IELTS synonyms

Synonyms for “percentage” in IELTS

12 alternatives to “percentage”, each with its part of speech, how it differs in meaning or register, an example sentence and a warning where a blind swap changes what you say. Pie charts and tables push candidates to repeat 'percentage' and 'proportion' in every sentence. These alternatives let you vary the wording, but some have exact meanings, such as percentage points and majority, that an examiner will check against the chart.

Example

proportion (noun)

Part of a whole, given as a percentage or fraction.

The proportion of graduates working abroad rose from 8% to 15%.

See all 12 alternatives
  • 12 alternatives
  • Writing Task 1
  • Meaning, register and example
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Written by Fizza Butool Zaidi and Ali Zaidi

12 alternatives

Other words for “percentage”

  1. 1.proportion

    nounWriting

    Part of a whole, given as a percentage or fraction.

    The proportion of graduates working abroad rose from 8% to 15%.

  2. 2.share

    nounWriting

    Part of a total, especially of spending, markets or production.

    Gas's share of electricity generation fell to under a third.

  3. 3.per cent

    nounWriting

    Follows a number. British spelling is two words; % is also fine.

    Forty per cent of respondents said they cycled to work.

    Don't swap blindly: Never put 'percentage' after a number: '40 percentage' is wrong.

  4. 4.percentage point

    nounWriting

    The difference between two percentages.

    Unemployment fell from 8% to 6%, a drop of two percentage points.

    Don't swap blindly: Not the same as per cent. 8% to 6% is a fall of 2 percentage points but of 25% in relative terms.

  5. 5.a quarter / a third / half

    fractionWriting and Speaking

    Natural rounding for common values.

    Almost a third of the budget went on housing.

  6. 6.one in five / one in ten

    phraseWriting and Speaking

    Clear way to express 20%, 10% and similar.

    About one in five adults smoked in 2020.

  7. 7.the majority

    nounWriting

    More than half.

    The majority of students, 62%, lived in shared houses.

    Don't swap blindly: Only above 50%. If the largest group is 40%, it is 'the largest share', not 'the majority'.

  8. 8.a minority

    nounWriting

    Less than half, often a small group.

    Only a small minority of households, 4%, had no internet access.

  9. 9.rate

    nounWriting

    A ratio measured against a population or time: unemployment rate, birth rate.

    The literacy rate reached 96% by 2015.

  10. 10.account for

    verbWriting

    Gives a category's share of a total.

    Rent accounted for 35% of monthly spending.

  11. 11.make up

    phrasal verbWriting and Speaking

    Same as account for, a little less formal.

    Women made up just over half of the workforce.

  12. 12.figure

    nounWriting

    Any number from the chart; useful to avoid repeating the category.

    The figure for France was considerably lower, at 12%.

Paraphrasing

How to paraphrase “percentage” well

  • Mix three structures: 'X accounted for 30%', 'The proportion of X was 30%', 'Almost a third of the total was X'.
  • Use percentage points when you compare two percentages. Examiners notice when candidates confuse the two.
  • Fractions read naturally for round values; exact percentages are better for close comparisons.

Band tip: the public IELTS Writing band descriptors for Lexical Resource describe Band 7 as using “less common lexical items” with “some awareness of style and collocation”. A synonym that changes your meaning or breaks a collocation works against you, so choose the word that fits the sentence, not the rarest one you know.

In context

Use it in an answer

Writing Task 1 (invented pie charts: how one city's residents commuted in 2000 and 2020)Written by BandLadder

In 2000, cars accounted for the largest share of journeys, at 46%, although this was not a majority. By 2020, the proportion had fallen by 14 percentage points to 32%, while cycling grew from one in twenty journeys to almost a fifth. Public transport made up roughly a third of trips in both years.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between percentage and proportion?+

A percentage is a number out of 100. A proportion is a part of a whole, which you can express as a percentage, a fraction or 'one in five'. In Task 1 they often describe the same data, so you can alternate them.

What is a percentage point?+

The arithmetic difference between two percentages. A rise from 10% to 15% is five percentage points, but a 50% increase in relative terms. Use percentage points when you compare rates.

Is it 'per cent' or 'percent'?+

British English usually writes per cent as two words; American English uses percent. Either is accepted, or you can use the % sign. Be consistent.

Can I say 'the majority' for the biggest slice of a pie chart?+

Only if it is over 50%. Otherwise, call it 'the largest share' or 'the biggest category'.

Practise

See real answers to paraphrase

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