Ebook Exam Practice

Exam-Practice Ebook (Writing Band 7 – 8.

5)

IELTS LANGUAGE OF CHANGE

IELTS WRITING: ADVANCED WRITING MASTERCLASS
(IELTS TASKS 1 & 2)
HOW TO GET AN IELTS
WRITING BAND 7.0 - 8.5
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Exam-Practice Ebook (Writing Band 7 – 8.5)
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IELTS Academic Writing Overview

Length: 60 minutes
Academic Writing Test
Task Word Count Advised Timing Task description

Describing visual information such as bar charts,
1 150 20 mins
tables, graphs, maps or diagrams.
Presenting arguments and opinions in a discursive
2 250 40 mins
essay about a topical issue.
TIP: The exam says to write a 'minimum of 150/250 words but don't write much more. Aim for 10 or
20 words more at the most.
IELTS Academic
The Writing component of IELTS Academic includes two tasks. Topics are of general interest
to, and suitable for candidates entering undergraduate and postgraduate studies or seeking
professional registration.
Task 1
You will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise
or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe
the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event.
Task 2
You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.
Responses to both tasks must be in a formal style.
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Language of Change
When you write about a graph in Task 1 of IELTS, you will most likely be using the language of
change and / or the language of comparison and contrast.
In this first part we’ll look at expanding your range of vocabulary and grammar structures for
describing changes.
Exercise 1
Match the words of change with the parts of the graph. More than one option is possible.
Rose/increased steadily Rose/increased dramatically Rose/increased gradually

Plummeted to/Plunged to … Hit a peak / Peaked at/reached Fluctuated
a high of …
Fell/dropped/shrank Remained Dropped and then levelled
drastically/ dramatically / flat/constant/unchanged/stable off/evened out at
sharply at
Remained Dropped
Hit a low of …/ bottomed out Fell and then quickly recovered Dipped
at
Soared Rocketed Was erratic
Fell gradually / steadily
A-B ……………..
B-C ……………..
B-D …………….
D-F …………….
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F ……………….
F-H …………….
G ……………..
I-J ……………..
J-K ……………..
L-M ……………..
Definitions for some difficult words
Word Explanation
Plunged a very quick and large drop or reduction
Peaked at / reached a high of The highest point on the graph
Hit a low of / bottomed out The lowest point on the graph
Remained constant/unchanged/st able at …./ a ‘flat’ part of the graph where there is no
Levelled off/evened out at … change
Fluctuated/ was erratic Increases and decreases randomly, irregularly
or unpredictably
Rose/increased dramatically/Soared/ Rocketed Increased very quickly and drastically
Dipped Fell slightly but recovered quickly
Answers
A-B Fell and then quickly recovered / Dipped
B-C Fell/dropped/shrank drastically/ dramatically / sharply/ Plummeted to/Plunged to
B-D Dropped and then levelled off/evened out at
D-F Rose/increased dramatically/Soared/ Rocketed
F Hit a peak / Peaked at/reached a high of
F-H Fluctuated/ was erratic
G Hit a low of … I-J Rose/increased steadily/ Rose/increased gradually
J-K Remained flat/constant/unchanged/stable at
L-M Fell gradually / steadily
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Mastering Sentence Structures to Describe Change

Take a look at the following graph and read the paragraph which describes it.
Average Kg of rice per household per year
Graph Description:
To begin, in 1991, the average number of kg of rice consumed per household per year was 55,
but over the next two years, there was a dramatic drop to 20 kg per year (annum). The number then
increased (grew, rose, climbed) significantly between 1995 and 1996 to 50 kg per year (per annum).
1996 to 1999 saw an erratic period (a fluctuation) in the amount of rice consumed, which was followed
by a sharp rise at the end of the period, with the figures hitting a peak of 80 Kg in 2000. Next, the
average consumption plummeted, hitting a low of 15 Kg in 2001. It levelled off for the next year, but
then slowly increased to 20 kg, remaining steady at this rate for the rest of the period.
Exercise 2
Now, read the following sentences from the graph above. There are four different parts:
‘bold’, ‘CAPITALS’, ‘italics’ and ‘underlined’ Each part has a specific function.
Read the sentences and say what you think the purpose of each different part is:
1. To begin, in 1991, the average number of kg of rice consumed per household per year was 55.
2. But over the following two years, there was a dramatic drop to 20 kg per year (annum).
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3. The number then increased (grew, rose, climbed) significantly between 1995 and 1996 to 50 kg
per year (per annum).
4. 1996 to 1999 saw an erratic period (a fluctuation) in the amount of rice consumed
5. Which was followed by a sharp rise at the end of this period,
6. With the figures hitting a peak of 80 kg in 2000.
7. Next, the average consumption plummeted, hitting a low of 15 kg in 2001.
8. It levelled off for the next year,
9. But then slowly increased to 20 kg,
10. Levelling off at this rate for the remainder of the period.
remaining steady at this rate for the rest of the period.
The answers are on the next page. Don’t look until you’ve worked out the purpose of each part.
Answers
Introduces sentence and adds coherence and
Bold
contrast to the paragraph. (Connector)
CAPITALS Tells when something happened (Time)
Describes the changes to the figure (what
Italics
happened to the figures?) (Change)
Provides a specific number or value per year,
etc., connected to the change that has taken
Underlined
place or to the current point in the graph.
Shows the movement. (Value)
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The words in bold are connectors, or linking words, the words in CAPITALS are the time period,
the words in italics are the change taking place, and the underlined words are the value the graph is
measured in.
Connector Time Change Value

the number of arrests
To begin, In 1991, for illegal drug use 55
stood at
Connector Time Change Value
over the following There was a sharp fall
However, 20 per year.
three years, to
Connector Time Value (no connector)
The number rose
from 1995 to 199 To 50 per year.
significantly
Time Change Connector Change
saw a fluctuation in
1996 to 1999 which was followed by A sudden increase
the arrest rate
Time Change Value Time
at the end of this with the rate reaching
80 In 2000
period, a peak of
This can help you see exactly what you need to be doing when you write about graphs to
describe changes over time. Each sentence you write should have all or some of these elements.
If you don’t feel very confident writing about graphs yet, this is a particularly useful trick to
get you started. As you internalise these sentence structures, you will be able to use them naturally
and automatically.
There are 3 vital sentence structures you must learn and practice so that in the end you can
write them automatically! If you know these structures and you can apply them correctly in your
description, you are on the right road to achieving a good or even a great score.
3 structures used when describing changes:
There + be + adjective + noun + in + noun

1 There was a slow rise in the number of kg
consumed.
Noun + verb + adverb
2
Rice consumption rose steadily.
Time + saw/experienced/witnessed +
adjective + noun + in + noun
3 see table 1
*1999 saw a gradual increase in rice
consumption.
*there is no preposition before time words in this 3rd pattern (Not: In 1999 saw…)
Using varied language with a range of sentence structures is vital to achieving a high band
score in the IELTS exam. However, it is very common to see candidates who have learnt one of these
sentence structures, and then use them throughout their graph description. If you do this, it will make
your answer unnatural and will not demonstrate that you know a wide range of sentence structures.
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For many students, the difficult part of using these sentence structures is getting the word
forms right. Adjectives (gradual) change to adverbs (gradually) and nouns (a rise) change to verbs in
the past (rose) depending on the sentence structure you are using.
You have to be very careful when using them and you have to practise them so that it becomes
almost automatic for you and you can use them without thinking.
Now, you will see three different tables that will show you all the language of change you
require for the exam.
Table 1: There + be + adjective + noun + in + noun

Time Verb Adjective Noun In the Quantity Item Time
of
Dramatic
Gradual
Decline
There as Large
Decrease
a(n) (very) Marked Amount of
Drop
Minimal Number of
Fall
Rapid Percentage
Growth
Time Sharp In the of Noun Time
Increase
Significant Price of
Rise
Saw Slight Value of
Fluctuation*
Witnessed Slow Etc.
Jump*
experienced Small
Plunge*
Steady
Steep
Table 1
Time + saw + adjective + noun + in + noun
Note: as you can see in the table, the time phrases can fit in three different places.
* Some words do not work with all adjectives and adverbs. Only use these with the
following:
Fluctuation/(fluctuated) – dramatic(ly) /Slight(ly) / small.
e.g. There was a dramatic fluctuation in the amount of rice consumed.
Jump – sharp(ly), dramatic(ally), sudden(ly), minimal(ly), slight(ly) or small
e.g. There was a sharp jump in ice-cream sales
Plunge – sudden(ly)
e.g. 2009 saw a sudden plunge in ice-cream sales to 20,000.
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Table 2 Noun + verb + adverb

The number of (noun)…………..
The price of…
The value of…
Etc. +
Verb Adverb
Declined
Decreased
Dropped
Dramatically
Fell
Gradually
Grew
Markedly
Increased
Minimally
Reduced
Rapidly
Rose
Sharply
Fluctuated*
Significantly
Jumped*
Slightly
Plunged*
Slowly
Remained constant
Steadily
Remained stable
Suddenly
Levelled out
Did not change
Reached a peak/trough
peaked at + Number- percentage or value
hit a high of/low of + Number- percentage or value
Table 3
Time phrases
From (time 1) to (time 2)
Between (time 1) and (time 2) During the period (time 1) to (time 2) During (month or year)
In (month or year) On (day)
On the (date)
At (time; hours/minutes)
(time/time 1 to time 2) saw/experienced/witnessed
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Table 4
Connectors
Moving to a more detailed analysis,…/First of all,…/To begin,… Following that/this, …
Subsequently,… Afterwards,… After that/this,… Next,…
Then,… Finally,…
In contrast,…
However,…
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Exercise 3
Practice
Look at the tables carefully and make sure you use the correct form and tense for
each verb.
Examples
The + noun + verb + adverb + in + time
The consumption of gas rose gradually in 2012.
There + BE+ adjective + noun + in + noun + in + time
There was a gradual rise in the consumption of gas (in gas consumption) in 2008.
Time + saw+ adjective + noun + in + noun
2018 saw a gradual increase in the consumption of gas.
1. Alcohol consumption dropped suddenly during January and February.
There was a .….
January and February saw a…..
2. There was a slight dip in car sales at the start of the new year.
Car sales…………………………………..
The start of the new year witnessed………………………………..
3. In May, weather conditions improved significantly
May…………………………………………………
There…………………………………………………………….
4. There will be a sharp increase in employment next year.
Next year ……………………………………………………..
Employment …………………………………………………….
5. Visits to European cities increased steadily from 2010 to 2017.
There was a …………………………………………………….
The period…………………………………………………………
6. July experienced a fluctuation in the number of houses rented.
There was …………………………………………………………..
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Answers
Exercise 3
1. Alcohol consumption dropped suddenly during January and February.
There was a sudden drop in alcohol consumption during January and February.
January and February saw a sudden drop in alcohol consumption.
2. There was a slight dip in car sales at the start of the New Year.
Car sales dipped slightly at the start of the New Year.
The start of the New Year witnessed a slight dip in car sales
In May, weather conditions improved significantly
May saw a significant improvement in weather conditions.
There was a significant improvement in weather conditions in May.
3. There will be a sharp increase in employment next year.
Next year will see a sharp increase in employment.
Employment will increase sharply next year.
4. Visits to European cities increased steadily from 2010 to 2017.
There was a steady increase in visits to European cities from 2010 to 2017.
The period from 2010 to 2017 saw a steady increase in visits to European cities.
5. July experienced a fluctuation in the number of houses rented.
There was a fluctuation in the number of houses rented in July.
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Exercise 4
Here is a similar graph. The topic is slightly different, and so is the data. Write some sentences
describing the different patterns on the graph, making sure you vary your sentence structures
between the three examples we´ve looked at.
KPB Share price in USD
Test Tip
Calculate how much space 150 words occupy on a page. This means you won’t need
to waste time counting during the exam. Make sure your handwriting is neat and that the
examiner can easily read it.
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
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……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………….
Model Answer
The graph shows the changes and the overall decline in the share price of KPB over a
five-year period from 2006 to 2010.
At the beginning of the period the share price was at USD 13 per share. There were
several fluctuations until late 2006 when there was a sudden increase from USD 21 to USD 31
per share. This higher price did not last long, however, and it fell before rising strongly again
in 2008. From mid-2008 there was a sharp downward trend until the end of the year when it
fell to the lowest point in this period at just over USD 7 per share. After that the share price
recovered and, despite some fluctuations, continued to rise until it reached a peak of USD 17
in early 2010. Until late 2010 the trend was downward again, ending the year at just over USD
12.
KPB made significant gains and losses during this period but overall lost around USD 1
per share.
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About the E-Book

IELTS Writing: Advanced Writing Masterclass (IELTS Tasks 1 & 2) is a fully
comprehensive self-study resource designed for IELTS learners who need to achieve a band
score of 7.0 to 8.5 in the IELTS Academic Writing test.
Students are guided step-by-step through the different tasks to achieve the highest
possible grade in the real exam. The activities in this book have been developed in the
classroom by IELTS instructors with many years' experience in helping hundreds of candidates
reach the highest possible scores in the exam.
IELTS Writing: Advanced Writing Masterclass (IELTS Tasks 1 & 2) shows candidates
how to organise and structure an answer for all types of IELTS Academic writing task in the
exam. This book quickly develops students´ fluency and confidence in producing Advanced
pieces of writing and contains specialised IELTS grammar exercises in each unit, showing
students how to apply a wide range of grammar items in their IELTS writing.
GET 20% Discount on IELTS practice with Coupon Code – “OFFER20”
Visit –https://www.exam-practice.com
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Exam-Practice Ebook (Writing Band 7 – 8.

IELTS LANGUAGE OF CHANGE

Copyright © 2019 Exam-Practice. All Right Reserved.

IELTS Academic Writing Overview

Academic Writing Test

Task Word Count Advised Timing Task description

Rose/increased steadily Rose/increased dramatically Rose/increased gradually

Definitions for some difficult words

B-C Fell/dropped/shrank drastically/ dramatically / sharply/ Plummeted to/Plunged to

B-D Dropped and then levelled off/evened out at

D-F Rose/increased dramatically/Soared/ Rocketed

F Hit a peak / Peaked at/reached a high of

F-H Fluctuated/ was erratic

G Hit a low of … I-J Rose/increased steadily/ Rose/increased gradually

J-K Remained flat/constant/unchanged/stable at

L-M Fell gradually / steadily

Mastering Sentence Structures to Describe Change

Average Kg of rice per household per year

5. Which was followed by a sharp rise at the end of this period,

6. With the figures hitting a peak of 80 kg in 2000.

7. Next, the average consumption plummeted, hitting a low of 15 kg in 2001.

8. It levelled off for the next year,

9. But then slowly increased to 20 kg,

remaining steady at this rate for the rest of the period.

Connector Time Change Value

3 structures used when describing changes:

There + be + adjective + noun + in + noun

Table 1: There + be + adjective + noun + in + noun

Time + saw + adjective + noun + in + noun

Fluctuation/(fluctuated) – dramatic(ly) /Slight(ly) / small.

e.g. There was a dramatic fluctuation in the amount of rice consumed.

Jump – sharp(ly), dramatic(ally), sudden(ly), minimal(ly), slight(ly) or small

e.g. There was a sharp jump in ice-cream sales

e.g. 2009 saw a sudden plunge in ice-cream sales to 20,000.

Table 2 Noun + verb + adverb

The price of…

The value of…

hit a high of/low of + Number- percentage or value

Subsequently,… Afterwards,… After that/this,… Next,…

The + noun + verb + adverb + in + time

The consumption of gas rose gradually in 2012.

There + BE+ adjective + noun + in + noun + in + time

Time + saw+ adjective + noun + in + noun

2018 saw a gradual increase in the consumption of gas.

1. Alcohol consumption dropped suddenly during January and February.

There was a .….

January and February saw a…..

The start of the new year witnessed………………………………..

3. In May, weather conditions improved significantly

4. There will be a sharp increase in employment next year.

Next year ……………………………………………………..

5. Visits to European cities increased steadily from 2010 to 2017.

There was a …………………………………………………….

6. July experienced a fluctuation in the number of houses rented.

There was …………………………………………………………..

1. Alcohol consumption dropped suddenly during January and February.

January and February saw a sudden drop in alcohol consumption.

Car sales dipped slightly at the start of the New Year.

In May, weather conditions improved significantly