Bar Charts: Useful Language (British Council Academic IELTS: Writing): Study Material
Bar charts: describing change
When describing change in a bar chart, try to use a range of verbs and expressions to show how figures go up, down or stay stable. Here are some you can use.
To increase/to decrease (from … to …)
Example: The number of visitors increased from 12,000 to 18,000 between 2010 and 2015
To rise/to fall
Example: The figure for car ownership rose over the period by 10%, while bicycle use fell by 25%
An increase in/a decrease in
Example: In both years, there was an increase in the amount of money spent on public transport
A rise in/a fall in
Example: The chart shows a sharp fall in the percentage of people using landline phones.
To grow
Example: The amount of waste recycled grew steadily over the five-year period.
To drop
Example: The figure for unemployment dropped by 10% after 2012.
To decline
Example: Spending on books declined gradually between 2015 and 2020.
To remain stable
Example: The percentage of students choosing art remained stable throughout the period
To stay the same
Example: The figure for Glasgow stayed the same in 2018 and 2019
To stand at
Example: In 2021, the number of visitors to Rome stood at around 2 million
To reach
Example: Sales of electric cars reached their highest point in 2020
To peak at
Example: The figure for Madrid peaked at 75% in 2019
To hit a low of
Example: Coffee consumption hit a low of 2 kilograms per person in 2016
To double/to triple
Example: The amount spent on online advertising doubled over the period
To fluctuate
Example: The number of tourists fluctuated slightly between 2012 and 2016
Bar charts: using adverbs & adjectives
To get a higher score in “Lexical Resource”, try to use a range of adverbs and adjectives. Remember that adverbs usually go after a verb, while adjectives come before a noun.
Slightly/sharply
Example: Sales fell slightly at first in March, but then rose sharply in April
Gradually/steadily
Example: The figure for train use increased gradually and steadily over the period
Significantly/considerably
Example: Spending on housing increased significantly in the final year
Dramatically/rapidly
Example: The number of people using the Internet grew dramatically after 2005
Moderately
Example: The percentage of students studying science rose moderately between 2010 and 2014
Marginally
Example: The figure for bus travel decreased marginally in the second year
A slight increase / a slight decrease
Example: Overall, there was a slight increase in the number of museum visitors.
A sharp rise/a sharp fall
Example: The chart shows a sharp rise in smartphone ownership among older people
A steady increase/a steady decline
Example: There was a steady decline in the use of printed newspapers
A dramatic drop
Example: The bar chart illustrates a dramatic drop in coal production
The highest / the lowest
Example: Among the five cities, Paris recorded the highest figure, while Naples had the lowest
Similar/almost identical
Example: The figures for Spain and Italy were similar in the first year
Noticeable/marked
Example: In 2010, there was a noticeable increase in spending on health care
Bar charts: making comparisons
To get a high score in Task achievement you need to make clear comparisons between features. These are some words and expressions to describe comparison in a bar chart.
Higher than/lower than
Example: The figure for Liverpool was higher than that for Leeds in every year shown
More/less than
Example: In 2020, people in Berlin spent more on food than those in Vienna
The highest / the lowest
Example: London had the highest number of visitors, while Manchester had the lowest
Compared with
Example: Compared with 2018, the figure for car sales was much higher in 2022
In comparison with
Example: In comparison with boys, girls spent more time reading
Whereas/while
Example: Spending on rent increased in Paris, whereas it fell in Milan
In contrast/by contrast
Example: In contrast to Rome, Naples recorded a much lower figure
Twice as … as
Example: The number of students choosing English was twice as high as the number choosing German
Three times as … as
Example: The figure for online sales was three times as high as that for in-store sales
Similar to
Example: The figure for Athens was similar to that for Lisbon in 2017
Almost the same as
Example: Expenditure on clothing in June was almost the same as in July
The difference between … and …
Example: The difference between the two age groups was quite small
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