Key Vocabulary & Grammar for Data Description

Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy together account for 50% of your Task 1 score. This lesson provides a comprehensive vocabulary and grammar reference specifically for describing data, with examples and common errors to avoid. Master this material and you will have the language tools for Band 7+.

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Trend Vocabulary: The Complete Reference

Upward Movement

Verb          Noun          Adjective/Adverb
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
increase      an increase   increasing / increasingly
rise          a rise        rising
grow          growth        growing
climb         a climb       climbing
go up         an upturn     upward
surge         a surge       surging
soar          —             soaring
rocket        —             rocketing
boom          a boom        booming
expand        an expansion  expanding

Downward Movement

Verb          Noun          Adjective/Adverb
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
decrease      a decrease    decreasing / decreasingly
fall          a fall        falling
drop          a drop        dropping
decline       a decline     declining
go down       a downturn    downward
plummet       —             plummeting
plunge        a plunge      plunging
shrink        a contraction shrinking
dip           a dip         —
sink          —             sinking

Speed and Intensity Adverbs

Dramatic Change              Moderate Change          Small Change
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
sharply                      steadily                 slightly
dramatically                 moderately               marginally
rapidly                      gradually                fractionally
steeply                      progressively            negligibly
significantly                consistently             minimally
substantially
considerably

Combining Verbs and Adverbs

The combination of verb + adverb creates precise descriptions:

Combination	Meaning
rose sharply	increased a lot in a short time
increased gradually	went up slowly over time
declined slightly	went down a small amount
plummeted dramatically	fell very fast and very far
fluctuated erratically	went up and down unpredictably
remained relatively stable	stayed mostly the same

Band 7+ Tip: Use at least 5–6 different verb-adverb combinations in your response. Repeating "increased" and "decreased" limits your Lexical Resource score.

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Using Verb and Noun Forms Interchangeably

One of the most effective ways to demonstrate grammatical range is to express the same trend using both verb and noun forms.

Verb Form

"Tourist numbers rose sharply from 2 million to 5 million between 2010 and 2015."

Noun Form

"There was a sharp rise in tourist numbers, from 2 million to 5 million, between 2010 and 2015."

Another Noun Form

"A sharp rise of 3 million in tourist numbers was recorded between 2010 and 2015."

Conversion Pattern
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Verb + Adverb    →    Adjective + Noun
rose sharply     →    a sharp rise
increased steadily →  a steady increase
declined gradually → a gradual decline
dropped significantly → a significant drop
grew moderately  →    moderate growth
fell slightly    →    a slight fall

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Data Description Grammar

Prepositions for Data

These prepositions are critical and frequently misused:

Preposition    Usage                          Example
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
at             A specific value               "peaked at 500"
from...to      Start and end of a change      "rose from 200 to 500"
by             The amount of change            "increased by 300"
of             Following a noun               "a rise of 300"
between...and  A time range                   "between 2010 and 2020"
in             A specific year                "in 2015"
over           A time period                  "over the decade"
during         A time period                  "during the 1990s"
around/about   Approximation                  "around 500"
to             Reaching a specific level      "climbed to 800"

Common Preposition Errors

Wrong	Right
"increased from 200 by 500"	"increased from 200 to 500"
"peaked in 500"	"peaked at 500"
"rose at 300"	"rose by 300"
"between 2010 to 2020"	"between 2010 and 2020" or "from 2010 to 2020"

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Complex Sentence Structures

1. Participle Clauses

"Starting at 200 in 2010, the figure rose to 500 by 2020." "Having peaked at 500 in 2015, sales declined steadily to 350 by 2020." "The figure increased to 500, before falling back to 400."

2. Relative Clauses

"Oil, which accounted for 45% of energy production, was the dominant source." "The USA, where technology salaries exceeded $90,000, had the highest figures."

3. After / Before / While / Until