Writing Task 1: Describing Trends

DESCRIBING TRENDS

UP

• rise (v): Production costs rose to their highest level of the year in July.
• rise (n): There was a rise in production costs to the highest level of the year.
• go up (v): Between 1900 and 2000, the population went up by over a million people.
• grow (grew, grown) (v): The number of first-time users grew rapidly in 2017.
• growth (n): There was solid growth in the number of first-time users in 2015.
• increase (v): The numbers of cyclists increased between 2005 and 2010.
• increase (n): There was an increase in the number of cyclists between 2005 and 2010.

DOWN

• decline (v): The construction of new homes declined for ten years in succession.
• decline (n): There was a decline in the number of new homes for ten years in succession.
• go down (v): After a rise, imports went down again.
• decrease (v): Average test scores decreased at three of the schools.
• decrease (n): There was a decrease in test scores at three of the schools.
• drop (v): In 2008, foreign investment dropped by over 20%.
• drop (n): In 2008, there was a drop in foreign investment of over 20%.
• fall (fell, fallen) (v): The number of overseas students fell in 2013.
• fall (n): There was a fall in the number of international students in 2013.

SAME

• stay the same: The company’s market share stayed the same.
• remain constant: For three months, the percentage remained constant.

UP AND DOWN

• fluctuate (v): The number of seasonal workers employed by the company fluctuates each year.
• fluctuation (n): There have been fluctuations in the number of seasonal workers employed by the company.
• go up and down (v): Fares have gone up and down over the last few months.

ADVERBS AND ADJECTIVES

UP OR DOWN QUICKLY

• rapidly (adv): The number of smartphones in use has risen rapidly over the last ten years.
• rapid (adj): In this decade, there was a rapid increase in smartphone use.
• suddenly (adv): Employment figures dropped suddenly during the following ten years.
• sudden (adj): The next decade saw a sudden decrease in employment figures.
• sharply (adv): The price of textbooks rose sharply.
• sharp (adj): There was a sharp rise in the price of textbooks.
• dramatically (adv): Exports fell dramatically last year.
• dramatic (adj): There was a dramatic fall in exports last year.
• significantly (adv): Property taxes rose significantly in 2014.
• significant (adj): There was a significant rise in property taxes in 2014.
• steeply (adv): The number of people attending the event increased steeply in 2013.
• steep (adj): The year 2013 saw a steep increase in the number of people attending the event.
• major (adj): A major expansion of the company’s parent department is expected in the next few years.

UP OR DOWN MORE SLOWLY

• steadily (adv): The number of tourists visiting the park rose steadily.
• steady (adj): The park experienced a steady increase in the number of tourists.
• gradually (adv): The population of the province gradually declined.
• gradual (adj): There was a gradual decline in the population of the province.
• slightly (adv): Bus fares may go up slightly.
• slight (adj): A slight increase in bus fares is expected.
• minor (adj): There were minor fluctuations in the value of raw materials.