Describing Data (Task 1) vocabulary for IELTS

Verbs, nouns and adverbs for trends, comparisons and proportions. 20 words with definitions and example sentences, useful for Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 3.

surge verb / noun

to increase suddenly and strongly

Online sales surged in 2020.

plummet verb

to fall very quickly

Profits plummeted after the scandal.

fluctuate verb

to rise and fall irregularly

Prices fluctuated between $40 and $60.

plateau verb / noun

to stay at the same level after a period of change

Growth plateaued at around 3%.

peak verb / noun

to reach the highest point

Visitor numbers peaked at 2 million in July.

bottom out phrasal verb

to reach the lowest point before rising

House prices bottomed out in 2012.

steady adjective

changing gradually and regularly

There was a steady rise in enrolments.

marginal adjective

very small

There was a marginal decrease in sales.

dramatically adverb

by a very large amount, suddenly

Costs rose dramatically in the final year.

gradually adverb

slowly over a period

The figure declined gradually.

account for phrasal verb

to form a particular amount of a total

Coal accounted for 40% of energy use.

proportion noun

a part considered in relation to the whole

The proportion of older workers has grown.

respectively adverb

in the order mentioned

France and Spain recorded 30% and 25% respectively.

overall adverb

considering everything

Overall, spending rose across all categories.

outnumber verb

to be greater in number than

Women outnumbered men in every age group.

comparable adjective

similar enough to compare

Rates in the two cities were comparable.

the vast majority noun phrase

almost all

The vast majority of journeys were made by car.

a fraction of noun phrase

a small part of

Rail carried only a fraction of freight.

remain stable verb phrase

to stay at the same level

The number of visitors remained stable at 5,000.

in contrast linker

used to show a difference

In contrast, spending on leisure fell.