# task1_memorise

- **Original Source:** `task1_memorise.md`
- **Category:** `writing`
- **Original Format:** `.md`

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# IELTS Task 1 — What to Memorise
*Correct forms only. Read this the morning of the exam.*

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## 1. Fixed collocations — say these aloud

responsible **for**
the reason **for**
the cause **of**
consist **of**
an increase **in** [the topic]
an increase **of** [the amount]
rose **by** [the amount]
rose **to** [the endpoint]
account **for** [a percentage]
separate **into** [groups]
shredded **into** [pieces]
transported **in** [vehicles]
funding **in** [a place]
clean something **of** something

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## 2. Word forms — the noun and the verb

| Noun | Verb |
|---|---|
| growth | to grow |
| a rise | to rise |
| a reduction | to reduce |
| a loss | to lose |
| an increase | to increase |
| a decline | to decline |
| a combined figure | to combine |

**Write "combined" with the -d.** Every time.

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## 3. Superlatives — for 3 or more items

the highest · the lowest
the largest · the smallest
the most significant · the least significant
by far the largest
easily the highest
tops the list · lags behind

**more / less / higher / lower** — only when comparing exactly two things.

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## 4. Spelling

received · performing · driest · sunlight · annually · career · accountant · degradation · negligible · pounds · around · illustrated · beginning · separates · process · dried · similarly · railway station

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## 5. Irregular past participles for passive voice

is/was **built**
is/was **cut**
is/was **taken**
is/was **ground**
is/was **frozen**
is/was **shrunk**
is/was **moved**
is/was **dried**

Every passive needs the participle form: *is moved*, *were built*, *was cut down*.

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## 6. Trend vocabulary

**Rising:** rise · increase · grow · climb · edge up · surge · soar · rebound
**Falling:** fall · decrease · decline · drop · dip · ease · plummet · plunge · taper off
**Stable:** remain stable · stay constant · level off · plateau · hold steady · hover around
**Turning points:** peak at · hit a high of · bottom out · reach a trough

**Slow:** gradually · steadily · progressively · incrementally
**Fast:** sharply · dramatically · rapidly · abruptly

Match the adverb to the verb's own speed.

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## 7. Magnitude — pick by size

| Small (under ~2%) | Moderate | Large |
|---|---|---|
| marginal · slight · negligible | modest · moderate · noticeable | substantial · considerable · significant · dramatic · steep |

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## 8. Proportion

exactly half · just over half · just under half
roughly a third · approximately a quarter · nearly a fifth
the majority · the minority
account for · make up · represent
the largest share · the smallest share

When describing the change between two percentages, use **percentage points**: 22% to 34% is a rise of 12 percentage points.

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## 9. Process and map vocabulary

**Sequencing:** initially · at the outset · subsequently · following this · at the next stage · finally · the process concludes with

**Process verbs (passive):** is collected · is transported · is sorted · is shredded · is heated · is filtered · is converted into · is transformed into

**Maps — new:** was built · was constructed · was erected · was established · sprang up
**Maps — removed:** was demolished · was cleared · was cut down · gave way to · was replaced by
**Maps — changed:** was converted into · was turned into · was extended · was widened
**Maps — unchanged:** remained intact · was left untouched · survived unchanged

**Spatial:** adjacent to · bordering · on the outskirts of · at the heart of · running through · spanning · in the north · to the south-east

Compass directions stay lowercase.

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## 10. Linking

In contrast · conversely · by comparison
Likewise · in the same way · a comparable pattern
Overall (once, in the overview only)

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## 11. Tense by format

| Format | Tense |
|---|---|
| Single year, no time dimension | present simple |
| Two past dates | past simple |
| Past to today | past simple throughout |
| Actual data then a forecast | present simple, then **is projected to / is expected to / will** |
| Process diagram | present simple + passive |
| Map, two past dates | past simple + passive |
| Map, past to now | past for the changes, present for the current state |
| Map with a **proposed** panel | present for now, **will be / is to be / is planned to be** |

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## 12. Structure

**Four paragraphs:** paraphrased intro → overview → body 1 → body 2.

**Overview:** two or three sentences describing the shape of the data. No specific numbers.

**Grouping — choose before writing:**
- Line graphs and time-series tables → group by trend (rises together, falls together)
- Maps → group by spatial zone
- Two places compared → group by place
- Two time periods compared → group by period

Cover every column, category, and variable in the source.

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## 13. Sentence patterns worth having ready

"By [year], X had been replaced by Y."
"Where X once stood, Y now occupies the site."
"Aside from X, which remained unchanged, most of the area was transformed."
"X accounted for [%] of the total."
"The figure for X stood at [number] in [year]."
"There is no clear correlation between X and Y."
"X rose steadily across the period, while Y moved in the opposite direction."

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## 14. Final read-through

Read the **last paragraph twice**. Check:
- every passive verb ends in -ed or -en
- "combined" has its -d
- proper nouns are spelled the same way throughout
- the tense matches the format