Prepositions to describe visuals in IELTS Writing Task 1

Prepositions in English are quite tricky, especially when it comes to describing visuals in IELTS Writing Task 1 where you have to avoid making grammatical mistakes. It is important to use them properly in order to achieve a good score for ‘Grammar range and accuracy’ which makes up one-fourth of your marks for the IELTS Writing section. 

In this part of the exam, you usually have to describe a graph or map that is showing some change. This means that you have to use the language for describing trends. In this article, we are going to discuss the most commonly used prepositions for describing visuals as well as provide some examples.

Common prepositions

AT shows the level or point at which something happens:

• The yearly number of portions consumed by tourists started at around 760,000 in 2014.
• The figures levelled off at about 970,000 for the rest of the period.

Moreover, we can use this preposition after the following verbs before the number: 

start, begin, end, finish, peak, remain constant or steady, plateau etc.

• The number of petrol cars manufactured by Wesla Motors plateaued at 110,000.
• The production of hybrid and electric cars ended at 400,000 in 2016.

TO shows a point which a figure reaches as a result of an increase or decrease:

• In 2018, consumption of this type of fast food fell to 400,000 portions. (= it was 400,000) 
• The area of sea ice is expected to shrink to a quarter of its size by 2030. (= it’s going to be only ¼ of its size)

BY shows how much a figure has changed: 

• The yearly number of portions consumed by tourists started at around 760,000 in 2014, and … increased by nearly 200,000 portions. (= it was 760,000 and became 960,000 (760,000 + 200,000))

Prepositions TO and BY are often confused. What is the difference between them if the starting point is 100%, for example?

‘It declined BY 10%’ means it only dropped from 100% to 90% (100% – 10% = 90%). BY shows the difference between the two numbers.

‘It declined TO 10%’ means that it was 100%  and fell down to 10%, which is a big drop. We mean the end point, which is 10%.

‘It declined to 10%’ is a short way of saying: ‘It declined from 100% to 10%.’

BY also shows who does an action:

• The index of burgers and fries was almost equalled by sushi figures. (= sushi indexes equalled those of burgers and fries)
• The yearly number of portions consumed by tourists started at around 760,000 in 2014. (= tourists consumed portions)

IN shows an area in which a change takes place:

• There was a gradual decrease in the amount of this fast food eaten by tourists.
• Steady growth in the number of sushi portions can be observed in the second half of the period.
• Overall, there is a significant difference in the consumption patterns of burgers and fries, filth tacos, and sushi. 

As you have seen, such nouns as ‘decrease’, ‘increase’, ‘rise’ and ‘fall’ are followed by the preposition IN. However, if we specify the number, we use the preposition OF after ‘decrease’, ‘increase’:

• There was an increase of 50% in sales of fast food.
• There was a decrease of 50% in sales of hybrid and electric cars.

IN is also used when we talk about specific months, years, quarters, seasons.

• The figures for filth tacos peaked in 2016.
• Profits increased in the third quarter.

BETWEEN … AND … and FROM… TO… show the starting and the finishing point of something, or the maximum and the minimum indexes: 

• The graph provides statistics on three types of fast food consumed by tourists in the city of Pachuca from 2014 to 2018 (between 2014 and 2018).
• The number of sushi portions fluctuated between 250,000 and 350,000 (from 250,000 to 250,000).

DURING, OVER and FOR show that something was happening from the beginning to the end of a period of time:

• There was a steady growth for two years.
• During the first decade, these figures dropped insignificantly.
• The amount continued to reduce over the five year period.

UNTIL shows a point in time when something finished:

• Starting with 2014, there was a gradual decrease in the amount of this fast food eaten by tourists until 2018.

READ ABOUT: Top 3 IELTS grammar mistakes and how to fix them

Other useful expressions

Here are the same prepositions used in fixed expressions explained. It’s easier to learn and remember them in phrases.

‘The figures for …’ is easy to be learned as a phrase. It means ‘the index of’.

• The figures FOR filth tacos consumption peaked in 2016.

‘As for’ is a fixed phrase which means ‘Concerning’, ‘Regarding’, ‘Talking about’.

• As FOR filth tacos, the number of yearly portions grew in the first half of the period.

‘Turning to’ is a phrase which means ‘Moving on to’, ‘ Changing the subject to’, ‘Talking about’.

• Turning TO burgers and fries, their numbers declined gradually over the years.

‘In contrast to’ is a phrase that means ‘in comparison with’.

• In contrast TO burgers and fries, the number of sushi portions fluctuated.

‘At this point’ is a phrase which means ‘at this moment’. 

• AT this point, the index of burgers and fries was almost equalled by sushi consumption rates. 

‘By contrast’ is used to show that you are mentioning a very different situation from the one you have just mentioned.

• The figures for burgers and fries demonstrate a clear downward pattern. BY contrast, consumption of sushi grew over the years.

Use ‘compared to/with’ and ‘in comparison with’  for contrasting the two situations or things. 

• In the second half of the period, tourists consumed many more sushi portions compared WITH / TO 2014-2015 statistics.
• IN comparison WITH burgers and fries, the popularity of the other two kinds of fast food increased over the span of six years.

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