100 Common Vocabulary Words and Their High-Scoring Synonyms for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 (Reports)

Using precise, formal, and varied vocabulary in your report is essential for scoring Band 7 and above. Below is a comprehensive list of 100 frequently used words in Task 1, their academic synonyms, and example sentences to help you write more effectively and professionally.

Vocabulary List with Synonyms and Examples

Show – illustrate, depict, demonstrate
The chart illustrates the changes in population over a 50-year period.
Increase – rise, grow, climb, escalate
The number of students escalated dramatically in 2019.
Decrease – decline, drop, fall, diminish
The unemployment rate dropped sharply after the reforms.
Go up – surge, soar, shoot up
Sales figures soared in the last quarter of the year.
Go down – plummet, dip, sink
Oil prices plummeted due to reduced global demand.
Stay the same – remain constant, stabilize, level off
The inflation rate remained constant from May to July.
Fluctuate – vary, oscillate, shift
The data fluctuated significantly throughout the year.
High – elevated, considerable, substantial
There was a substantial rise in exports in 2020.
Low – minimal, modest, slight
The birth rate showed a minimal increase over the decade.
Fast – rapid, swift, brisk
There was a rapid growth in online purchases.
Slow – gradual, steady, marginal
The increase in prices was marginal over the period.
Big – significant, major, notable
There was a significant improvement in test scores.
Small – slight, minor, negligible
There was a slight decrease in the number of tourists.
Change – shift, transformation, variation
The graph shows a noticeable shift in consumer behavior.
Difference – disparity, variation, contrast
There was a marked contrast between urban and rural data.
Peak – reach a high point, top out, hit a maximum
Production peaked in 2015 before declining.
Bottom – hit a low, reach the lowest point
The number of visitors reached its lowest point in December.
Begin – commence, initiate, start
The survey commenced in January 2018.
End – terminate, conclude, finish
The data collection concluded in December 2020.
Amount – quantity, volume, total
The volume of water usage decreased steadily.
Number – figure, statistic, count
The figure rose to 10,000 in the final year.
About – approximately, around, nearly
Approximately 40% of respondents agreed.
Almost – nearly, roughly, close to
Close to 70% of the population was vaccinated.
More than – over, in excess of, greater than
More than 50 students participated in the survey.
Less than – under, below, fewer than
Fewer than 30% of applicants were accepted.
Show the difference – compare, contrast, differentiate
The chart compares male and female income levels.
Information – data, details, statistics
The bar chart provides data on car ownership.
Group – category, segment, cohort
Each age group is represented in a different color.
Type – kind, form, classification
Three different types of energy sources are presented.
Period – span, duration, timeframe
The data covers a 20-year span from 2000 to 2020.
Yearly – annual, per annum, every year
Annual sales figures doubled in 2019.
Every two years – biennial, once every two years
The biennial review showed consistent improvement.
Every month – monthly
Monthly rainfall reached its peak in August.
Go up and down – fluctuate, vary, oscillate
Stock prices fluctuated throughout the trading day.
Go up slowly – climb gradually, rise steadily
Electricity usage climbed gradually over the period.
Go down slowly – decline slowly, fall steadily
The poverty rate fell steadily over the decade.
Go up quickly – surge, skyrocket, spike
Internet usage skyrocketed during the pandemic.
Go down quickly – plunge, drop rapidly, crash
Carbon emissions plunged after new regulations.
Stay high – remain elevated, stay high
Fuel prices remained elevated during the summer.
Stay low – remain low, stay minimal
Interest rates remained low throughout the year.
Climb – ascend, go up, move upward
House prices climbed in the second half of the year.
Drop – descend, fall, decline
The temperature dropped after sunset.
Reach a peak – top out, culminate, hit a high
Employment rates hit a high in 2022.
Reach a low – bottom out, decline to the lowest point
The housing market bottomed out in 2010.
Remain stable – stay constant, maintain the same level
Consumer spending stayed constant over the period.
Increase dramatically – surge, jump sharply
The birth rate surged in 2001.
Decrease dramatically – collapse, tumble, shrink
Tourism shrank dramatically during the recession.
Be higher than – exceed, surpass, be greater than
Earnings surpassed expectations in Q4.
Be lower than – fall short of, be below
Attendance was below average in July.
Be equal to – match, be equivalent to
The figures for 2021 matched those of 2020.
Improve – enhance, increase, boost
Productivity improved steadily across all sectors.
Get worse – deteriorate, decline, worsen
Air quality deteriorated in industrial areas.
Go beyond – exceed, surpass, go above
Sales exceeded company forecasts.
Go below – fall under, dip beneath, drop below
Profits dipped beneath the target.
Show a trend – indicate a pattern, demonstrate a tendency
The data indicates a pattern of gradual growth.
Show clearly – reveal, highlight, make evident
The graph clearly highlights the disparities in income.
Be steady – be stable, be consistent, remain unchanged
Production remained stable for most of the year.
Sharp – steep, dramatic, rapid
There was a steep decline in oil prices.
Slight – minor, marginal, negligible
There was a negligible change in the results.
Gradual – steady, progressive, slow
There was a steady increase in electricity use.
Sudden – abrupt, unexpected, immediate
There was an abrupt rise in sales figures.
Overall – generally, in general, on the whole
Overall, men earned more than women in all industries.
Main – primary, key, central
The primary cause of the rise was increased demand.
Major – significant, considerable, notable
A notable number of people migrated in 2020.
Minor – small-scale, limited, slight
There were minor fluctuations during the final phase.
Represent – indicate, depict, show
The chart represents water usage by sector.
Account for – constitute, make up, comprise
Renewables comprise 25% of total energy sources.
Include – contain, consist of, encompass
The data encompasses both rural and urban populations.
Exclude – omit, leave out, not include
The figures exclude private education institutions.
Proportion – percentage, share, fraction
The largest proportion of spending was on housing.
Significant – considerable, substantial, meaningful
There was a substantial increase in recycling efforts.
Insignificant – negligible, minimal, trivial
The differences were too negligible to be noted.
Rapid – quick, swift, speedy
There was a swift increase in internet users.
Slow – delayed, gradual, sluggish
The recovery was sluggish in the initial months.
Maximum – peak, highest point, upper limit
Employment reached its peak in March.
Minimum – lowest point, bottom, base
Temperatures dropped to their lowest point in January.
Time frame – period, span, duration
The data covers a 5-year span from 2010 to 2015.
At the beginning – initially, at first, in the early stages
Initially, production levels were low.
At the end – finally, at the conclusion, by the end
By the end of the year, output had doubled.
Be divided into – be categorized into, be separated into
The population is categorized into five age groups.
Compare with – be compared to, in comparison with
In comparison with 2000, the figures have doubled.
Rise slightly – increase marginally, climb gently
Profits increased marginally in the first quarter.
Drop slightly – decline marginally, fall slightly
Unemployment declined slightly after July.
Show growth – exhibit an increase, reveal expansion
The graph reveals expansion in the tech sector.
Show decline – indicate a decrease, reflect reduction
The figures reflect a reduction in enrollment.
Reach – attain, hit, arrive at
The birth rate hit 30 per 1,000 in 2020.
Show difference – illustrate disparity, indicate variation
The chart illustrates variation among regions.
Be higher – surpass, exceed, be more than
Urban rates surpassed rural ones.
Be lower – fall short, be under, be less than
Female participation was lower than male participation.
Stay unchanged – remain steady, hold constant
The figures held constant throughout the decade.
Be equal – be identical, be on par
Exports and imports were nearly identical.
Slightly more – marginally higher, a bit more
Men earned marginally more than women.
Slightly less – marginally lower, a bit less
Europe consumed slightly less energy than Asia.
Show correlation – indicate a relationship, reveal an association
The diagram reveals a positive correlation between income and education.
Depict – portray, present, illustrate
The graph presents the number of graduates per faculty.
Trend – pattern, trajectory, direction
The trajectory of growth was upward from 2010.
Pattern – structure, formation, arrangement
There is a recurring pattern in the data.
Overall change – total variation, general shift
The overall change was modest across the decade.
Visual – illustration, graphic, visual aid
This visual aid clarifies regional income differences.
Data – figures, statistics, numerical information
The statistics suggest a positive shift in the economy.

Final Thoughts

Using advanced synonyms not only enhances your vocabulary range but also demonstrates your ability to write with precision, clarity, and formality—key features of a high-scoring IELTS report.

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