⏱ 5 Minutes · B2
📖 From Experience
When I rebuilt my professional history from years of email records, I had to describe trends: ’email volume increased sharply in 2014′, ‘it declined steadily after 2018’, ‘it remained stable throughout’. The language of data is specific — and it is tested in every Cambridge exam from B2 upward.
📚 Verbs and Adverbs for Trends
| Direction | Verbs | Adverbs |
|---|---|---|
| ⬆ Rise | increase, rise, grow, climb, soar, jump | dramatically, sharply, steeply, significantly, rapidly |
| ⬇ Fall | decrease, decline, fall, drop, plummet, dip | gradually, slightly, steadily, significantly |
| ➡ Stable | remain stable/steady, level off, plateau, stay constant | — |
| 〜 Fluctuate | fluctuate, vary, change | considerably, wildly |
✅ Examples
- Sales rose sharply in the first quarter before levelling off.
- The number of visitors declined gradually over five years.
- Profits fluctuated considerably — no clear trend.
✏️ Your Turn
Describe these trends in one sentence each:
- Usage: 10% in January → 10.2% in February → 10.1% in March → 10% in April
- Subscriptions: 500 in 2020 → 800 in 2021 → 1,200 in 2022 → 2,000 in 2023
- Complaints: 45 in Q1 → 12 in Q2 → 50 in Q3 → 8 in Q4
💡 Check Answers
- Usage remained broadly stable / fluctuated slightly throughout the period.
- Subscriptions rose steeply (or: grew significantly / increased dramatically) between 2020 and 2023.
- Complaints fluctuated considerably throughout the year, with no clear overall trend.
Independent project — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification.
Leave a Reply