Academic Verbs (Task 1)

Why You Must Replace Basic Verbs

Using "go up" and "go down" for every trend is the single clearest signal to an examiner that a candidate has a limited Lexical Resource. These verbs are conversational, not academic. Replacing them with precise, contextually appropriate alternatives immediately elevates your score.

Verbs for Upward Movement

General rise: increase, rise, grow, climb, gain Sharp rise: surge, soar, rocket, jump, leap, spike Gradual rise: creep up, edge upward, inch higher Reaching a peak: peak at, reach a high of, hit a maximum of, top out at

Verbs for Downward Movement

General fall: decrease, decline, fall, drop, reduce, dip Sharp fall: plummet, plunge, tumble, nosedive, collapse Gradual fall: ease, slip, slide, drift downward, tail off Reaching a low: bottom out at, reach a low of, hit a minimum of, fall to a trough of

Verbs for Stability

remain stable at, stay constant at, level off at, plateau at, hold steady at, maintain a figure of

Verbs for Fluctuation

fluctuate around, vary between X and Y, oscillate, be volatile, show irregular movement, rise and fall

Verbs for Comparison (Bar Charts and Tables)

exceed, surpass, outpace, lag behind, trail, account for, represent, comprise, make up, constitute

Verbs for Process Diagrams

be produced, be manufactured, be converted, be transformed, be transported, be stored, be released, be filtered, be collected, be distributed, be assembled

Adverbs That Work With These Verbs

Sharply, dramatically, significantly, considerably, substantially (for large changes) Gradually, steadily, slowly, moderately, marginally (for small or slow changes) Slightly, marginally, minimally (for very small changes)

Band Comparison

Band 5: "The number of users went up a lot between 2010 and 2020." Band 7: "The number of users increased significantly between 2010 and 2020." Band 9: "The number of users surged dramatically between 2010 and 2020, nearly tripling over the course of the decade."