IELTS FOUNDATION
WRITING TEST – TASK 1
Exercise 1 - Rewrite the sentences using the following structures so that the meanings stay the same.
There are 3 ways to construct a simple sentence describing movements.
● There was a moderate increase in the number of trips.
● The number of trips witnessed/saw/experienced a moderate increase.
● The number of trips increased moderately.
1. Journey numbers fell minimally.
There was a minimal fall in journey numbers.
Journey numbers saw a minimal fall.
2. There were significant fluctuations in the number of trips made by passengers.
The number
The number
3. The number of passenger journeys grew sharply.
There was
The number
1
Exercise 2 - Look at the graph and complete the sentences on the right.
It started ___at __ 2
There was an increase
of 8
It increased by 8
It peaked (v) at 10
It reached a peak of
10
It decreased from 10
to 4
It saw a drop of 6
It fluctuated around 4
It remained stable at 6
2
.
Exercise 3 – Look at the sample description of the graph below and fill in the blanks with the correct
prepositions.
The graph below shows the number of passenger railway journeys made in Great Britain between
1950 and 2004/5.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
There was a similar pattern in the figures for the National rail network and the London Underground.
Specifically, regarding the National rail network, the number of passenger journeys started (1)_____ 1000
million. Journey numbers fell minimally (2)_____ about 950 million (3)_____ the next five years. However,
the number of trips witnessed a moderate increase (4)_____ a peak (5)_____ around 1100 million (6)_____
1958. There was a downward trend in the number of passenger journeys and it reached the lowest point
(7)_____ 625 million in 1982. Meanwhile, concerning the London underground, passenger numbers
remained fairly stable (8)_____ around 700 (9)_____ 1950 (10)_____ 1975. There were significant
fluctuations (11)_____ 600 in the number of trips made by passengers until 1982. In the rest of the period,
the figures for the London underground and the National rail network were similar. The number of
passenger journeys for the former grew sharply (12)_____ almost 1000 million in 2004/5. The figure for the
latter saw an upward trend, and then peaked (13)_____ 1100 in the last year.
3
Exercise 4 – Combine the following sentences using the suggested words/phrases to form more
complex ones.
The number of students taking part in the school dance club remained fairly stable from May to September.
There were significant fluctuations in the number of students taking part in the school dance club in the next
three months.
1. (no change, before) There was no change in the number of students taking part in the school dance club
from May to September before significant fluctuations in the next three months.
2. (before, experiencing)The number of students taking part in the school dance club remained fairly stable
from May to September before experiencing significant fluctuations in the next three months.
3. (but later, significantly) The number of students taking part in the school dance club remained fairly stable
from May to September but later fluctuated significantly in the next three months.
4. (no change, followed by) There was no change in the number of students taking part in the school dance
club from May to September followed by significant fluctuations in the next three months.
