Introduction

In the previous IELTS lesson we took a first look at describing charts - something you may be asked to do in Task 1 of the IELTS writing. You learned what to look for when you first ‘read’ a chart and how to tell the difference between dynamic and static charts. In this lesson we’ll be taking a closer look at useful language for describing dynamic charts.

So far in these IELTS lessons we have looked at three kinds of composition you may be asked to write for Task 2 of the test. These are:

• describe causes of a problem and offer solutions
• present arguments in favour of and against an idea
• express your opinion on a controversial issue

In this lesson we’ll look in more detail about how to analyse a question and how to present your point of view clearly and effectively.

In this lesson you will…

			practise reading and getting information from dynamic charts.
			learn structures and expressions for describing increase and decrease.
			practise using prepositions when describing numbers and dates.
			learn how to use a mind map to generate ideas for Task 2.
			practise supporting your opinions with reasons and examples.
			learn useful words and expressions for supporting your opinions.
			learn how topic sentences help to organise your writing

IELTS WRITING TASK 1: MORE ABOUT CHARTS

Activity 1 > Understanding dynamic charts > 10 minutes

a) The chart below is incomplete. In a moment, you’ re going to read a description of the chart and complete it. Before you do this, though, take a good look at the chart and click here to answer the questions.

b) Now read the description of the chart and draw the missing section of the line graph.  Ideally, to do this you will need to print the graph.  Put your mouse on the graph and choose the 'print' icon.

The line graph shows figures for unemployment in the UK workforce between May 2003 and July 2006. It is clear from the chart that the rate of unemployment fluctuated a great deal during this time.  At the beginning of the period, unemployment stood at 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 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 1 per cent.  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 1 per cent, 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 2005 to November the same year, 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 5.7 per cent by July 2006.

c) The highlighted words in the description of the chart that you’ve just read are useful phrases for describing increases and decreases.  Read the report again and find phrases from the text which mean the same as these.

Activity 2 > Describing increase and decrease (1) > 5 minutes

a) In the last task you learned some useful phrases for describing increases and decreases. There are also two useful sentence structures for doing this:

1  [noun phrase] + [verb] + [adverb]  For example:  

• The unemployment rate rose rapidly.
• The cost of living  fell dramatically.

2  [There is/are] + [noun phrase]  For example:

• There was a rise in unemployment.
• There has been an increase in the cost of living.

Click here for an exercise to practise this.  Finish each sentence below so that it means the same as the one given.

Activity 3 > Describing increase and decrease (2) > 5 minutes

You can also describe increases and decreases by using fractions to show the size of the change over a certain period. For example:

• The cost of rents doubled in less than a year.
• Birth rates have halved since the turn of the century.
• By July, the price of petrol had fallen by a third.
• The number of school leavers going on to university has risen by a quarter since 1980.

a) The chart below compares monthly sales for two months from a fruit wholesaler. Check the title, the key and the axes so that you understand the chart.

b)  Click here to write sentences about the changes in fruit sales from July to November.

Activity 4 > Making approximations > 5 minutes

The chart in the previous activity had very convenient numbers. However, in real life things aren’t quite so easy! The chart in the IELTS test is not likely to show figures that rise and fall by exact fractions, such as a half or a third.

What you need to do is make approximations. For example, if real sales figures for oranges rose from 4000 kilos to 7850 kilos, you can say that orange sales almost doubled.

a)  Here are some useful words and phrases for making approximations.  Click here to match phrases with the same meaning.

b)  Now write sentences about the chart below, which shows changes in the quantities of imports of certain electronic goods. Click here to do this exercise.

Activity 5 > Prepositions of time > 5 minutes

In the last IELTS lesson you learned how important verb tenses are when describing dynamic charts and tables. Correct use of prepositions is also important. Here are some of the main prepositions you will need to use:

	in [month / year / morning, afternoon etc] at [9 o’clock, 10.30 am etc] from..[a point in time]..to… [another point] between…[a point in time]..and… [another point] during [a period of time] before [a point in time or a period of time] after [a point in time or a period of time] by [a point of time arrived at] until [a point of time reached] since [from a point in the past until now]

a) Go back to the description of the chart in activity 1b and find examples of the prepositions of time listed above.

b) Now click here to complete each of these sentences with the correct preposition.

Activity 6 > Preposition to describe increase and decrease > 10 minutes

You will also need to be careful when using prepositions with numbers.  Simply changing the preposition can change the whole meaning of a sentence. For example, what’s the difference between these two sentences?

1. Newspaper circulation rose by 20,000 newspapers per month.
2. Newspaper circulation rose to 20,000 newspapers per month.

Sentence 1 describes the size of the increase. Perhaps newspaper circulation was already 40,000 per month, and there has been a 20,000 per month increase. The final figure will be 60,000 per month.

Sentence 2 shows the point reached. Perhaps newspaper circulation had been 15,000 per month and it then rose by another 5,000 to reach 20,000 per month.

Remember also that not all words for describing rise and fall will take a preposition, and the preposition will depend on whether you’re using the word as a verb or a noun. See the table below for more details:

	Verbs that take a preposition Verbs that don’t take a preposition Nouns that take a preposition rise to/by increase to/by fall to/by drop to/by shoot up to/by plunge to/by stay at remain at fluctuate between/around reach a rise of an increase of a fall of a decrease of

Now look at the chart below and click here to complete a report with suitable prepositions where needed.

This lesson continues with Task 2 here.