Video Lesson Handout

Describing Trends
What is a trend?
(noun) a trend is a general development or change in a
situation or in the way people are behaving.
Example:
Surveys show a trend away from homeownership and towards
rented accommodation.
There!s been a downward"upward trend in sales in the last few
years.
Some graphs showing various trends
Video Lesson Handout
Verbs to e#press $up% and $down%
&ouns to e#press $up%
&ouns to e#press $down%
Video Lesson Handout
'dverbs and ad(ectives to e#press $small% or $slow%
changes
'dverbs and ad(ectives to e#press $large% or $fast% changes
'd(ectives and adverbs for other changes
Video Lesson Handout
There was a ) ad(ective ) noun *
Examples
There was a dramatic increase in the number of tourists to Leeds
Castle.
There was a slight fall in the population from 1975 to 1980.
There was a minimal +uctuation in sales fgures over the whole
period.
There was a marginal decline in eagle numbers over the 1980s.
There was a sudden (ump in onsumption of brea!fast ereals
ompared to bread produts.
There was a gradual levellingo, in student numbers b" the middle
of the seond term.
* saw " e#perienced " en(oyed " su,ered a ) ad(ective )
noun *
Examples
The number of tourists to Leeds Castle saw a dramatic increase in
1999.
The population e#periened a slight fall from 1975 to 1980.
$ales fgures saw a minimal +uctuation over the whole period.
%agle numbers su&ered a dramatic decline during the 1980s.
Consumption of brea!fast ereals en'o"ed a sudden (ump ompared
to bread produts.
Video Lesson Handout
... verb ) adverb *
Examples
The number of tourists to Leeds Castle increased dramatically in
1999.
The population fell slightly from 1975 to 1980.
$ales fgures +uctuated minimally over the whole period.
(ver the 1980s eagle numbers declined marginally.
Compared to bread produts) onsumption of brea!fast ereals
(umped suddenly.
*" the middle of the seond term) student numbers levelled o,
gradually.
* adverb ) verb *
Examples
The number of tourists to Leeds Castle generally increased over the
whole period.
The population -nally levelled o, in 1985.
$ales fgures occasionally +uctuated.
.nitially) enrolment numbers increased rapidly) then slowed after
the frst three months.
Video Lesson Handout
/ther trends
+opulation fgures remained constant over muh of the period.
The number of students enrolled at the ollege stayed roughly the
same from the frst "ear reorded to the ne#t.
$ales of *ritish ars e#ceeded that of %uropean ars in the ,- in
.001.
Consumption of beef rose above that of hi!en for the frst time in
1977.
/n .001) tra0 aidents fell below previous numbers.
1fter reaching a pea0 of 200m in .000) sales delined rapidl" and hit
a trough in .005.
/llitera" rates stopped rising and have remained onstant until this
"ear.
$to! mar!ets e#periened the biggest nosedive sine 19.9.
$ales of C3s too0 a dive after the introdution of legal downloads
Video Lesson Handout
1ractice 2#ercises
%#erise 1 4 %rror orretion
Each of the following sentences contains mistakes. Rewrite the sentences
correcting the mistakes. When you have fnished, check your answers with
the key at the end of the practice section.
1. Sales of chicken urgers dramatic increase over the period.
!. "here was a signifcantly increase in the population.
#. $onsumption of diesel consideraly rose until the end of the period.
%. &igures plummeted slightly in 1'''.
(. "he numer of licensed taxis rocketed dramatically from the
eginning.
). "here was signifcant increase in the population of *rantishopston.
+. Sales of ,-pods rose signifcant immediately after their release.
.. /-oxes experienced a rapid grow from the eginning of 0ovemer.
'. &igures saw a remain constant over the whole period.
11. Enrolment fgures for West 2ondon $ollege hit a peak in !11(.
11. "here was a slow 3uctuation in the numer of urglaries in the south-
east.
1!. "here was a slightly 3uctuation in the numer of urglaries.
1#. Rainfall sees wildly 3uctuation each year in 4undaland.
1%. Employment fgures dived immediately after the war.
1(. "eddy ear sales remained signifcantly constant over the whole
period.
Video Lesson Handout
1ractice 2#ercises
%rror orretion 5 1nswers
1. Sales of chicken urgers dramatic increase over the period.
Sales of chicken urgers increased dramatically over the period.
2. "here was a signifcantly increase in the population.
"here was a signifcant increase in the population.
3. $onsumption of diesel consideraly rose until the end of the period.
$onsumption of diesel rose consideraly until the end of the period.
4. &igures plummeted slightly in 1'''.
&igures plummeted in 1'''.
5. "he numer of licensed taxis rocketed dramatically from the
eginning.
"he numer of licensed taxis rocketed from the eginning.
6. "here was signifcant increase in the population of *rantishopston.
"here was a signifcant increase in the population of *rantishopston.
7. Sales of ,-pods rose signifcant immediately after their release.
Sales of ,-pods rose signifcantly immediately after their release.
8. /-oxes experienced a rapid grow from the eginning of 0ovemer.
/-oxes experienced a rapid growth from the eginning of 0ovemer.
9. &igures saw a remain constant over the whole period.
&igures remained constant over the whole period.
10. Enrolment fgures for West 2ondon $ollege hit a peak in !11(.
Enrolment fgures for West 2ondon $ollege reached a peak in !11(.
11. "here was a slow 3uctuation in the numer of urglaries in the south-
east.
"here was a slight 3uctuation in the numer of urglaries in the south-
east.
12. "here was a slightly 3uctuation in the numer of urglaries.
"here was a slight 3uctuation in the numer of urglaries.
13. Rainfall sees wildly 3uctuation each year in 4undaland.
Rainfall 3uctuates wildly each year in 4undaland.
14. Employment fgures dived immediately after the war.
Employment fgures took a nosedive immediately after the war.
15. "eddy ear sales remained signifcantly constant over the whole
period.
"eddy ear sales remained constant over the whole period.
Video Lesson Handout
.2LTS '3'D24.3 56.T.&7 4/D8L2
6riting Tas! 1
7ou should spend about .0 minutes on this tas!.
The chart below shows the amount of money per week spent on fast foods in Britain. The
graph shows the trends in consumption of fast foods.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below
7ou should write at least 150 words.
Sample Answer
The diagrams give information on e#penditure and consumption of
fast foods in the 89.
The chart shows that high income earners consumed by far the
most fast foods: spending at least ;< pence more on hamburgers
than on the other foods. 'verage income earners also favoured
hamburgers (== pence per wee0): followed by -sh and chips at <>
pence: then ;; pence on pi??a. Low income earners spent the least
money: however -sh and chips were their most popular fast food:
followed by hamburgers and then pi??a.
@rom the graph: we can see that in ;ABC: pi??a was by far the most
popular fast food. The consumption of hamburgers and -sh and
chips rose steadily over the <C year period: hamburgers e#ceeding
pi??a around ;AD<: and -sh and chips consumption rising above
pi??a around ;AAB. The consumption of pi??a was in decline over
much of the period until ;ADE: but e#perienced a slight recovery to
;AAC.
Video Lesson Handout
.2LTS '3'D24.3 56.T.&7 4/D8L2
6riting Tas! 1
7ou should spend about .0 minutes on this tas!.
The bar chart below shows the reasons why adults choose to take up education courses. The
pie chart shows how adults believe the costs of their course should be shared.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below
7ou should write at least 150 words.
Sample Answer
The following charts show the results of a survey as0ing why adults
study: and how they thought their education should be paid for.
The top three reasons given ($for current (ob%: $interest in sub(ect%:
and $to gain Fuali-cations%) saw no signi-cant di,erence in
proportion: and were >>G: >CG and =DG respectively. 2n(oyment
of learning was signi-cantly lower than these motivations: and had
a <CG share of the total. @inally: the lowest two percentages were
for adults who wanted to change careers (;<G): and for those who
saw studying as a way of meeting people (AG).
The pie chart shows that the people surveyed believed the student
should foot the highest proportion of the bill for adult education
courses (>CG). /nly slightly less: the employer was e#pected to
pay =EG of the course fees. @inally: and mar0edly lower than the
other two: respondents thought that the government should bear
e#actly a Fuarter of the costs.
Video Lesson Handout
.2LTS '3'D24.3 56.T.&7 4/D8L2
6riting Tas! 1
7ou should spend about .0 minutes on this tas!.
The table below describes visitor numbers for various museums and galleries in the UK over
three decades: 1!1" 11 and #$$1.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below
7ou should write at least 150 words.
Sample Answer
The table illustrates visitor -gures for various 89 cultural
attractions in ;AD;: ;AA; and <CC;.
Three of the museums and galleries saw a general increase in the
number of visits over the period. @irstly: -gures for the Hritish
4useum (umped signi-cantly by <.= million (despite a marginal
decline in <CC;): and: secondly: for the &ational 7allery: from <.B to
>.E. .n spite of starting at lower than any other attraction (C.A
million visits in ;AD;): visits to the Tate Hritain increased most
dramatically from ;.A million in ;AA;: and again to <.E in <CC;:
becoming the fourth most popular cultural attraction. There were
no -gures for the Tate 4odern for the -rst two decades: however: it
en(oyed >.B million visitors in <CC;.
'lthough the &atural History 4useum and the Science 4useum
recorded the highest -gures in ;AD;: visits declined dramatically
before ;AA;: because these attractions started charging entrance
fees. @inally: despite a rise in <CC;: -gures are still to reach
previous levels.
Video Lesson Handout
.2LTS '3'D24.3 56.T.&7 4/D8L2
6riting Tas! 1
7ou should spend about .0 minutes on this tas!.
The charts show the %uantity of milk" in pints" consumed daily by children in the
UK in 1&.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below
7ou should write at least 150 words.
Sample Answer
The bar charts give information about the daily mil0 consumption
(in pints) of children in Hritain in ;AAB.
The two largest proportions for male children were for a Fuarter of
a pint and half a pint (==G and <BG respectively). @or girls:
however: half a pint (<EG) and more than ; pint (<=G) were the
most signi-cant proportions. 3onsiderably more boys than girls
consumed between three Fuarters and ; pint. DG of boys
consumed more than one pint per day (eFual to the proportion
consuming no mil0). This: as can be seen earlier in the paragraph:
is in star0 contrast with the fraction of the girls who said they
dran0 more than one pint every day. @inally a very insigni-cant
proportion of girls (=G) dran0 no mil0 at all.
5hen we combine the proportions: we can see that the ma(ority of
the children dran0 between a Fuarter and a half pint daily (both at
<IG). The ne#t most signi-cant proportion was for those drin0ing
more than three Fuarters of a pint. The lowest of the total was for
children drin0ing no mil0 at all (IG of the total).
Video Lesson Handout
.2LTS '3'D24.3 56.T.&7 4/D8L2
6riting Tas! 1
7ou should spend about .0 minutes on this tas!.
The graphs show the number of licensed cars in the UK from 1!# and #$$'" and household
access to a car from 1!$ to #$$(.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below
7ou should write at least 150 words.
Sample Answer
The graphs show the total number of cars licensed: and the
percentage of households with access to cars in Hritain: over two
and a half decades from ;ADC.
The number of licensed cars rose steadily from ;E.E million in ;AD<
to <B.D million in <CCI: an DCG rise. The most signi-cant rise was
from ;ADD to ;AAC after which numbers remained constant for two
years: before increasing as before.
This substantial increase is re+ected in an increase in the
proportion of households having access to two or more cars. .n
;ADE: >;G of households did not have access to a car: falling to
<EG by <CCE. The proportion of households having access to one
car remained stable at around >EG. .n contrast: the proportion
with access to two cars doubled from ;EG to =;G. This proportion
e#ceeded that for households with no car in around <CC<: and in
<CCE the di,erence between these proportions was appro#imately
BG in favour of families with two or more cars.
Video Lesson Handout
.2LTS '3'D24.3 56.T.&7 4/D8L2
6riting Tas! 1
7ou should spend about .0 minutes on this tas!.
The bar chart below shows the percentages of students who failed their end of year
e)aminations at an *merican college in 1 and #$$+.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below
7ou should write at least 150 words.
Sample Answer
The bar chart compares percentage failure rates of students in end
of year e#aminations at an 'merican college in ;AAA and <CC=.
Hoth years recorded a decrease in e#am failures as students got
older. .n ;AAA: ;C.EG of I
th
graders failed their e#ams compared to
;.<G of ;<
th
graders. The largest fall from was from B
th
grade to D
th
grade: constituting a >.EG better success rate for the older
students. <CC= e#perienced a similar disparity with ;=.AG of I
th

grade pupils failing: decreasing to a mere <.<G of -nal year
students. This decline suggests that as students get older: they
become more serious about their studies.
3omparing the two years recorded: it becomes clear that as time
passed: students became more li0ely to fail. The most signi-cant
rise was for the I
th
: B
th
and D
th
graders at an increase of =.>G: =.BG
and =.=G respectively. 'lthough students became more successful
the older they got: there was still an increase in failure rates in the
last three school years from a total of BG in ;AAA to A.< G in <CC=.
Video Lesson Handout
'ssessment 3riteria
2ssay length J target is ;EC words. 4ore words are better
than fewer: but please remember you have a time limit of <C
minutes
1araphrased Language J NEVER, NEVER, NEVER copy chun0s of
language from the Fuestion
Description of trends and 1roportion J relevant: accurate:
meaningful: not overly detailed
3omparison of trends and 1roportion J relevant: accurate:
meaningful: not overly detailed
1aragraphing J .ntroduction and main paragraphs. 4ust be
logical and wellorganised
Lin0ing of ideas J Don%t write a list of random facts. Sentences
wor0 with each other and must be connected logically
6ange of Vocabulary and Structure J Don%t repeat yourself too
muchK -nd other ways of e#pressing similar ideas
'ccuracy of grammar: vocabulary and spelling J need . say
moreL
6egister J remember you are usually writing to a university
lecturer. This is an academic te#t so it must not be informal or
casual
2,ect on target audience J the reader must clearly understand
the main facts Fuic0ly and easily. Mou don%t want the reader to
have to wor0 hard to understand your essay
.mproved 2ssay
"he line graph descries trends in irth and death rates in
,reland from 1'11 and predicts these changes up to the year
!111.
4etween 1'11 and the present, the irth rate has een
consistently higher than the death rate. "here were !1,111
irths at the eginning of the period, rising to a peak of )),111
in 1')1. "his numer 3uctuated wildly until the end of the
1'11s. "he graph then forecasts a slight decline in numer of
irths until the end of the period pro5ected.
$omparing the death rate, we can see a more steady increase
from 5ust elow 11,111 in 1'11 to nearly #1,111 at the present
time. "he numer of deaths is expected to increase
dramatically until around !1)1 6overtaking that of irths in
!1%17 efore levelling o8 at roughly )1,111. "he gap
experienced at the eginning of the period is expected to
reverse y !111.
Total number o words !"# $ %E&TS s'ore ( )
.mproved 2ssay
"he ar charts illustrate what internal and external factors
determine how pleasant respondents found their workplaces.
,nformation is displayed for those over and those under #(
years of age.
2ooking more closely at internal factors, over (19 of
respondents in each age group agreed that team spirit, a
competent oss and 5o satisfaction all made an important
contriution to pleasant working conditions. :owever, the
younger age group rated team spirit as more signifcant than a
competent oss whilst the over-#(s would rather have a
capale oss. Respect from colleagues was more important to
the over-#(s ut was the internal factor considered least
important y oth age groups.
"he two groups agreed less when it came to the external
factors. "he under-#(s are seeking prospects for promotion and
personal development, although over )19 of this age group
also rate 5o security and salary as important. &or the over-#(s,
5o security and remuneration are highly desirale, with less
than (19 considering development or promotion opportunities
a signifcant factor.
Total number o words !** $ %E&TS s'ore ( )