IELTS writing task 1 vocabulary

Writing task 1 requires you to write a 150-word essay in response to the visual representation provided. The question types of writing task 1 are pie charts, bar graphs, line charts, table, maps, and process diagrams. To excel in this task, you must have strong knowledge of the lexical resources. The IELTS writing task 1 vocabulary plays an important role in your final score as 25% of the task 1 score depends on the same. 

Each essay type requires a separate vocabulary range depending on the presentation. Thus we have compiled all the IELTS writing task 1 vocabulary in this article, to guide you in your preparation. The list of vocabulary used to describe each essay type, tenses to be used in the IELTS writing essay, etc are discussed here. 

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Writing task 1 Marking criteria

A clear understanding of the marking criteria is necessary before starting with writing task 1 vocabulary. IELTS Writing task 1 is scored based on these 4 marking criteria. Each criterion contributes to 25% of your score. They are 

• Grammar range and accuracy
• Lexical resources
• Task response
• Coherence and cohesion

Know more about the IELTS band descriptors to understand how the writing test is scored. 

Lexical resources (Vocabulary) 

The skill to use a range of vocabulary in your writing task 1 essay refers to the lexical resources or vocabulary skill. This criterion carries 25% of your writing score. You must pay attention to the word's usage, its location, and its synonyms. The points to be remembered while using the lexical resources are, 

• Never overuse the vocabulary. The use of more complex words may rupture the sentence structure. 
• When using synonyms use the correct form of the word that matches your essay structure. 
• You use a few uncommon vocabularies in your essay. 
• Try not to repeat the words given in the question unless you have no option to replace them. 
• Never repeat the same word more than once or twice in your essay. If you need to use the same word, you can use its synonyms. 
• Place the words in the correct place where and when it is required. It must be in flow with the sentence. 

IELTS academic writing task 1 vocabulary 

A good range of vocabulary accompanied by perfect sentence structure will award you a band 8 in your writing section. To improve your vocabulary you can use the different sets of words given below. 

Vocabulary to write the introduction 

A clear and captive introduction is required as this is the first content, the examiner is going to read in your essay. Thus keep it simple at the same time try using appropriate vocabulary that will describe the given representation. You must paraphrase the question to write the introduction part but make sure you are not using the same word as in the question. 

Verbs used in the introduction 

• shows 
• Represents 
• Depicts 
• Enumerates
• Illustrates
• Presents
• Gives
• Provides
• Delineates
• Outlines
• Describes
• Delineates
• Expresses
• Denotes
• Compares
• shows contrast
• Indicates
• Figures
• gives data on
• gives information on
• presents information about
• shows data about
• Demonstrates
• sketch out
• summarises

Vocabulary to describe the graph in the introduction 

• the comparison of
• the differences
• the changes
• the number of
• information on
• data on
• the proportion of
• the amount of
• information on
• data about
• comparative data
• the trend of
• the percentages of
• the ratio of
• how the

Example  

1. The given pie chart outlines the comparison between the age gaps of the two generation people living in the USA. 
2. The process diagram illustrates the changes taking place in the evolution of the species. 
3. The present line graph describes the trend of the people migration between the years 2000 and 2005.
4. The flow chart provides information on the life cycle of the silkworm. 
5. The provided figure shows the data about the proportion of electricity used by the city people. 

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Vocabulary to write the Report part 

The report part is the second part of the essay where you will be describing the given visual in a brief manner. Here you will be giving a general statement followed by a general overview of the data represented. The report can be given in a single paragraph or 2 or 3 paragraphs, based on the question requirement. 

Vocabulary for General statement 

The general statement will represent the “What, where, and when” information of the representation. The common words used while writing the general statement are mentioned below. 

• In general...
• In common...
• Generally speaking...
• Overall...
• It is obvious...
• As a general trend...
• As can be seen...
• As an overall trend/ As overall trend...
• As it is presented...
• It can be clearly seen that...
• At the first glance...
• It is clear,
• At the onset...
• It is clear that...
• A glance at the graph(s) reveals that...

Example: 

1. In general, it can be seen that the event has occurred in the past. 
2. It is obvious that the sales of product 1 have been dominating the market since 1996.
3. It is clear from the curves that, the sales is reaching its peak after the new industrialization. 

Vocabulary for General overview 

The general overview statement, describe the features given in the chart. Here you will be consolidating all the information given in the questions. The general overview can be written using the following vocabulary. 

• As it is presented in the diagram(s)/ graph(s)/ pie chart(s)/ table
• As (it is) shown in the illustration
• As can be seen in the
• As the diagrams suggest
• According to the
• Categorically speaking
• Getting back to the details
• Now, turning to the details
• The table data clearly shows that
• The diagram reveals that
• The data suggest that
• The graph gives the figure
• It is apparently seen that
• It is conspicuous that
• It is explicitly observed that
• It is obvious
• It is clear from the data
• It is worth noticing that
• It is crystal clear/ lucid that
• It can be clearly observed that
• It could be plainly viewed that
• It could be noticed that
• We can see that

Example 

1. As the diagram suggests the life cycle of the butterfly states from its pupa,...
2. The table data clearly shows that the corporates have started to occupy most of the small-scale industries. 
3. It is obvious from the pie chart that the cultural invasions are starting to bring a drastic effect on the tourism industry. 

Vocabulary to write the Conclusion 

In an essay, the conclusion part is important as you will be summarizing your views and discussions about the given data here. The words used to write the conclusion are, 

• In conclusion
• To conclude
• On the whole
• In short
• In brief
• To sum up
• In summary
• Generally
• Generally speaking 
• All in all
• From the graph it is quite evident 
• As it is observed
• It can be seen 
• Overall
• To summarize
• On the other hand
• In total
• Was reported
• Was noted

Example 

1. To sum up, the sales in the past 10 years has been depending on traditional marketing but the policies are now changing as per digitization. 
2. In total, the process diagram has clearly shown how two chemicals reacted when brought in close contact. 
3. To summarize the given data, there is no proper evidence to showcase the changes that have occurred due to climatic change.  

For all the IELTS writing task 1 question types you have to follow the answering pattern to improve your band scores. 

Vocabulary to describe the trend 

Generally, the graphs are used to represent the changes occurring over a period of time. It may have an increasing phase or a decrease phase. As we are reporting about the graphs in this task, the vocabulary used for describing the changes in the graph is given here for your reference. You can make use of these words in your sentences to score a high band score. 

Increasing verbs 

The words used for describing the upward movement in the graph are mentioned below. 

• Increase
• Rise
• Improve
• Grow
• Climb
• Peak
• Jump
• Go up 
• Uplift
• Upsurge
• Soar
• Shot up
• Improve
• Leap
• Move forward
• Surge
• Skyrocket
• Went up
• Was an increase
• Rocket
• Doubled
• Tripled

Example 

1. From the line graph, it can be seen that the sales have tripled in the last 2 years. 
2. With the invention of robotics, there was a surge in the company’s production rate. 
3. The advertisement has captured the attention of the customers, and the market value of product A has started to improve with time. 

Read about IELTS writing task 1 pie chart to get familiarity with the essay structure. 

Decreasing verbs 

The common words that can be used in the essay to represent the downfall of the curve are given below for your reference. 

• Decrease
• Fall 
• Decline
• Drop
• Dip 
• Go down
• Plummet
• Reduce
• Plunge
• Collapse
• Deteriorate
• Slum
• Slide
• Dive
• Go into free-fall

Example 

1. In between the time slot of 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm after the lunch break, there is always a drop in the employee’s productivity. 
2. The sales started to deteriorate when the new board members took control of the company. 
3. The plunging curve indicated the failure of the new project. 

Words to describe the stable movement 

It can be seen that at times the graph curve remains stray irrespective of the changes occurring around it. In those cases, you can use the following words. 

• To remain stable
• To remain static
• To remain unchanged
• To stabilize
• To level out
• To remain the same
• Plateau
• Unchanged
• Stay at the same level
• Prevailed consistency
• Stay uniform
• Immutable 

Example 

1. The curve was staying at the same level even after the drastic change that took place in the management. 
2. The bar chart shows that to remain stable in the market, you need new innovative ideas. 
3. The data significantly shows that there has been a prevailed consistency in the market after the war. 

These stable movements describing words can be used in reporting an IELTS writing task 1 bar graph. 

Verbs to show the fluctuations of the graphs 

• Upward trend
• Downward trend
• Change direction
• Fluctuate
• Variation
• Vary
• Changes intermittently
• Change sporadically
• Erratically
• Rise and fall
• Irregularly 

Example 

1. Take a look at the curve fluctuation to notice the trend change among the citizens of the country. 
2. When you travel in a cycle, through the given road, you need to change direction near the cut as there is a roadblock. 
3. There is an irregular amount of water flow from the dam is seen, due to the changes in the rain pattern. 

Vocabulary to explain the rate of changes in the graph 

The rate and the quantity at which the changes occur in the graph are described by the adverbs and adjectives. In the graph, there may be a slight change or a rapid change, depending on the situation and each can be explained using several adverbs and adjectives. They are, 

Rapid change 

• Dramatically
• Rapidly
• Sharply
• Quickly
• Hurriedly
• Speedily
• Swiftly
• Significantly
• Considerably
• Substantially
• Noticeably 
• Substantial
• Dramatic
• Wave
• Fluctuate
• Oscillate 
• Overwhelming
• Enormous 

Example

1. The dramatic change seen in the given chart indicates the fall in the market price for the product. 
2. The number of offices given work from home is significantly higher than before due to its positive output. 

The changes in the IELTS writing task 1 line graph can be reported with the above mentioned words to increase your band scores. 

Moderate change 

• Moderately
• Gradually 
• Progressively
• Sequentially 
• Relatively
• Vacilatae
• Palpitate 
• Somewhat 

Example 

1. The process keeps on progressively going without being affected by the drastic climatic changes.
2. Sequentially the marketing will be moved from traditional methods to digital methods.
3. The difference between the two bars is relatively small and that indicates that nil effect between the two-time slots. 

Adjective of steady change 

• Steady 
• Ceaseless
• Consistent
• Constant

Example 

1. The steady pace of the chart indicates the success level of the project. 
2. There is no constant change or steady pace in the graph. 

Adverb for slight change 

• Slightly
• Slowly
• Mildly
• Tediously
• Marginally 
• Gradually
• Modestly 
• Fractional 

Example 

1. From the map, it can be seen that the city has developed very slowly. 
2. The given information indicates that even the marginal changes that have taken place have been noted for future reference. 

Vocabulary for approximations 

As the graphs are representing the numerical values, there will be situations where you need to approximate the data while creating your report. You can use the following words to exhibit the approximations, 

• Approximately
• Nearly
• Roughly
• Almost
• About
• Around
• More or less
• Just over
• Just under
• Just around
• Just about 
• Just below
• A little more than
• A little less than.
• Less than
• More than 
• Equal to 
• Exactly
• Above or below
• A significant majority
• A significant minority 

Example 

1. The graph shows that the event occurred almost around the end of the year. 
2. The productivity of team A has been just above team B’s productivity. 
3. The changes that occurred in the year 1996 are equal to the changes that took place in 2000. 

The data given in the IELTS writing task 1 table chart can be easily discussed using the approximation words. 

Vocabulary for a date, month, or year 

In writing task 1, you may be given a visual representation that indicates the time change, dates, etc. For those graphs with timelines, you can use the following words while writing the essay. 

• From
• Commencing from
• Between
• After
• By
• In
• Over the period
• During
• In the first half of the year
• For the first quarter
• The last quarter of the year 
• Decade
• During the next 3 months
• In the mid
• Next year
• Previous year
• Within a time span of
• Next month
• Next quarter
• Previous month 
• Previous year 
• Since
• Then 

Vocabulary to represent a percentage, proportion, and fraction 

Using the correct word to represent the percentages, proportions, and fractions given in the graph can gain you a higher score. This is the palace where you can easily use uncommon words. The words that can be used to represent these situations are given below for your reference. 

Percentages 

• …% increase
• … percent decrease
• Increase by …%
• Decreased by … percent
• Fall at …%
• Reached …%
• tripled/ doubled 
• One-fourth, three-quarters, half, double fold
• Treble
• … times higher/ lower
• Declines to about …%
• Stood exactly at …%

Fractions 

• 4% - tiny fraction
• 24% - almost a quarter
• 23%- just under a quarter
• 25%- exactly a quarter 
• 26% - roughly one quarter 
• 27%- approximately a quarter
• 32% - Nearly one-third, nearly a third.
• 49% - Around a half, just under a half, almost half
• 50% - Exactly a half.
• 51% - Just over a half, more than a half 
• 73% - Nearly three quarters, slightly less than three quarters
• 75% - exactly three quarters
• 77% - Approximately three quarters, more than three-quarter, roughly three quarters
• 79% - Well over three quarters.
• 95% - a significant majority

Proportions 

• 2% - A tiny portion, a very small proportion.
• 4% - An insignificant minority, a negligible proportion.
• 16% - A small minority, a small portion.
• 70% - A large proportion.
• 72% - A significant majority, A significant proportion.89% = A very large proportion. 
• 89% - A very large proportion.

Linking words for writing task 1 

In writing task 1, you will be giving samples and examples, to support your views in accordance with the graph. The words that can be used to describe these places are shared for your reference. 

1. To give additional information, 

• In addition
• Not only…but also
• Also
• Moreover
• And
• As well as
• Furthermore

2. To list the elements in the graph 

• Firstly
• Secondly
• Thirdly
• Fourthly
• Finally, lastly, or last but not the least

3. To add an example to the essay 

• For instance
• For example
• To cite an example
• To illustrate
• Namely
• Such as
• In other words

4. To explain the key feature 

• Specifically
• Especially
• In particular
• Particularly
• Obviously
• Clearly
• Of course
• To represent the consequence 
• As a result
• Therefore
• Thus
• Consequently
• For this reason
• So
• Hence

6. To express a cause and reason 

• Due to
• Because
• Owing to
• As
• Since

Vocabulary for making a comparison

For questions where you will be comparing the data illustrated in the graph, the set of vocabulary given below can be used. 

• Surpasses 
• Equals 
• More than 
• Less than 
• Greatest 
• Least 
• Lesser 
• Smaller 
• Larger 
• Greater 

For a higher band score in the writing module, get a clear understanding about the IELTS writing task 1 map essay. 

Tenses 

You must pay attention to the tense usage in your essay. This is determined by the time frame used in the given graph or chat. A few of the commonly used tenses are given below for your reference. These are just a suggestion but a clear knowledge of the grammatical tenses will help you score higher marks. 

The basic tenses that will be used are 

1. Past tense - when the graph represents the event that has been completed in the past. 
   Example: 
2. Future tense - when the graph represents the events that will occur in the future.
3. Present tense - if there is no time limit mentioned in the graph. 
4. Present perfect - can be used when there is no date mentioned and the graph is representing a change taking place over a period of time. 
5. Present perfect continuous - can be used to describe an event that has started in past and continues till now. 
6. Future perfect - when the future event completion time is known, this tense can be used. 
7. Past simple - it can be used when a particular event is completed in the past. 

Vocabulary to represent the peak of the graph 

Highest point:

• Peak
• Culminate
• Climax
• Highest point
• Vertex
• Apex
• Summit
• Pinnacle
• Acme
• Zenith 

Lowest point

• Lowest point
• Bottom point 
• Rock bottom
• Nadir
• All-time low
• Bottom 

Vocabulary to show how many times 

• Exactly the same.
• Roughly the same
• Practically the same
• Twice, doubled
• Thrice, Trebled /tripled
• Four times, Quadrupled, fourfold
• Five times, Pentadrupled, fivefold
• Hexadrupled, sixfold, six times
• Septupled, sevenfold, seven times
• Octupled, Eightfold, eight times
• Nonupled, Ninefold, nine times
• Ten times
• Hundred times, Centupled, hundredfold

Check out the IELTS writing task 1 process chart. 

Conclusion 

The IELTS writing task 1 vocabulary given in this article will be aiding in your writing task preparation. While using the vocabulary, 

• Always remember to use the vocabulary appropriately in the required places. 
• Do not overuse the vocabulary 
• know the meaning and the synonym of the words before using them. 

FAQ

1. What words should I use in IELTS writing task 1?
The usage of words in the IELTS writing task 1 is important as it is one of the four marking criteria. The verb, noun, adjective, and adverb forms of words are mostly used to describe the visual representation given. 

2. How can I improve my writing skills?
The writing skills can be improved by, 
Having a good knowledge of the task and its essay type
A clear understanding of the graphs
Strong grammatical skills 
Adequate ability to use the words in the correct place. 

3. Is it okay to write 400 words in the writing task?
The exam board has given the minimum word limit as 150 words for task 1 and 250 words for task 2. There is no set limit for the maximum word count. However, make sure to complete the task within the time limit. 

4. Can I retake the IELTS writing task only?
No, there is no possibility to retake only one section. If you wish to improve your score, you need to appear for all four sections. 

5. How can I start a sentence in IELTS writing task 1?
The essay should start with an introduction. The introduction part must paraphrase the given question and describe the given graph. This part will be defining, your view of the given graph. 

6. How can I score 7 on the IELTS writing test?
Scoring a 7 band in IELTS writing task 1 is simple, by following the mentioned steps. 

• Answer all the parts of the question 
• Concentrate on the sentence structure, grammar and the spelling 
• Use appropriate lexica resources
• Make sure to write essay as per the word limit. 
• Express your view in your own and simple language.