How to write a Line or Bar Graph in Academic IELTS Writing Module | The Line or Bar and Time graph vocabulary | IELTS TASK 1 |

The Line/Bar graph vocabulary

All graphs which show changes over time – whether they are line graphs or bar graphs or a table need this vocabulary. All line graphs are time graphs but all time graphs are not line graphs.

Useful language:

Go down [↘]

1. decreased
2. fell
3. dropped
4. declined
5. came down

Go up[↗]

1. increased
2. rose
3. climbed
4. grew
5. went up
6. escalated

No change [⟶]

1. remained stable
2. leveled off
3. stabilized 

4. remained the same

Fluctuation – fluctuated [~]

Peaked at [Λ] 

reached a high of

Dipped [V]

 reached a low of

Small change [Minor/slow up or down]

1. slightly
2. slowly
3. minimally

Large change [large/quick up or down]

1. sharply
2. rapidly
3. dramatically
4. significantly
5. considerably
6. substantially

Medium change

1. moderately

2. modestly

Time graph vocabulary (Use Time Phrases)

It is important that you know how to use the common expressions of time.
Here are the common ones:
• In:
a. In 2000
b. In the 20th century
c. In the first ten years...

• For:
a. For the first six months...
b. For twenty years...

• During:
a. During the first six months...
b. During the first half of this century...
c. During the remainder of the year...

• From – to
a. From September to November...
b. From 2000 to 2005...

• between —and:
a. Between 1960 and 1970...

• Stood at / started at / finished at
Note that you can refer to a decade as the 1980s etc. There is no apostrophe before the s.