ielts 4.5-5.5 writing lesson 7

Movement

Verb

decline

decrease

drop

fall

go down

Movement

Verb

halve

plummet

plunge

2. Language to describe changes

a. Verbs and adverbs

Verbs that describe big increases or decreases, like soared

or plummeted, don't need an adverb, because we already

know that they describe a large change. However, other

verbs need an adverb, to tell the reader what kind of

increase or decrease you are talking about.

II. How to write

2. Language to describe changes

b. Adjectives and nouns

You can also describe changes using adjectives and nouns. Most of the vocabulary is the

same, but you need to learn the adjective and noun forms.

There was a considerable rise in the income of Robbie's Bakery.

The income of Robbie's Bakery saw/experienced/witnessed a considerable rise.

1. dramatically dramatic

2. steadily

3. considerably

4. negligibly

5. remarkably

II. How to write

2. Language to describe changes

c. Prepositions
● With started and finished, use at

Example: Income started at £55,000.

● With increases or decreases, use (from)…to

Example: There was a sharp rise (from £40,000) to £70,000.

● With remained stable and levelled off, use at

Example: Income remained stable at £65,000.

II. How to write

2. Language to describe changes

c. Prepositions
● With peaked, use at

Example: Income remained stable at £120,000.

● To describe how much something increases or decreases, use by with verb and of with noun

Example: The figure went up by around £30,000.

There was a slight increase of £30,000.

● To describe the range of fluctuation, use between…and

Example: Earnings fluctuated between £80,000 and £90,000.

II. How to write

3. Structures to

describe changes

The graph shows data about the annual earnings

of three bakeries in London, 2000-2010.

Summarize the information by selecting and

reporting

the

main

features,

and

make

comparisons where relevant.

Structure 1. [Time period], [X] + verb + adverb +

to/by

From 2005 to 2007, the income of Robbie’s

Bakery increased gradually by £12,000.

Structure 2. [Time period], there was a/an +

adjective + noun + to/of [number]+ in + [X]

Between 2005 and 2007, there was a gradual

increase of £12,000 in the income of Robbie’s

Bakery.

Structure 3. [Time period] + saw/witnessed/experienced + a/an +

adjective + noun + to/of [number] + in + [X]

The period from 2005 to 2007 saw a gradual increase of £12,000 in the

income of Robbie’s Bakery.

Try to use academic phrases for describing future trends to make your writing

more interesting. For example:

Structure 1. [X] is/are expected/estimated/predicted to + verb + adverb

The number of students of Spanish is expected to rise significantly.

Structure 2. It is expected/estimated/predicted that [X] will + verb + adverb

It is estimated that the number of students of Spanish will rise significantly.

II. How to write

4. Joining two changes together

In paragraphs 3 and 4, you need to join changes

together into longer sentences.

Income remained stable between 2000 and 2004, and

then there was a steady rise in the next two years.

There are lots of ways you can join two ideas together

in an interesting way.

…., after that + clause

…., after which + clause

…., (but) this was followed by + N

Following this, …

At this point, …

Next, …

Subsequently, …