Band 7–9 level.
Describing Trends & Comparisons effectively is the backbone of Task 1 writing.
You must blend accuracy, variety, and formality — not just list numbers.
Next, read Grammar for Graphs & Charts to learn which tenses and structures make your data descriptions sound natural and professional.
Or return to the IELTS Writing Overview: Format, Scoring & Key Skills for the full roadmap.
For official guidance, see IELTS.org.
Get the latest IELTS writing tips and practice materials directly to your inbox.
Your dedicated path to Band 7+ IELTS success. Master every skill with expert guidance and tailored…
