UNIT 3

LANGUAGE USED IN GRAPHS/CHARTS WITH TRENDS

(VOCABULARY & STRUCTURES)

AIM: This unit is aimed at providing students with

- the use of tenses
- the vocabulary and sentence structures to describe trends,
- the use of prepositions to give data and time expressions.
- the ways to join changes

TRY ITS FIRST

1. Study the table.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The table below shows the total length (in kilometers) of High-Speed Rail tracks of China,
France, and Japan in 1990, 2010, and projections for 2025.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features of the table. Write at
least 150 words.

Length of High – speed rail (km)

1990 2010 2025
China 0 3,529 13,126
France 720 1,871 3,976
Japan 1,832 2,534 3,625

2. Think about these questions before you start.

a. What is the main idea of the table?
b. What are the trends for the length of high-speed rail in three countries over the whole
period?
c. Which numbers do you select to write about the trends?
d. What tense do you use?
e. What sentence structures and vocabulary do you need to use?
f. Can you give a comment on a special feature shown in the table?

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3. Read the sample for the above table.

The table provides data on the numbers of kilometers of high-speed train tracks built in
in China, France and Japan in1990 and 2010 and the projected numbers for 2025.

Overall, what stands out from the table is that out of three countries, China is expected
to have the greatest total length of high-speed train tracks constructed in 2025 despite
having the lowest figure in 1990.

China started off with no tracks for fast trains in 1990, but it dethroned Japan to become
the country having the longest combined rail track (3,529 kilometers) by 2010. In 2025,
China is projected to remain the leading country witnessing a dramatic increase of
around 400% from 2010. By contrast, Japan had the highest figure in 1990 (1,832
kilometers), yet it is predicted to have 3,976 kilometers of high-speed train tracks
constructed by 2025, the smallest figure of all three countries.

The total length (in kilometers) of high-speed train tracks made in France began at 720,
and it then increased significantly to reach 1,871 in 2010, and will reach 3,976 in 2025.
However, the expected total length of tracks built in France and Japan by 2025 is just
nearly one-fourth of that of China in the same year.

(Adapted from the report written by Mr. Hiep (ieltsduyhiep@gmail.com)

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LANGUAGE NOTES
1. Describing trends over time

In report writing, some graphs/ charts/ tables are used to indicate the trends over different
periods of time given; thus, mixed verb tenses are expected to be deployed to deliver
interpretation accurately; it would be best to use:

 Past Simple to talk about ‘finished’ time, e.g. in 2000, etc.

 Present Perfect to talk about ‘unfinished’ time or time ‘until now’, e.g. since 2007,
2010 – present, etc.

 Future tense to talk about predictions in future time, e.g. in 2030, next year, etc.

We often use the following expressions when talking about future or predicted data because
the simple future is a little too certain.

predicted

It is anticipated
estimated
forecast that Subject will + Verb
projected
expected
Subject set
(be) predicted to + Verb
anticipated
estimated

The prediction is that …

subject + will + Verb
Subject will Verb

- It is predicted that the proportion of the world's population will double in 2030.

- Between 1950 and 2030, the proportion of the world's population is expected to double.

- The prediction is that the world's population will double in 2030.

- The proportion of the world's population will double in 2030.

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 2. Verbs and nouns used in describing trends
The following vocabulary is useful when writing a report describing trends.

MEANING VERB NOUN

go down decrease(-d) decrease
fall (fell / fallen) fall
drop(-ped) drop
decline(-d) decline
dip(ped) down and up /
plunge(-d) (big change) /
plummet(-ed) (big change) /
slump(-ed) (big change) /
go up increase(-d) increase
rise (rose / risen) rise
grow (grew / grown) growth
rocket(-ed) (big change) /
leap(ed) (big change) leap
shoot up (shot up) (big change) /
soar(-ed) (big change) /
surge(-d) (big change) surge
double(-d) /
no change level(-ed)
treble(-d) off at a
/ leveling off at
remain(-ed) the same
increase threefold at
/ fourfold /
remain(-ed) stable at /
remain(-ed) constant at /
remain(-ed) unchanged at /
stabilize(-d) at stability/a period of stability
constant change fluctuate(-d) fluctuation
vary (varied) variation
be erratic /
position peak(-ed) at
reach(-ed) a peak of
hit/reach a trough of
reach(-ed) a high of
reach(-ed) a low of
stand at (stood/stood)
begin/start at
end/finish at

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3. Adjectives and adverbs for degrees used in changes over time

MEANING ADJECTIVE / ADVERB

small change steady / steadily
slight / slightly
gradual / gradually
minimal / minimally
marginal /marginally
fractional / fractionally
remarkably
moderate change moderate / moderately
large change sharp / sharply
steep / steeply
considerable / considerably
noticeable /noticeably
significant / significantly
dramatic / dramatically
substantial / substantially
exponential / exponentially

- The number of passengers using Heathrow airport increased remarkably from 27.2 million,
reaching the highest point of 48.2 million in 2000.

- In 2002, the figure dropped to 33.2 million.

- The figure rose substantially for the next three years to 47.3 million.
- In 2003, Gatwick hit a peak of 69.3 million passengers.

4. Sentence structures used to describe changes

The flowing are two typical sentence structures to describe trends and facts.
 Adverb patterns
Subject + verb + adverb

• The number of students increased substantially from 1,000 in 2015 to 2,000 in 2018.
• The income of the Tea Room fell sharply from US$60,000 in May to US$ 30,000 in June.

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  Adjective patterns

There + be + (a/n) + adjective + noun in

- There was a substantial increase in the number of students from 1,000 in 2015 to 2,000 in
2018.
- There was a sharp fall in the income of the Tea Room US$60,000 in May to US$ 30,000 in
-
June

Subject + experience/witness/see (a/n) + adjective + noun in

- School ABC experienced a sharp fall in the number of students from 500 in 2016 to 200 in
2017.
- Company ABC witnessed a significant rise in the sales of computers last month.

5. Prepositions and articles

 Prepositions for data incorporation

In report writing, prepositions play an important role in illustrating time expressions or

incorporating data, so you are highly expected to use them precisely. Otherwise, there is a
likelihood that a great amount of information will be delivered in an incorrect way.

It decreased from 10 to 2 It started at 2 It dropped by 8

It peaked at 10 There was a drop of 8

It finished at 2

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 The following are the other versions of the Adverb Patterns and Adjective Patterns shown.

Subject + verb + by ______ from _____in _____ to _____ in

- The number of students increased by 1,000 from 1,000 in 2009 to 2,000 in 2012.
- The income of the Tea Room fell by about $11,000 from almost $160,000 in January
to just under $50,000 in December.
There + be + (a/n) + noun of ______ in _____ from ___ in ____ to ___ in ____

- There was an increase of 1,000 in the number of students from 1,000 in 2009 to 2,000 in
2012.
- There was a fall of about $11,000 in the income of the Tea Room from almost $160,000 in
January to just under $50,000 in December.
Similarly, articles do need to be employed accurately in your answers.
- The line graph provides information about the income trends of four cafes in New York
over a period of one year.
- It is noticeable that the income for the Tea Room is lower in the winter months than that for
the other three cafes.

6. Joining changes
A good answer in report writing does need to consist of a wide range of sentence structures.
Moreover, in order to upgrade your descriptions about graphs/charts with trends, the writer does
need to show his/her competence of coordinating changes together. Accordingly, a number of ways
are suggested to join two or more than two changes/trends in one complex sentence.

 Sequencing expressions
Certain connectors are considered as helpful devices to clearly show the sequence of the changes
seen in the graphs/charts.

Then,
After that,
Subsequently,
Following this,
At this point,

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 - In 1995, just over 80% of recent male graduates were working. After that, there was a steady
increase in men’s figures until 2001, with sharper rises in 1996 and 2000.
- In 1995, just over 80% of recent male graduates were working. Subsequently, despite some
fluctuations, there was a steady increase in men’s figures until 2001, with sharper rises in
1996 and 2000.

 Relative clauses
Relative clauses can be used to link two changes over time.

which
, which is followed by
, followed by
, after which

- The students spent 3% less on accommodation, which fell from 23% to 20% of the total
expenditure.
- There was a rise in Café Cool’s sales over the first ten months, (which was) followed by a
sudden increase to $120,000.
- There was a rise of 2% in the percentage of females in full time work from 1995 to 1996,
followed by a fall to 1995 level one year later.

 Adverb clauses of time

Adverb clauses of time can also be used to indicate the chronological order of the changes seen in
the graph/chart.

After ,
Before ,
Having + pp ,

- After the proportion of male graduates declined steadily to over 78% in 1997, the figure
soared to a peak of around 83% in 2000 before stabilizing at this level the following year.

- Having declined steadily to over 78% in 1997, the proportion of male graduates soared to a
peak of around 83% in 2000 before stabilizing at this level the following year.

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PRACTICE
Practice 1: Match the parts of the graph 1 – 10 with the verbs a – j.

1. A – B a. hit a low
2. B – C b. fell and then leveled off
3. B – D c. remained flat/stable
4. D – F d. plummeted
5. F e. rose gradually
6. F – H f. fell gradually
7. G g. soared
8. I – J h. dipped
9. J – K i. fluctuated
10. L – M j. hit a peak

For sentences 1 – 10 below, use the verbs in the above exercise to replace the underlined
text.

1. The price of computers dropped, followed by a period of stability.

2. The quantity of goods transported by road reached a peak in the year 2009.

3. The amount of money spent on books fell slightly and then quickly recovered.

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 4. The number of visitors to the website plunged in the first half of the year.

5. The purchase of book increased slowly but surely over the years.

6. The number of students majoring in Language Studies stabilized over the decade.

7. Attendance at the meeting decreased steadily last year.

8. The population growth rate was erratic during the previous year.

9. The number of members in the club reached the lowest point in March.

10. Car sales rocketed in December.

Practice 2: Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first
sentence.

Example:

There has been a substantial rise in the amount of money spent on fast food.

The amount

→ The amount of money spent on fast food has risen substantially.

→ The amount of money spent on fast food has shown a substantial rise.

1. Spice exports from Africa fluctuated slightly over the period.

There were

2. The production of films has risen considerably.

There

3. There has been a marked decrease in research investment.

Research

4. The purchases of online tickets dropped dramatically last month.

There

5. On the Internet, the number of sites rose substantially.

There was

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6. There was a sudden decrease in the sale of apples.

The sale

7. At the theme park, there were wild fluctuations in the number of visitors.

The number

8. There was a gradual decline in rubber imports.

Rubber

9. The quality of food in supermarkets has increased fractionally.

There has

10. The number of air travelers remained unchanged during the period.

There

Practice 3: Choose one preposition from the box to go into each of the gaps in the
sentences to describe the graphs that follow.

at in to of at by from

of
1. There was an increase 50,000 between 1990 and 1992.

2. from 1994 to 1997, sales rose steadily to over 20,000.

3. Overall, sales peaked _ at nearly 60,000 in 1992, but then

plummeted to about 10,000 over the next two years.

4. In the year 2000, sales started at _ around 10,000. In the first month, there
was a rise of around 2,000.

5. After some fluctuations, sales in 2000 reached their peak of just over
15,000, a rise of 5,000 since the beginning of the year.

6. Sales increased by over 10,000 between 1994 and 1997, b u t then

dropped by _ more than 10,000 between 1997 and 1999.

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Practice 4: Study the graphical details below. Write sentences describing each trend as
illustrated in the graphs. Each graph may have more than one suitable description.

Example:

- The price remained constant at $300

400
per ton from 1993 to 1994 and then
$n per toone

300
collapsed to about $20 in 1995 before
200
it experienced a three-year period of
100
stability until 1997.
0
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 - The price remained unchanged at
$300 per ton from 1993 to 1994. After
- After the price remained unchanged at that, the figure experienced a
$300 per ton from 1993 to 1994, the substantial drop to about $20 in 1995,
figure fell sharply to about $20 in followed by a period of stability for 3
1995 before it levelled off and then years.
remained constant at this rate until
1997.

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A.
__________________________________
120 __________________________________
100
__________________________________
$ per tonne

80
60 __________________________________
40 __________________________________
20 __________________________________
0
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

B.
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________

C.

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

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D.

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

E.

60 _________________________________
50
$ per tonne

40 _________________________________
30
20
_________________________________
10
_________________________________
0
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 _________________________________

_________________________________

Practice 5: Study the following table and complete the sentences using the
prompts given.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The tables below give information about the world population and distribution in
1950 and 2000 with an estimate of the situation in 2050.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.

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 World population 1950 – 2050
World population 1950 2000 2050
(billions) 2.5 6.0 9.0 (estimated)
Distribution of World population by Region
Africa 9% 13% 20%
Asia 56% 60% 59%
Europe 22% 12% 7%
Latin America 6% 9% 9%
North America 7% 5% 4%
Oceania < 1% 1% 1%

1. 1950/ 2050/ the world population/ expect/ rise/, growing from 2.5 billion to 9.0 billion
people.

2. Asia/ project/ retain/ their major share of the world population (56% to 59%)/ so/ their
population/ probably/ continue / grow/ in line with/ world growth.

3. It/ estimate/ Africa and Latin America/ see/ similar upward trends/ their proportion of
the global population/ rising by 11% and 3% respectively.

4. However, / population figure/ Europe/ forecast/ decline/ about two-thirds/ a span of

100 years from 1950 to 2050.

5. Prediction / be / that /population / North America / fall / 3% / 4% / 2050.

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Practice 6: Study the following line graph and the sentences. Then reorder the sentences to
form a report.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below shows the number of members taking part in different sports
activities at Santon Sports Club from 1990 to the present day.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.

1. In 1990, it was the third most popular activity, but it now is the most popular with almost 300
using the gym regularly.

2. It can be clearly seen that over the past 20 years some sports at the club have become more
popular, while the others have become less popular or have remained at virtually the same
level.

3. This number has fallen from almost 275 in 1990 to approximately 140 in the present day, with
the steepest decline occurring between 1990 and 1995.

4. There has been a steady rise in the number of club members regularly doing circuit training.
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5. The line graph presents the number of people who play four different sports at Santon Sports
Club from 1995 up till now.

6. It is also noticeable that circuit training has attracted most members in the present year.

7. Meanwhile, the number of people who go swimming has fluctuated over the period – 250 in
1990, falling and then rising by a small amount before falling back to 250 in the current year.

8. Fitness classes have also grown in popularity with the number rising from approximately 130
in 1990 from 230 in the present year.

9. On the other hand, there has been a decline in the number of club members taking part in
racquet sports over the period.

Practice 7: Study the following charts and make an outline for each chart, grouping the
main features into different paragraphs. Then, write a report on one of the charts.
Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph below shows the differences in wheat exports over three different areas
from 1985 to 1990.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

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Task 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart below shows the contribution of three sectors – agriculture, manufacturing,
and business and financial services – to the UK economy in the twentieth century.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.

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 THINGS TO REMEMBER
Assessment criteria
1. Major trends
- Upward - Task achievement
- Downward - Coherence
- Stable and cohesion
- Fluctuate (upward, downward)
- Past tenses - Grammatical range
2. Tenses - Present tenses and accuracy
- Present perfect - Task achievement
- Future
3. Verbs/Nouns of - Upward - Lexical resources
movements - Downward - Grammatical
- Stable range and
- Fluctuate (upward, downward) accuracy

4. Adjectives/Adverbs - Large change - Lexical resources

for degree - Moderate change - Grammatical
- Small change range and
accuracy
5. Sentence structures  Adverb patterns - Grammatical
- S + V + Adv range and
 Adjective patterns accuracy
- There + be + Adj + noun
- S + V + Adj + noun
6. Prepositions and  S + V + Adv from …. to - Grammatical
articles  S + V + Adv by … from …. to range and
 S + V + Adj + noun of … from accuracy
…. to - Lexical resources
 S + starts/begins/ends/finishes at
…
6. Join changes  Sequencing expressions: first, next, - Grammatical
then, after that range and
 Relative clauses: which, who, accuracy
when, where, … - Coherence
 Adverb clauses of time: before, and cohesion
after, …

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