Part of Task 1 — The Complete Guide. Start there for the consolidated version; this page is the deeper reference behind it.
Correct forms only. Read this the morning of the exam — and nothing else.
A condensed version of this list closes Task 1 — The Complete Guide.
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
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.
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.
4. Spelling
received · performing · driest · sunlight · annually · career · accountant · degradation · negligible · pounds · around · illustrated · beginning · separates · process · dried · similarly · railway station
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.
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.
7. Magnitude — pick by size
| Small (under ~2%) | Moderate | Large |
|---|---|---|
| marginal · slight · negligible | modest · moderate · noticeable | substantial · considerable · significant · dramatic · steep |
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.
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.
10. Linking
In contrast · conversely · by comparison Likewise · in the same way · a comparable pattern Overall (once, in the overview only)
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 |
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.
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."
14. Structures from the sample reports
Correlative comparative — The [comparative], the [comparative].
The younger the age group, the more likely they were to visit. The larger the city, the higher the cost of housing.
One of the highest-value complex structures available in Task 1: it compresses a whole trend into a single clause and reads as deliberate range rather than decoration.
Naming an anomaly — most charts have one category that misbehaves, and naming it is a Task Achievement marker: broke the overall pattern · runs counter to the general trend · is the outlier · with the exception of · do not follow this trend as neatly
Range language — when several categories cluster close together and listing each would be repetitive: ranging from X to Y · percentages ranged from 34% to 46% · with the other three activities between 38% and 42%
Small-value emphasis — when a figure is genuinely tiny: a mere 6 TWh · practically zero · just 3.2 times on average · appealed to only 8%
Age and group phrasing: those aged between 15 and 24 · those aged 55 and over · the one- to two-year-olds (hanging hyphen) · the three- to four-year-olds · cinema-goers
Linking two sources in one task: The accompanying table confirms this trend. · The same pattern appears in the second chart. · The table adds detail to this picture.
Bar chart + table in one task — a real variant. Intro paraphrases both sources in one sentence; the overview gives one combined trend, not one sentence per source; body 1 takes the first source, body 2 the second with an explicit link back. The trap is writing two unconnected mini-reports — the link sentence opening body 2 is what earns the Coherence mark.
15. 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