Academic Writing Task 1 · Lesson 2 of 5
Describing data and making approximations
Learn a range of words and structures for describing change, and how to describe numbers when exact figures don't work well.
In this lesson you will
- learn words and phrases for describing increases and decreases in charts
- practise two sentence structures for describing change
- use the language of approximation to describe data
Part A
Describing increases and decreases
Look at the line graph. Before you read anything, always check the axes. Here the vertical axis shows the unemployment rate as a percentage, and the horizontal axis shows the dates (months and years).
UK unemployment rate (age 16+), May 2003 – July 2006
Now read part of one test taker's answer. Note that this is not the whole answer. It is one body paragraph, which gives the details of the graph and supporting data.
At the beginning of the period, unemployment stood at around 5.1 per cent. A few months later, the figure had risen slightly to 5.2 per cent. Unemployment then remained stable until September 2003. From this point on, there was a steady downward trend, and by January 2004 the rate had fallen to around 4.9 per cent. It stayed at this level until May the same year, but from May to July there was another small drop of 0.1 percentage points. There were no further changes in the level of unemployment until March the following year. From March to May 2005, there was a small increase of 0.1 percentage points, but this did not last long, and the figure had fallen back to 4.8 per cent by July. From September 2005 onwards, however, there was a marked upward trend in the rate of unemployment in the UK. From September to November 2005, the figure shot up from 4.8 to 5.2 per cent. The rate remained stable for a few months, but then rose sharply again, and had reached a peak of approximately 5.7 per cent by July 2006.
Find the phrases
Find a highlighted phrase in the paragraph that means the same as each description. Where a description needs two phrases, use a different one in each box.
- did not change (1)
- did not change (2)
- went up a little (1)
- went up a little (2)
- went up very quickly (1)
- went up very quickly (2)
- arrived at its highest point
- went up noticeably over a period
- went down (1)
- went down (2)
- went down gradually over a period
Useful extra word: if a figure goes up and down frequently, you can say it fluctuated, for example: “The rate fluctuated a great deal between 2004 and 2005.”
Grammar
Two structures for describing change
Using both structures in your answer shows the examiner a wider range of grammar.
1. Noun phrase + verb + adverb
| Noun phrase | Verb | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| The unemployment rate | rose | rapidly. |
| The cost of living | fell | dramatically. |
2. There + be + (adjective) + noun + in
| There + be | (Adjective) + noun phrase |
|---|---|
| There was | a rapid rise in unemployment. |
| There has been | a dramatic increase in the cost of living. |
Notice how the verb rose becomes the noun rise, the adverb rapidly becomes the adjective rapid, and the tense moves into the verb be (was). When the data is in the past, use the past simple.
Sentence transformation
Finish each sentence so that it means the same as the one above it. Keep the same tense.
- The price of oil rose sharply. There
- There is a noticeable increase in temperature from May onwards. Temperature
- The number of people attending the theatre has fallen dramatically. There
- There had been a steady rise in DVD sales during the first six months of the year. DVD sales
- There has been a rapid growth in the use of alternative energy sources. The use of alternative energy sources
- The popularity of self-catering holidays decreased significantly during the 1990s. There
- There was a sharp rise in the price of oil.
- Temperature increases noticeably from May onwards.
- There has been a dramatic fall in the number of people attending the theatre.
- DVD sales had risen steadily during the first six months of the year.
- The use of alternative energy sources has grown rapidly.
- There was a significant decrease in the popularity of self-catering holidays during the 1990s.
Similar words are also correct, for example increase for rise, or drop for fall.
Part B
Making approximations
Exact numbers are not always the clearest way to describe a chart. A useful strategy is to make an approximation. For example, if sales of oranges rose from 4,000 kilos to 7,850 kilos, you can say that orange sales almost doubled.
Match the phrases
Match each phrase with the phrase that has the same meaning.
- just over
- approximately
- just under
Now look at this bar chart. The vertical axis shows millions of units, the horizontal axis shows five electronic goods, and the two colours show the two years, 2000 and 2006.
Imports of electronic goods (millions of units)
Write sentences with approximations
Write one sentence about the change in imports of each product. Use words from both boxes. Note that doubled, tripled and halved are verbs.
- just over
- approximately
- just under
- around
- nearly
- slightly more than
- halved
- doubled
- tripled
- fell by
- rose by
- a quarter
- a third
- DVD players
- CD players
- Televisions
- Radios
- Video recorders
- Imports of DVD players nearly / almost / approximately doubled.
- Imports of CD players fell by just under / approximately / nearly a quarter.
- The number of televisions imported rose by just over / slightly more than a third.
- The number of imported radios rose by slightly more than / just over a quarter.
- Imports of video recorders approximately / roughly halved.
Notice the different ways of saying “imports”: imports of…, the number of … imported, the number of imported ….
Activities adapted from British Council IELTS teaching materials (takeielts.britishcouncil.org).