Compare and contrast

Compare and contrast 

One syllable

Adjectives with one syllable form their comparatives and superlatives :
cheap » cheaper » cheapest   ||   large » larger » largest    ||    bright » brighter » brightest  etc.
Exceptions:
good » better » best   ||   bad » worse » worst   etc.
 

Two syllables
Some adjectives with two syllables form their comparatives and superlatives :
pretty » prettier » prettiest    ||    happy » happier » happiest  etc. 

But many form their comparatives and superlatives using 'more':
striking » more striking » most striking    ||    common » more common » most common || clever » more clever/cleverer » most clever/cleverest etc.
 

Three or more syllables
All adjectives with three or more syllables form their comparatives and superlatives using 'more' & 'most':
attractive » more attractive » most attractive   ||   profitable » more profitable » most profitable   ||  expensive » more expensive » most expensive
 

Using Appropriate Prepositions:
You must use the right preposition in the IELTS writing task 1 to get a high score. Be accurate about the uses of to, by, of, off, in, on, for etc.

Example :
» Papers are sold by the ream.
» Oranges are purchased and sold by the dozen.
» Students enrollment in the University has increased by 2% this year.
» Eggs are counted in dozens.
» Rice is measured in kg.
» He is junior to me by 4 years.
» The employees are paid per week in this factory. 

Words to make a comparison / contrast: 

a bit / slightly / a little / only just / approximately / about / almost / precisely / quite / nearly / considerably / a huge / a great deal / quite a lot / completely / exactly 

Example:
» This year population growth of the country is slightly larger than the previous year.
» This year population grown is almost twice than 2007.
» Sale of the company has increased quite a lot this year.

Vocabulary to represent comparison in graphs

 Vocabulary to represent comparison in graphs: 

Type	Word(s) should be used
Similar	about / almost / nearly / roughly / approximately / around / just about / very nearly /
Just over	just above / just over / just bigger / just beyond / just across
Just short	just below / just beneath / just sort / just under / just a little
Much more	well above / well above / well beyond / well across / well over
Much less	well below / well under / well short / well beneath

 Example:  

1. The number of high-level women executives is well beneath than the number of male executives in this organization where approximately 2000 people works in executive levels.

2. About 1000 people died in the highway car accident in 2003 which is well above than the statistics of all other years.

3. The number of domestic-violence cases was just below 500 in March which is just a little over than the previous months.

Vocabulary to represent frequent changes in graphs:

 Vocabulary to represent frequent changes in graphs: 

Type of Change	Verb form	Noun form
Rapid ups and downs	wave / fluctuate / oscillate / vacillate / palpitate	waves / fluctuations / oscillations / vacillations /  palpitations

Example:  

1. The price of the raw materials fluctuated for the first three months.

2. The graph shows the oscillations of the price of fuel from 1998 to 2002.

Vocabulary to represent highest and lowest point in graphs: 

Type	Verb	Noun
Highest Point	peak / culminated / climax / reach  a peak / hit a peak / touch the highest point / reach the vertex	a peak / hit a vertex / get a vertex / get the highest point
Lowest Point	touched the lowest point / get the lowest point /	the lowest point /the lowest mark / bottommost point / rock bottom point/ bottommost mark

 Example: 

1. The price of the oil reached a peak amounting $20 in February and again touched the lowest point amounting only $10 in July.

2. Student enrollment in foreign Universities and Colleges increased dramatically hitting a peak of over 20 thousand in 2004.  

Vocabulary to represent changes in graphs

 Vocabulary to represent changes in graphs: 

Type of Change	Adverb form	Adjective form
Rapid change	dramatically / rapidly / sharply / quickly / hurriedly / speedily / swiftly	dramatic / rapid / sharp / quick / hurried / speedy / swift
Moderate change	moderately / gradually / progressively / sequentially	moderate / gradual / progressive /  sequential
Slight change	slightly / slowly / mildly / tediously	slight / slow / mild / tedious

Example:  

1. The economic inflation of the country increased sharply by 20% in 2008.

2. There was a sharp drop in the industrial production in the year 2009. 

3. The demand for new houses dramatically increased in 2002.

The general format for writing academic writing task 1

 Introduction + Basic/ General Trends + Details Description + Conclusion.

Each part has a specific format and therefore being equipped with the necessary vocabulary will help you to write the task 1 efficiently and will save a great deal of time. 

Vocabulary for the Introduction Part: 

Starting	Presentation Type	Verb	Description
The given / The supplied / The presented / The shown / The provided	diagram / table / figure / illustration / graph / figure / chart / flow chart / picture/ presentation/ pie chart / bar graph/ line graph / table data/ data / information	shows / represents / depicts / illustrates / presents/ gives / provides / describes / compares/ shows / figures / gives data on / gives information on/ presents information about/ shows data about	the comparison of …. the differences …. the number of …. information on …. data on …. the proportion of…. the amount of …. information on....

Example :  

1. The provided diagram shows data on employment categories in energy producing sectors in Europe starting from 1925 to 1985.

2. The given pie charts represent the proportion of male and female employee in 6 broad categories, divided into manual and non-manual occupations. 

3. The chart gives information on expenditures of 4 European countries on six consumer products namely Germany, Italy, Britain and France.

Vocabulary for the General trends Part: 

In general, In common, As is presented, Generally speaking, As is observed. 

Example: 

1. In general the employment opportunity has increased till 1970 and has dropped down afterward.

2. As is observed, the figures for imprisonment in the five mentioned countries show no overall pattern of increase or decrease rather shows the considerable fluctuation from country to country.

3. Generally speaking, USA had far more standard life than all the other 4 mentioned countries. 

 Vocabulary to show the changes: 

Trends	Verb form	Noun Form
Increase	rise / increase / go up / uplift / rocketed / climb / upsurge / soar.	a rise / an increase / an upward trend / a growth
Decrease	fall / decrease / decline / plummet / plunge / drop / reduce	a fall / a decrease / a reduction / a downward trends /a  downward tendency /  a decline/ a drop
Steadiness	unchanged / level out / remain constant / remain steady / plateau / remain the same / remain stable / remain static	a steadiness/ a plateau / a stability/ a static
Gradual Increase	------	an upward trend / an upward tendency / a ceiling trend
Gradual decrease	------	a downward trend / a downward tendency / a descending trend
Standability	leveled off / remained constant / remained unchanged / remained stable / prevailed consistency / plateaued / reached a plateau / stayed uniform /immutable / leveled out	--------

Examples: 

1. The overall sale of the Company has increased by 20% at the end of the year.

2. The expenditure of the office remained constant for the last 6 months but the profit rose by almost 25%.

3. There was a 15% drop in the student enrollment of the University.

4. The population of the country remained almost the same as it was 2 years ago.

Listening: Test 1 IELTS

This is a sample of IELTS listening test that you should understand the different type of assessment. Educationfocus gives away this sample at Listening: Test 1 IELTS

Give Away: Reading practice

 Here is a reading given away for practice. Download a link here Reading practice